I’ve never baked a treacle tart before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever baked any kind of tart. I received a loose base fluted tin for Christmas that I’d been wishing for, and so I’ve been eager to make any kind of tart, flan, or quiche since.

Which brings me to this week and my first attempt - Treacle Tart from Lorraine Pascal’s Baking Made Easy. Treacle Tart is something me and Jon both really enjoy, it’s old-fashioned and super easy to make. It’s great straight from the oven with vanilla ice-cream, and I love how the top came out a little bit chewy.

• 500 g sweet shortcrust pastry (I made mine from scratch or you can use shop-bought)
• 450 g golden syrup
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 60 g butter
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 250 g breadcrumbs

1. Get the oven on to 180°C. Roll out the pastry to about 3 mm thick and line the tart tin. Prick the base lightly with a fork and place in the fridge for around 20 mins to firm it up.
2. Remove the pastry case from the fridge. Take a piece of baking paper and cover the pastry. Fill it with baking beans or dried beans (I used lentils) and 'blind bake' in the oven for 15-20 mins. The edges should be lightly coloured and the base dry to the touch. Remove the beans and paper and return the pastry to the oven for 5 mins, until golden.
3. To make the filling, put the golden syrup, lemon zest and juice, butter and ground ginger into a large pan and melt gently over a low heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 20-25 mins, until lightly browned and set.

Enjoy!

S. xo

p.s. Happy St. David’s Day to all you welshies!