Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
This treacle tart is a twist on a classic! The filling’s made with cake crumbs, sour cream & lemon, to cut through the sweetness.
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If you’re a fan of a classic treacle tart, you’re going to love this cake crumb treacle tart!
Treacle tart is one of my all time favourite desserts (coming a close second to tiramisu!) & I didn’t think that it could be improved. That was until I made one with cake crumbs & sour cream in the filling. It’s a game changer! The cake crumbs make the filling more buttery & luxurious and the sour cream adds a subtle amount of tanginess that cuts through the sweetness from the golden syrup & black treacle.
Serve this homemade tart with plenty of homemade vanilla custard or a scoop of ice cream & you’re onto a real winner. It’s seriously tasty & super easy to make!
If you’re looking for some more dessert inspiration then check out our ever growing collection of dessert recipes! There’s something for everyone here, from homemade ice creams, to pies, cheesecakes, crumbles & tiramisu.
What Is Treacle Tart?
A classic, British treacle tart consists of a crisp & buttery pastry case and a sweet, gooey filling, which is made with golden syrup, black treacle, eggs, breadcrumbs, cream, lemon & salt.
This treacle tart recipe’s a bit different though! Instead of breadcrumbs, we’re using blitzed up cake & instead of double cream, we’re using sour cream. This makes our filling even richer, with a subtle tanginess to cut through the sweetness from the treacle.
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet Pastry – This tart uses a classic, sweet shortcrust pastry. We’re making this from scratch, so you’ll need plain flour, icing sugar, salt, unsalted butter, egg yolks & vanilla paste.
- Cake Crumbs – We’re using day old cake crumbs instead of breadcrumbs for the treacle tart filling. I used homemade pound cake but Victoria sponge or a similar vanilla sponge cake will work as well.
- Sour Cream – Using sour cream instead of double cream in the filling adds a touch of tanginess, which cuts through the sweetness from the syrups.
- Golden Syrup – You can’t make a treacle tart without using a generous amount of golden syrup! This adds sweetness & a rich buttery flavour to the filling.
- Black Treacle – Adding black treacle to the filling adds a hint of bitterness, which again, cuts through the sweetness from the syrup. Sort of like a burnt caramel!
- Lemon – You’ll need the zest of 1 lemon & 2 tbsp of lemon juice when making the filling. This adds a subtle amount of flavour to the filling that complements the other ingredients perfectly.
- Eggs – You’ll need egg yolks for the pastry & whole eggs (plus an extra yolk) for the filling. The extra yolk is used to make the filling extra gooey & rich.
- Salt – A generous amount of sea salt brings the treacle filling to life! A good sea salt makes all the difference here. I like to use Maldon.
How To Make Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
The full, printable recipe card for this treacle tart can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
Sweet Pastry
Homemade sweet pastry is surprisingly easy to make & takes our treacle tart to another level! This stuff’s crisp, buttery & flavoured with some really good vanilla. Here’s how to make it from scratch!
- In a bowl, mix plain flour, icing sugar & salt together then rub in cold butter, until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add in egg yolks & vanilla paste then mix, to form a rough dough.
- Gently knead the pastry, until smooth then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the pastry out into 3-4mm thick circle then press into a 9″ tart tin (don’t worry about trimming off the excess pastry, we’ll do this once the pastry has been blind baked).
- Prick the base with a fork then chill the tart case in the fridge, for another 2 hours (at least!).
Blind Baking
Blind baking our tart case, ensures that the pastry is fully cooked once our tart filling has been baked. Blind baking also prevents the filling making the pastry soggy, keeping it nice & crisp! Here’s how to blind bake a tart case.
- Line the inside of your pastry case with a piece of baking parchment then fill with ceramic baking beans (or dried beans, rice or lentils).
- Bake the pastry case at 170°c/340°f for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are set & the pastry is starting to turn golden brown.
- Remove the baking beans & parchment then bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown all over.
- Brush the base of the pastry case with a light layer of egg yolk then bake for another minute, to set. This seals any holes in the pastry!
- Let the pastry case cool completely then use a vegetable peeler to trim the excess pastry level with the top of the tin.
Treacle Tart Filling
This cake crumb treacle tart filling has a soft, gooey texture and has the perfect balance of sweetness & flavour! The trick here is to use sour cream & plenty of lemon, to cut through the sweetness from the sugar. The cake crumbs are used to give our tart filling an extra rich, buttery flavour & softer texture. Here’s how to make it…
- Into a large pan, add golden syrup, black treacle, salt, lemon zest & juice.
- Set the pan over a low heat & cook for 2-3 minutes, until the syrup is runny but not hot.
- Take the pan off the heat then whisk in sour cream & vanilla paste.
- Whisk in eggs & an egg yolk then stir in cake crumbs.
- Pour the filling into the tart case then bake at 160°c/320°f for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is set, with a slight wobble.
- Let the treacle tart cool then chill in the fridge, to set completely, before cutting into portions.
Tips & Tricks
- Give your pastry plenty of time in the fridge before baking, to prevent shrinking.
- Use homemade cake crumbs in the filling, instead of breadcrumbs for a richer flavour.
- Use sour cream instead of double cream, to cut through the sweetness in the filling.
- Bake the tart until the filling is set with a slight wobble.
- Let your treacle tart set fully, before portioning.
- For the cleanest portions, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the tart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crumbs from day old cake works best for treacle tart. I like to use pound cake but Victoria sponge or a similar vanilla cake will work as well.
This treacle tart recipe has been designed to use cake crumbs, so breadcrumbs might not be a straight swap. If you’d prefer a recipe that uses breadcrumbs, check out our brown butter & miso treacle tart!
You’ll know when your treacle tart is ready to come out of the oven because the filling will be set but will still have a slight wobble. The filling will take 35-40 minutes to cook.
Your treacle tart needs to be completely set before you take it out of the tin & cut it into portions. I like to leave my tart in the fridge overnight, just to be sure that it is fully set.
Once baked, treacle tart should be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days.
This treacle tart is best served with ice cream, vanilla custard, clotted cream or a generous amount of pouring cream.
Treacle tart can be warmed up either in a microwave or in a low temperature oven. Be careful not to overheat the tart though as the filling can become runny. 10-15 seconds in a microwave will do the trick!
How To Cook Treacle Tart In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Blind bake the tart on the floor of the baking oven. Bake the filling in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
Equipment Used
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More Dessert Recipes To Try!
- Brown Butter & Miso Treacle Tart
- Vanilla Panna Cotta & Roasted Strawberries
- Raspberry Ripple Stracciatella Ice Cream
- Amaretto Tiramisu
- Brown Butter Hobnob Cheesecake
- Pear Tarte Tatin
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Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
Equipment
- 9" Tart Tin
- Ceramic Baking Beans
- Food Processor
- Sieve
- Rolling Pin
- Veg Peeler
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 160 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled & Cut Into Small Pieces)
- 80 g Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 45 g Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 1 Egg Yolk (Lightly Beaten, For Blind Baking)
Filling
- 250 g Day Old Cake (See Notes)
- 420 g Golden Syrup
- 100 g Black Treacle
- 1 Lemon (Zested)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 150 g Sour Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
Instructions
Pastry
- Sift the flour, icing sugar & salt into a mixing bowl then add in the butter. Rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs with some large pieces of butter still visible.
- Stir together the egg yolk & vanilla then add to the flour.
- Mix together until the pastry starts to come together then tip out onto a clean work surface & gently knead until you have a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork), flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm & chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Next, place the chilled pastry onto a lightly floured worksurface & roll out to a thickness of 3mm-4mm.
- Pick the pastry up using a rolling pin, drape over the tart tin & carefully mould into the tin. Using some of the overhanging pastry, rolled into a ball to press the pastry into the sides of the tin works best.Don't worry about trimming the excess pastry off, we'll be doing this after blind baking.
- Prick the base with a fork then chill the pastry case in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is best.
Blind Baking
- Preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (340°f/300°f).
- Make a large cartouche out of baking parchment, scrunch it up then place inside your pastry case. Fill the parchment with baking beans then bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top of the pastry case is starting to turn golden brown & the edges have set.Make sure to bake the tart on a tray, to catch any excess pastry. Be careful not to remove the parchment too early, as this can cause the pastry to tear.
- Remove the baking beans & parchment & return the case to the oven & cook until the case is a light golden brown all over, roughly 5-10 minutes.
- Brush the base of the cooked case with the beaten egg yolk & cook for another minute – this will seal any holes in the pastry & prevents the filling from leaking.
- Remove the pastry case from the oven then leave to cool completely. Once cool, use a veg peeler to trim the sides of the pastry case level with the top of the tin. Discard any excess pastry.
Filling
- Turn your oven down to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/285°f).
- Place the cake into a food processor & blitz into coarse crumbs then set aside.
- Next, place the golden syrup, black treacle, lemon zest & juice and salt into a large saucepan then set over a low heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the syrup is runny but not hot.
- Take the pan off the heat & whisk in the sour cream & vanilla, followed by the eggs & yolk. Switch to a spatula & stir in the cake crumbs.
- Pour the filling into the tart case then bake for 35-40 minutes, until set with a slight wobble.
- Once cooked, leave to cool in the tin to room temperature then place in the fridge to set fully (overnight is best).
- To portion, carefully remove the tart from the tin & cut into 10 equal pieces, using a hot, clean knife for each cut (running the knife under hot water & drying off between cuts works best).
