This vegan version of a traditional British treacle tart is deliciously gooey, sticky, and sweet, with notes of butterscotch, candy-floss, caramel and lemon. The sweet shortcrust pastry is buttery and soft with tasty crisp edges.
Treacle tarts are prepared with just a few every-day ingredients yet the result is a classic delicious home-baked treat. Many people have fond memories of enjoying treacle tart and custard for school dinners, or helping their mum or gran bake one for a family treat. Treacle tart is just one of those extra special nostalgic bakes.
This vegan British treacle tart has a simple lemon zest and raspberry garnish which adds freshness that compliments the sweet tart beautifully. However the garnish is entirely optional!
What is a British treacle tart?
A treacle tart is an old-fashioned much-loved British dessert that features a shortcrust pastry crust packed with a simple filling of golden syrup [light treacle], fresh breadcrumbs and fresh lemon zest and juice. Many fancier modern recipes also include cream and eggs within the treacle tart filling, but these ingredients are really not necessary.
Once the filling is added the tart is baked until the pastry is golden and the syrupy mixture bubbling. Treacle tarts can be enjoyed warm or cold.
A common question about treacle tarts, is why they are called treacle tarts seeing as they do not contain any actual black treacle.
Golden syrup was first available for sale in Britain in 1885 so more modern treacle tarts using golden syrup became popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
However, before golden syrup was invented, treacle tarts recipes were in existence, with the origins being traced back to the medieval times, and its likely honey would have been the syrup of choice.
Also, historically, the word treacle was used to mean any thick syrup that was available, so molasses would also have made an appearance in some older treacle tart recipes.
Another possible reason for the treacle tarts name is that golden syrup was also once known as light treacle, so this may also be the reason for it being called a treacle tart despite no black treacle used in modern recipes.
Interestingly, England cockney [east end of London] slang for treacle tart is sweetheart obviously due to this desserts sweetness. Even more curiously, an old meaning of the word treacle was actually 'poison antidote'!
Harry Potters favourite dessert
Staunch Harry Potter fans will already know that treacle tart is Harry Potters favourite dessert seeing as treacle tart is mentioned in many of the Harry Potter books.
In one scene Harry is smelling the aroma of a potion and he instantly thinks of treacle tart. In another scene the desserts are being brought out in Hogwarts '' apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding..'' and of course Harry chooses the treacle tart.
How to prepare traditional British treacle tart
For a quicker dessert a shop-bought shortcrust pastry dough can be used instead of preparing one at home. However, the following home-made pastry is quite delicious so is well worth the extra step!
First prepare the pastry.
Add the flour and baking powder to a mixing bowl.
Drop the vegan margarine into the bowl in chunks.
Stir through the granulated sugar and salt.
Add the water and using a cutlery knife stir for a few minutes until the mixture begins to clump together.
Bring the dough together into a ball.
Knead for a few seconds and then chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
When its time to roll the dough, place it on a floured surface.
Roll the dough out to a size that will fit the pie/flan tin, leaving about an inch of pastry overlapping the sides.
Using the rolling pin, roll it firmly over the top edge of the pie tin and this will neatly trim the excess pastry away.
Place the pie tin in the refrigerator to chill while the filling is prepared.
Pour the golden syrup into a saucepan and gently heat until the syrup is runny and warm.
Remove the syrup from the heat and stir through the fresh breadcrumbs.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Pour the filling into the pie case.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is nicely golden and the filling is hot and bubbling.
The filling will not be completely firm but will firm up as it cools.
Add a sprinkle of lemon zest, if liked.
Once cool and at room temperature the treacle tart will have set and be easy to slice. If you'd like a warm slice leave the tart to cool off a little just so that it sets more before slicing.
Recipe notes
Storage
This question is one of the most asked! As in most UK supermarkets we have mainly golden syrup and black treacle for sale.
However, golden syrup is also known as light treacle so hence why it may be named a treacle tart. As treacle tart is a vintage bake, it was given its name during a time when golden syrup was also popularly known as light treacle. Nowadays we don't tend to use the term light treacle.
Even though golden syrup wasn't available before 1885, older versions of treacle tart have been around since the medieval times. As historically the word treacle was used for any type of sweet syrup.
Instead of golden syrup, use light molasses which is a good golden syrup replacement.
Corn syrup is thinner in texture, and has a different flavour compared to golden syrup so may not be the best replacement, but it may be worth a try. Do let us know how you get on if you do use corn syrup.
Golden syrup tastes buttery, caramelly, and sweet, with hints of butterscotch and candy-floss.
Of course not. It is traditional to add lemon to a treacle tart as the lemon cuts through the sweetness of the golden syrup whilst complimenting the syrups flavours beautifully.
The lemon zest and juice is not an overpowering flavour it just lends background citrus notes that adds depths of flavour and interesting texture.
However, if preferred simply leave the lemon out of the recipe and perhaps enjoy a slice of treacle tart along with a few slices of your favourite fruit, or just on its own which is equally delicious.
A slice of treacle tart on its own is a wonderful home-baked treat but it can be served with vegan hot custard, pouring cream, whipped cream, ice-cream, or even some hot berry coulis.
To make an easy berry coulis add frozen or fresh berries to a saucepan along with some sugar, and cook until a hot berry sauce is created.
Also a few fresh berries are a nice accompaniment.
More tasty vegan traditional recipes using golden syrup:
Old-fashioned gingerbread cookies
Slow cooker steamed date and syrup pudding
Old-fashioned 1940s golden syrup loaf
Microwave Scottish clootie dumpling
The best ever chunky double chocolate chip cookies
Classic British Treacle Tart
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- 8 inch pie, tart or flan baking tin [if available use a loose bottom tin]
- lemon juicer and zester
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry:
- 225 gram plain flour [all-purpose flour] plus a little extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 gram vegan margarine [such as Stork baking spread] plus extra for greasing pie dish
- 30 gram granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon oat milk [or your usual milk]
Filling:
- 450 gram golden syrup [or light molasses]
- 100 gram fresh breadcrumbs [wholemeal/whole-wheat or white]
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest [plus a little extra for garnish, optional]
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare the pastry: [this stage can be done 1-2 days in advance]
- Add the flour and baking powder to a mixing bowl, and stir.225 gram plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Drop the margarine into the flour in small clumps.100 gram vegan margarine
- Using your fingertips rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir through the sugar and salt.30 gram granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Pour in the oat milk and using a metal cutlery knife stir the milk into the flour mixture, for a minute or two until the mixture begins to clump together.5 tablespoon oat milk
- Dust your hands and the bowl with some flour and bring the pastry into a dough ball. [if the dough is too dry work in some extra drops of milk]
- Knead for a few seconds, and pat the dough down a little. Wrap in food wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or if possible 60 minutes.
Prepare baking tin:
- Grease the pie or flan tin with vegan margarine.
- Dust flour over your work surface and rub some flour over the rolling pin.
- Roll out the pastry into a shape that will fit your pie tin whilst also leaving about an ½-1 inch of pastry overlapping the sides.
- Use the rolling pin to drape the pasty over and push the pie tin under the pastry. Drop the pastry into the tin and gently press the pastry into the bottom edges and sides of the tin.Using the rolling pin firmly roll the pin over the pie case rim so that it removes the overlapping pastry.
- Place the pastry case back into the refrigerator until ready to fill.
Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180C / 356 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.
Prepare the filling:
- Add the golden syrup to a saucepan and gently heat until hot. Don't boil the syrup, just heat it up a little as this will loosen the syrup and make it more easy to pour.450 gram golden syrup
- Take the syrup of the heat and stir through the breadcrumbs. Also stir through the lemon zest and lemon juice.100 gram fresh breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoon lemon juice
Assemble:
- Pour the filling into the pie case.
Bake:
- Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is browned and crisp, and the filling is bubbling. The filling will still look a little loose and be slightly wobbly when removed from the oven, but as it cools it will firm up.
- If going to eat warm then do leave until the filling sets more as hot golden syrup is very hot! and the filling will be more looser compared to when it cools off a little.
Notes
- Nutritional information is for guidance only and is not intended as an exact analysis as ingredients can vary.
- Leftover treacle tart can be stored someone cool and dry for up to 3 days, if keeping on the serving plate wrap some kitchen foil over the top. My kitchen is quite cool so the treacle tart was fine left out on the work top for a few days.
- If your home is quite warm then store the treacle tart within the refrigerator, covered.
- Wholemeal/whole-wheat fresh breadcrumbs was used for this recipe but any fresh breadcrumbs can be used.
- Stork baking spread was used for the pastry.
- Light molasses can replace the golden syrup.
- If lemon is not liked simply omit.
- For a quicker treacle tart a ready made shortcrust pastry can be used.
- If possible use a loose bottom pie/flan case as it makes it so much easier to remove the cooked tart.
- Treacle tart is extra delicious served with hot custard, a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of pouring cream or whipped cream, vegan versions of course!
- Fresh berries are a tasty accompaniment, I used raspberries for my family's treacle tart as I picked up a packet reduced in the local supermarket.
- Got some leftover pastry? This can be wrapped and frozen for 3-4 months. If you end up with several pieces of leftover shortcrust pastry from several different recipes then they can be defrosted and used together. Perhaps to make another treacle tart.
- Or use the leftover pastry to prepare a few tasty British jam tarts which are always a tasty easy treat, and can be frozen too.
Nutrition
Prepared this tasty vegan traditional British treacle tart?
We would love to know how you got on with the recipe.
It would be wonderful if you could drop us a comment below and click the star ratings.
Thanks so much! Jacq xxx
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