Treacle tart is Harry Potter’s all-time favourite dessert! And for good reason. Fresh bread crumbs, delightful golden syrup, the slightest hint of lemon, buttery crust. Delicious!
(Do you like recreating recipes from books, TV shows or movies? Here’s another one from the world of Harry Potter – chocolate frogs! While this pasta carbonara recipe is David Rossi’s famous dish from Criminal Minds
Okay you guys. This weekend is going to be a very special weekend.
And this tart is a very special tart.
Because it’s for a very special boy named Harry.
Yes, I’m referring to that Harry. The Harry we all love. The boy who lived!
Granted he was born on July 31, 1980 which makes him middle-aged now (which also means I’m 1,000 years old lol)…it’s his birthday and treacle tart is his favourite so I channeled my inner Hermione and made this easy treacle tart recipe that I’m sure he’ll will love.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
This scrumptious recipe is from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
. It’s a fantastic book filled with mouth-watering Harry Potter recipes. It’s a must-own for any Harry Potter fan.
I reached out to author Dinah Bucholz to officially ask permission to feature a recipe from her book in my blog.
It was a long shot, I was not expecting her to reply, but she did in a matter of hours! Isn’t that lovely of her?
I instantly knew I had to bake a treacle tart. I figure, making Harry’s favourite dessert is a great way to experience that universe.
What is treacle tart?
So first up, what is treacle tart? It’s a traditional British dessert made of golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon.
It’s typically served warm topped with clotted cream
, crème fraiche, whipped cream or ice cream.
And it’s called treacle because golden syrup is also called light treacle.
What is golden syrup?
Golden syrup is the key ingredient in treacle tart and it is delicious. Have you heard of it?
According to Wikipedia, it’s a thick, golden inverted sugar syrup that’s a result of refining sugar cane into sugar.
Sounds like something out of Potions Class? Yeah, I didn’t attempt to understand it either. Bottom-line: it’s fantastic
The most well-known brand is Lyle’s Golden Syrup
. It’s not as commonly available here as it is in the UK but once you find it, trust me, you would want to buy a couple of jars or tins .
I used golden syrup to make these bourbon pecan pie bars. It’s magic, I tell you.
(Can’t find golden syrup? You can also try making your own!)
What does treacle tart taste like?
Because its main component is golden syrup, treacle tart is sweet. Although the lemon juice helps in cutting through that sweetness so you would taste a nice hint of citrus flavour too.
Buttery crust. Moist, chewy centre. Golden syrup. The closest I can compare it to is pecan pie.
How to make treacle tart Harry Potter’s favourite
The first treacle tart I baked was a disaster.
My single mistake? A rookie one. A really silly one. An I-should-have-known-better one.
I didn’t follow the recipe.
It says fresh bread crumbs but I thought well, bread crumbs are available in a can too so surely they’re the same thing. They are most definitely not.
Do not (I repeat, DO NOT) use those ready-made bread crumbs you can buy in a can. My practice tart came out too dry and hard as a rock.
What you do is buy bread a couple of days before you plan to bake this tart (because stale bread is better) then make your own breadcrumbs. They’re so easy and takes no time at all.
You can use a food processor to grind them or a cheese grater like I did.
Ingredients for easy treacle tart
In addition to fresh breadcrumbs, other ingredients you would need include, for the crust:
- All-purpose flour
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Salt
- Cold butter
- Cold large egg yolks
- Cold heavy cream
- Pure vanilla extract
Meanwhile, for the filling, you would need:
- Golden syrup
- Fresh bread crumbs
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Egg for the egg wash
Tools you need to make this treacle tart recipe
A food processor
would be helpful for making the pie crust but you can make it without one, like I did. I made the crust by hand.
I just had to make sure the butter was cold and I was careful not to overwork the dough (I stopped crumbling the butter when they were just about pea-sized and my flour mixture had a slight tinge of yellow to it).
Once you have everything ready, this tarts comes together pretty easily. You can even make the crust up to 3 days ahead.
We eat it warm with ice cream on top. Also pairs very well with coffee or tea.
I am sharing the original recipe below for you to try out. And try you must! It’s delicious.
Happy birthday Harry! (You’ll forever be 11 in my heart.)
Other pie and tart recipes
Do you like pies and tarts? Try these easy and delicious pie and tart recipes.
You only need to bake the crust to make this cookie butter pie. The creamy filling needs no oven time at all!
Want something a little boozy and 100% no-bake? You’d love this Baileys chocolate mousse pie. It has delightful specks of chocolate in it.
A refreshing spring and summer treat, this no-bake raspberry white chocolate tart sits on a fabulous Oreo cookie crust and is bursting with white chocolate flavour.
Happy baking!
Did you make Harry Potter’s all time favourite dessert, treacle tart? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
And let’s get social! Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.
Treacle Tart Harry Potter’s Favourite!
Ingredients
Tart Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks cold butter cut into chunks
- 2 cold large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
- 1 cup golden syrup or light molasses or corn syrup
- 2 ¼ cups fresh bread crumbs
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing over the crust
Instructions
- For the crust, place the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 20 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg yolks with the cream and vanilla and pour them into the flour-butter mixture. Toss with a spatula until the dough clumps together. If the dough is dry, add 1 more tablespoon heavy cream (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Just before you are ready to roll out the dough, prepare the filling. Warm the golden syrup in a saucepan until it is runny, or microwave it for 1 minute. Combine the golden syrup, bread crumbs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out the larger disk to an 11-inch circle. Fold it into quarters, brush off the excess flour with a pastry brush after each fold, then unfold it into a 9-inch tart pan, easing the sides gently into the pan and pressing the dough into the fluted edges. Trim the dough even with the rim. Roll out the second disk ⅛-inch thick. Cut the dough in long strips for the lattice topping.
- Scrape the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Lay half the strips of dough over the filling in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction to form a lattice. Trim the overhang. Gently brush the beaten egg over the lattice.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375F and bake another 25 minutes until the crust is browned and the filling puffs up in the centre. Serve warm with custard or whipped cream. Serves 8.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Melanie
If Harry Potter loves it then I’ll certainly give it a try looks delicious
Jolina
Right?? I kind of default like it already before I even tried it haha but it really is delicious 🙂 Thanks Melanie!
Liz Mays
Oh yum, what a cool idea! I did sometimes wonder what the treats in the books would be like!
Jolina
The cookbook this is from is the perfect resource! It has recipes for treats from the train to dishes served at the great hall. It’s really an awesome book for HP fans 🙂 Thanks Liz!
Crystal
OMG! I need that cookbook. We’re super big Harry Potter fans. I need to make this yummy tart in honor of Harry’s birthday and then get myself a copy. Yay!
Jolina
That cookbook is so much fun! There are lemon drops and pumpkin pasties and even Harry’s first birthday cake that Hagrid brought him 🙂 I really cannot wait to make more. Thanks Crystal! Hope you like the tart!
Loren
This looks delicious!! I love Harry Potter! 🙂 Will definitely have to try it out!
Jolina
Thanks Loren! Yay another HP fan 🙂 Hope you like the tart!
Neely Moldovan
I love this! Harry Potter is the best! I had no idea there was a cookbook!
Jolina
Harry Potter IS the best 🙂 And yes the cookbook is just fun and awesome – check it out. Thanks Neely!
Jenna
This sounds like magic waiting to happen! I have to try it.
Jolina
Absolutely Jenna! Something about eating a treat straight out of the books – magical 🙂
Michele
This sounds so good!! I love Harry Potter, what a fun idea to make a dessert from the book.
Jolina
Thanks Michele! I really knew I wanted to do something for the release of the Cursed Child that happens on Harry’s birthday. It’s just so special! 🙂 Hope you try it!
Charli Bruce
I am definitely going to get my bake on with this! Not only are we massive HP fans, we are also massive tart lovers and knowing this is Harry’s favourite will go down a treat with my daughter xx
Jolina
Sounds like a fun time! Hope your daughter finds it as magical as I did 🙂 Thanks Charli!
Cristina @ I Say Nomato
This is so fun! I’m so so so jealous of your book pre-ordering, I was not on the ball this time. I’m intrigued by this, it’s like bread pudding meets pecan pie (sans pecans) meets a custard… sounds delicious!
Jolina
Hi Cristina! I’m actually thinking my pre-ordering strategy was not very smart because by the time I get my copy there would definitely be spoilers online! I guess I need to stay away then haha. This really is an intriguing tart. I thought bread crumbs was kind of strange to be a tart ingredient but it turned out to be quite lovely. Hope you try it! 🙂
Amanda (Peppers & Pennies)
I am so happy that I am not the only adult blogger who is celebrating our Favourite Wizard’s birthday and official launch of the script! My Husband and I traveled to London recently and one of the first (after a Sunday dinner roast and pint of ale, of course) I ordered was a treacle tart. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I am eager to try this as it looks very different from the one I tied to enjoy in May.
Happy reading!
Jolina
Yay! I’m glad too 🙂 When my co-worker went to Hogwarts in Florida and got a wand my heart broke a little because I don’t have one yet lol. Hope you like this tart version! And happy reading to you too Amanda!
Scott
I’ve never been a huge pie fan, but tarts are the exception. I can almost claim to be getting my daily allowance of fruit!
Jolina
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news Scott but…this tart does not have fruit in it. It’s still delicious though! 🙂 Hope you still try it. (And you can always eat a side of fruit, eh?)
Amanda
Awesome post! I did a Harry Potter themed recipe too, for Mrs. Weasley’s Magically Easy Fudge. So much fun!
Jolina
It’s so fun isn’t it?? Ah Harry Potter. The joy 🙂 I cannot wait to blog hop all the HP recipes this week. Thanks Amanda!
MDIVADOMESTICA
Great tips on the store bought bread crumbs. I often find they are too dry in most recipes and have taken to making my own for years now.
Your tart looks magically wonderful.
Jolina
Ah yes. The lesson I learned the hard way haha. They are absolutely too dry. We use them for breading on fried chicken and the sort but I guess we’re switching to fresh breadcrumbs now too, after this.
Samantha @mykitchenlove
This post is adorable! And, thank you for making me feel old as well. I had a similar experience with Golden Syrup – lots of Googling before finding out that it’s the UK/Australia’s version of dark corn syrup.
Jolina
Thanks Samantha! I had so much making the tart and writing this post. I’ve never been so excited about a recipe lol. And am I ever glad I found golden syrup locally. Ordering from Amazon would take a month or so for me and I would totally miss Harry’s birthday! I’m happy you found a suitable sub 🙂
Suchi @elegantmeraki
While not a bog Harry Porter fan but surrounded by few who are!! Love how the tart came out and I also do not own a food processor as I cant seem to justify the space it holds vs its use!!
Jolina
Thanks a lot Suchi! Your Harry Potter fans will adore you forever if you surprise them with his treat 🙂 And yes, no food processor for me because it’s just so dang expensive!