Norfolk Treacle Tart Recipe

What could be more satisfying than a large slice of warm treacle tart with lashings of cream or ice cream? Norfolk folk like to do things a little differently, and generally most Norfolk Treacle Tarts don’t contain breadcrumbs, a key ingredient in recipes from other regions. Nor do they contain actual treacle…..but after much research, food writer Nigel Slater states, “treacle refers to all forms of syrups made during sugar refining, from golden syrup through to black molasses”, so who are we to argue with Nigel?

The next time you fancy something sweet, you might want to give this Norfolk Treacle Tart recipe a whirl. It may bring back happy memories of time spent in Norfolk, or for locals, it may take you back to when granny made this for you as a child. One thing is for sure, if you are after a delicious sugary treat, this will hit the spot!

Ingredients

1. 175g ready rolled shortcrust pastry
2. 125g unsalted butter
3. 8 tbsp golden syrup
4. 3 large free-range eggs
5. 4 tbsp double cream
6. 2 lemons, finely zested

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180°c, gas mark 4

Line a loose-bottomed shallow 23cm tart tin with the ready rolled shortcrust pastry. Using a fork, prick the base and line the tin with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind in the oven for around 15 minutes, remove beans and put back into oven for a further 5 minutes.  In a pan, warm the butter and syrup together gently until the butter just melts, but doesn’t get too hot.  Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool a bit. Whisk the eggs, double cream and lemon zest together in a bowl and then gradually whisk in the warm butter and syrup. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pastry case and place on a baking sheet in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. The centre should be set when gently wobbled and the filling should be light brown in colour.

Serve the Norfolk Treacle Tart warm, with plenty of cream or ice cream.