Homemade treacle tart truly is an indulgent dessert. It has a chewy sweet filling resting on buttery flaky pastry and it is delicious. This classic old-fashioned tart definitely reaches the spot when you want something sweet.
You can serve your homemade treacle tart with clotted cream, whipped cream, custard (crème anglaise), or even ice cream, because why not! If you are having treacle tart, you should go all in and really treat yourself.
Go to:
⚡ Harry Potter
The first time I came across a treacle tart was while reading Harry Potter. They translated it as a “molasses” tart in the French edition of the books, which did not sound very appetizing to me. But when I traveled to the UK, I was automatically attracted to this golden gorgeous dessert and I found out that a treacle tart actually tastes pretty good. The syrupy filling and crumbly pastry are a match made in heaven! It made way more sense that this was Harry’s favorite dessert.
Golden syrup
When I set out to make a treacle tart myself I bought several cans of Lyle’s black treacle, wrongfully assuming that would be needed. After all, treacle is in the name! I soon found out that it was called a treacle tart because treacle was a generic name used to encompass every syrup derived from the refining of sugar. To make treacle tart, you don’t need treacle, you need golden syrup! You can now find cans of Lyle’s golden syrup in French supermarkets, in the international food aisle. I used to have to go to specialty food shops to buy golden syrup.
⚠️I would not use a substitute for this recipe: maple syrup, honey, light corn syrup, agave syrup, molasses,…, simply don’t taste the same as golden syrup. I was going to write that treacle tart is a traditional dessert and thus requires traditional ingredients. But I know some would take umbrage with my addition of lemon and cream. Listen, I need something to cut through the filling’s sweetness! Otherwise, I would never be able to eat a whole slice. Homemade treacle tart is amazing but it is very rich, in the sense that you can’t eat a lot of it. Lemon and cream help to tone down the sugary flavor.

🍞 Breadcrumbs
A treacle tart is surprisingly straightforward to make, especially if you are used to making shortcrust pastry (pie crust). But hey, you can cheat and buy one and simply skip that whole step, who cares!
The only thing to keep in mind is to remember to dry out the bread so you can make breadcrumbs out of it. Yes, bread, you have read correctly. Homemade breadcrumbs are one of the main ingredients of the filling for treacle tarts. I know it might be off-putting if you are not from a culture that uses leftover bread in baking. Even though my husband makes fun of me by saying I am making a “bread tart” whenever I make a treacle tart, I swear you cannot tell the filling is made of bread. The dry breadcrumbs soak up all the syrup while baking and it makes for a very chewy and special filling. You will only find this texture in a treacle tart, so do try it!
Some people experiment with breadcrumbs made out of sourdough or dry cake crumbs. But I find that nothing works best than good old white bread! It is plain enough to let the golden syrup shine and it makes for a moist filling. Simply:
⇨ cut the bread into chunks
⇨ leave to dry out overnight
⇨ blitz the chunks in a food processor and voilà your breadcrumbs are ready (if you don’t have a food processor you can use a cheese grater)
📋 Step by step
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. The ingredient list and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Make the shortcrust pastry (pie dough)

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles big breadcrumbs. Add the water and stir with your fingertips. When the dough mostly sticks together, gently press it into a ball. Flatten it slightly into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Step 2: Blind bake the crust

Roll out the pastry and line a tart pan with it. Prick the base with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer for 35 min. Line the pastry with parchment paper. Fill the pan with pie weights. Bake the crust for 20 min. Remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Beat the egg and use some of it to brush over the blind-baked crust. Return the crust to the oven for 5 min.
Step 3: Make the filling

Add the golden syrup, butter and salt to a saucepan. Place over very low heat and warm up until the butter has melted. Whisk in the cream, lemon zest and juice. Set aside to cool down. Whisk in the beaten egg.
Step 4: Bake

Tip the breadcrumbs into the blind-baked crust and spread them out evenly. Pour the filling over the top to cover the breadcrumbs entirely. Bake for 30 min.
❄️ Storage
You can keep the leftovers on a plate covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pastry will soften over time.
- If you want to reheat the treacle tart, put the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) and bake for 10 min, or until slightly warm to the touch.
- You can also eat it cold. I actually find homemade treacle tart less heavy when eaten cold and it is lovely with a hot cup of tea!

Homemade treacle tart
- Prep Time: 55 minutes
- resting & cooling: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
Description
Homemade treacle tart truly is an indulgent dessert. It has a chewy filling resting on buttery flaky pastry and it definitely reaches the spot when you want something sweet.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 115g good quality crustless white bread (4 oz)
- 454g golden syrup (16 oz)
- 70g butter, cubed (5 tbsp)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 medium-sized lemon, zested and then juiced
- 30ml heavy cream (2 tbsp)
- 1 egg
For the shortcrust pastry (pie crust dough):
- 190g all-purpose flour (1 ⅓ cups)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- ⅓ tsp fine sea salt
- 115g butter, cubed and fridge-cold (1 stick)
- 30ml cold water (2 tbsp), you might need a bit more
Instructions
- Prepare the breadcrumbs. Cut the bread into chunks and leave to dry out overnight. I leave mine on a plate loosely covered with a piece of paper towel. The day after, blitz the chunks in a food processor until you have fine breadcrumbs. Set aside for now. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a cheese grater but the bread chunks will have to be pretty dry for it to work. The breadcrumbs won’t probably be as fine if using a cheese grater.
- Make the shortcrust pastry. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub it in lightly until the mixture resembles big breadcrumbs. It might take up to 6 min to get this result. Add ¾ of the water and stir with your fingertips, trying to gather all the flour in the mixing bowl. If necessary, add the rest of the water and more (1 tsp at a time), and stir until there is no more flour left in the mixing bowl. When the dough mostly sticks together, gently press it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball slightly into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 25 min. Lightly butter a 25cm (10 in) tart pan and set it aside.
- Start the filling. Add the golden syrup, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan. Place over very low heat and gently warm up, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. When the butter has completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream. Set aside to cool down at room temperature.
- Roll out the pastry. Once the pastry has rested for 25 min, remove it from the fridge. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a circle slightly larger than the pan. The rolled-out pastry should be pretty thin, about 3 mm (in) thick. If the pastry becomes soft and sticky as you roll, don’t hesitate to sprinkle more flour under it and on the rolling pin.
- Line the pan with the pastry. Fold the dough in half and then fold it one more time. Pick it up and brush off any excess flour. Line the pan with the rolled pastry by placing it in the pan and unfolding it. Don’t worry if it tears up while transporting it from the working surface to the pan. Just press it back together with your fingers. Ease the pastry across the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers. Leave a little excess dough hanging over the edge. If you have more than 2.5cm (1 in) of pastry in some places hanging over the edge of the pan, cut off the excess, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. You might need it later to patch up the crust if there is a small hole or a crack. Fold the overhanging pastry over into the pan to make double-thick walls. Press the pastry along the seam and fluted sides of the pan with your index fingers side by side to create indents.
- Blind bake the crust. Prick the base of the tart case a dozen times with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer (or the fridge if you don’t have a freezer) for 35 min. Cold pastry is less likely to shrink while baking. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Once the pastry has chilled remove the pan from the freezer. Line the pastry with a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the crust entirely, even the sides. Fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans/lentils/rice. Put the pan on a baking sheet (it’ll be easier to handle). Bake the crust for 20 min and remove it from the oven. Remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Patch any crack or hole with the reserved pastry. Beat the egg for the filling in a small bowl and use some of it to lightly brush over the blind-baked crust. This will help minimize the risk of leakage. Return the crust to the oven for 5 more min. By then the bottom should be golden and dry to the touch. Remove from the oven.
- Finish the filling and bake the tart. Lower the oven temperature to 170°C (340°F). Whisk the beaten egg into the syrup filling. Tip the breadcrumbs into the blind-baked crust and spread them out evenly. Pour the filling over the top to cover the breadcrumbs. If there are dry patches, gently nudge the dry breadcrumbs into the syrup mixture. Bake for 30 min, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is set with a slightly wobbly center. Put the pan on a cooling rack. Leave the tart to cool down for 15 min before slicing. Serve still slightly warm with clotted cream or ice cream if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 548
Keywords: harry potter recipes, baking recipes with golden syrup, traditional british desserts, dessert with leftover bread
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