This Gluten Free Treacle Tart is an easy and delicious dessert you can serve any time. It’s sticky, sweet, and Harry Potter’s favourite! You’re going to love how simple this British classic is to make!
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Treacle tart is a tried and true staple dessert here in the UK, and one of my favourites. It’s simplicity makes it all that much more appealing in my eyes, sometimes all you need is a few ingredients to make a truly spectacular dessert to serve friends and family. My Gluten Free Treacle Tart recipe is no exception, making it gluten free doesn’t make it any more difficult or time consuming, it’s just as easy and tasty, you’d never know it was gluten free!
This Gluten Free Treacle Tart is perhaps bit deceiving in its name. Here in the UK, when we think treacle we generally think of black treacle, aka molasses, a thick black syrup that is a little bitter, or at least I do! However there is another type of treacle, golden syrup, and that is what is used in the Gluten Free Treacle Tart. Golden syrup is pale and golden (hence the name) and much sweeter thank black treacle/molasses. Golden syrup can be somewhat hard to find in the US I hear, but it’s totally worth hunting down and buy a few cans/bottles if you can, you can usually find it in the “British” section of your big chain grocery stores. Or you can buy it on Amazon.com here {affiliate link}. It keeps forever, and it has so many delicious uses, not least of all this Gluten Free Treacle Tart.
The other main component of this Gluten Free Treacle Tart is breadcrumbs. Sounds like an odd combo, right? Golden syrup and breadcrumbs! It may be slightly on the odd side, but the end result is totally delicious. The breadcrumbs soak up all the sticky deliciousness of the golden syrup, which is then combined with simply eggs, cream, and a little bit of optional bourbon for extra indulgence. It’s baked into a buttery, gluten free shortbread crust and served warm with whipped cream, custard, ice cream, or on its own. There’s a reason Treacle Tart is Harry Potter’s favourite dessert, and I know he’d love my Gluten Free Treacle Tart too!
Oh, and I had a little left over shortbread pastry after lining the the tart tin so I made cute little pastry roses to put on top, of course totally optional but really easy. You should be able to find a tutorial on youtube, but let me know if you’d like me to do quick “how-to” video and I’ll be happy to – it’s easy to do, but hard to explain in words!
If you’re looking for a more traditional, yet still different, Thanksgiving dessert try this GF Pecan Pie Cheesecake
A Gluten Free Treacle Tart is a great dessert to serve both at a dinner party or for your family during the week, it’s rustic simplicity impresses at all occasions. If you’re still looking for an easy pie style dessert to serve this Thanksgiving that’s a little different from your classic Thanksgiving desserts, this Gluten Free Treacle Tart has got your back! You can make it a day or two ahead, to save on valuable real estate in your oven on the big day! When you’re ready to serve, just warm it up in the oven or microwave, and serve with your choice of accompaniments – I’m an ice cream with treacle tart kind of girl myself. How will you serve yours?
We don’t have Thanksgiving here in the UK of course, but this Gluten Free Treacle Tart will definitely be making the shortlist for Christmas Day desserts, since it’s so easy and I can make it ahead – plus the deliciousness of it of course! I think it’s time to get baking then!
Gluten Free Treacle Tart
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 8-10 servings
This Gluten Free Treacle Tart is an easy and delicious dessert you can serve any time!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups (230g) gluten free all purpose (plain) flour blend*
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (130g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1-2tbsp ice cold water
- 1 medium egg, beaten
For the filling:
- 2 + 3/4 cups (175g) white gluten free bread crumbs, very fine**
- 2 + 2/3 cups (725g/550ml) golden syrup
- Zest of 1 medium lemon (approx 1/2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp bourbon (see notes for alcohol-free options)***
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp heavy cream (double cream)
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Lightly grease a 9"/23cm loose-bottom tart tin and set aside.
- Put the flour, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor, add the cold butter and process until it's a breadcrumb like texture. Add 1 tbsp of cold water, and pulse until forms clumps. Add more water 1/2 tbsp at a time if it looks too dry (I only needed 1 tbsp).
- Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gently "knead" to form a ball. (If you don't want to use a food processor, you can do this processor with a pastry cutter or two forks/knives).
- Flour a rolling pin, and roll out to about 5mm thick, and line your prepared tart tin. Prick the surface a few times with a fork, cover and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 390F/200C. Line your pastry case with baking/parchment paper and fill with baking beans (or uncooked beans/rice). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Remove the beans and paper, and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and set aside. Turn your oven down to 340F/170C.
To make the filling:
- Put the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Put the golden syrup in a medium saucepan and gently warm until runny. Turn off heat, add zest, bourbon, beaten eggs, and cream. Stir to combine.
- Pour the golden syrup mixture over the breadcrumbs. Gently stir to cover all breadcrumbs. Leave to soak for 5 minutes
- Pour the mixture into the pastry case and spread out evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
- It is ready when the filling is just set (but still has a slight jiggle), and it is a deep golden brown around the edges.
- Cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes, then remove from a tin and transfer to your serving plate.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
*I use Dove's Farm GF flour blend, which I love. If that brand is not available where you live, I've heard good things about Bob's Red Mill GF 1-to-1 blend, although I've not used it myself. You can also sub in regular flour at the same measurements if gluten isn't a concern for you.
**Your breadcrumbs need to be very fine, if you have large breadcrumbs your tart will have a lumpy texture. If you buy ready made breadcrumbs, pulse them in a food processor a few times.
***To make it alcohol free, swap out the bourbon for 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, for a zestier taste
Will keep tightly covered in the fridge for 3 days.
Calorie information is generated using an app and may not be entirely accurate, please use as guidance only
Courses Dessert
Cuisine British
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 slice
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 212 | ||
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
King Syrup made by Carriage House is a golden lighter version of molasses. We always had it when we lived in Maryland. They don’t seem to have in the west. Our daughter acquired some at Christmas so I think I’ll be trying this!
Yay that’s awesome that you’re able to find some over there – it’s odd that it’s not more widely available like it is over here.
Hope you love it!
Happy Baking
I was so looking forward to sampling this treacle tart. but alas it was not to be.
I’m afraid I missed the rustic simplicity somewhere between trying to get the rice out of the pan and the treacle oozing through the pan while it was baking in the oven. My oven is a disaster. What is the purpose of using rice or beans and how are you supposed to get them from under the tart crust without destroying it.
Hi Jimmy
I’m sorry that this didn’t work out for you. It looks like you missed the instruction to line the pastry case with baking or parchment paper – this allows for easy removal of the beans and stops them getting baked into the pastry. The purpose of the beans is to act as a weight on top of the pastry, it helps it bake evenly and stops the pastry having big air bubbles. It’s called blind baking – you blind bake when the filling takes less time to bake than the pastry, pre-baking the pastry case stops it from being soggy and under cooked.
I hope that your next attempt a treacle tart is more successful!
Happy baking!
I just made this tonight because treacle tart is my sisters favorite English dessert. She wasn’t celiac when she was little but she is now and I wanted to make her a dessert that she enjoys and hasn’t had in a while. She really enjoyed this. I think if I was to make it again I would try a different flour blend. The pastry cooked beautifully and to say it was my first time at blind baking, I don’t think I did too bad! My mum was impressed so that’s a thumbs up for me! I think I would probably have to invest in a food processor too because the breadcrumbs were thicker and needed pulsing like the tips say. It didn’t alter the taste though and it was really delicious with Kelly’s clotted cream ice cream and double cream poured over! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Ellie,
Thank you for comment, that’s lovely to hear! It was lovely of you to bake this for your sister too, I’m sure she appreciated it- having to be gluten free can be such a hard adjustment when it comes to your favourite foods!
Happy baking!