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A nostalgic and comforting classic British dessert… made TRAYBAKE! Exactly how you remember it from your school days, this traditional treacle tart traybake is easier to make than you might think. Keep scrolling for the easy step by step recipe and lots of helpful tips!
Why you’ll love this recipe
It was always a good day when treacle tart traybake was on the school dinner menu wasn’t it?! That sweet, golden, dessert jewel, filled with a nostalgically familiar golden syrup flavour. And NOTHING compares to golden syrup! (Sorry America!)
If, like me, you loved this at school too – you should absolutely have a go at baking it to share the nostalgia with your loved ones!
Don’t feel confident enough in your baking skills yet? Boost them ten fold by reading baking for beginners! Where you can also get my Top 5 Tips to Guarantee Baking Success for FREE!
Ingredients
Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s everything you might need to know…
- Pastry – This must be shortcrust pastry, don’t use other varieties (like puff or filo). Of course, you can always make homemade shortcrust pastry rather than buying it.
- Golden Syrup – Golden syrup has a very unique and distinctive flavour. It’s best not to substitute it if you can help it. Although light corn syrup would work in it’s place if you’re based in the US.
- Breadcrumbs – You can use shop bought breadcrumbs, but homemade often works better.
- Oats – Any rolled oats will do here! Brand really doesn’t matter.
- Lemon – Don’t leave this out! The sharp lemon helps to balance out some of the sweetness from the golden syrup, but it’s not the overriding flavour by any means.
- Eggs – Large free range eggs are preferable, but whatever you have should work just fine. You may need to increase the amount if yours are particularly small though.
Emma’s top tips
Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making a treacle tart traybake.
- If you don’t have any baking beans, you can always use rice or coins. No need to get fancy or expensive!
- Remember that the beans (or rice or coins) will retain heat. I find it best to lift them onto a tray, still on the baking paper, and let them cool before storing again.
- Making your own homemade breadcrumbs are not only a great way to use up stale bread, but actually work far better than shop bought in this recipe.
- You may find it easier to two thirds fill your pastry case with the filling, then place it in onto the oven shelf, and finish filling it there. (Less chance for spillages!)
- Treacle tart traybake is absolutely perfect when served with PROPER homemade custard!
Timings
Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier!
- Allow around 15 minutes for your oven to initially preheat.
- Lining the tray with pastry should take less than 5 minutes.
- Blind baking the pastry will take around 30 minutes.
- Mixing the filling will only take about 5 minutes.
- The final bake will take approximately 40 minutes.
- Allow at least 1 hour to completely cool your treacle tart traybake.
Treacle Tart Bars – Step by Step Picture Recipe
(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)
Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.
Here is what you will need to make 15 bars.
Ingredients
- 320g (11.3 oz) Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry
- 750g (1 Cup) Golden Syrup
- 175g (3 x Cups) Fresh Breadcrumbs *
- 120g (1 + 1/4 Cups) Rolled Oats
- Zest & Juice of 1 x Lemon
- 3 x Eggs
Essential Equipment
- 30 x 20cm (12 x 8″) Rectangular Baking Tin
- Baking Paper
- Baking Beans
- Sharp Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
*you can make your own breadcrumbs by using some stale bread. Simply cut off the crusts, weigh out the correct amount then blitz in a food processor.
Pastry Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/392ºF, and lay two strips of baking paper in a cross in the tin. (This will help you remove the tart later.)
Roll the ready made pastry (320g | 11.3 oz) a little thinner if you need to (so it fits your tin), then lay it into the baking tin and press into the sides. Don’t worry about any overhang, we’ll deal with that later.
Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and lay it over the top of the pastry. Then fill with baking beans, making sure you get right into the corners.
Place into the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove it from the oven and take out the baking paper and beans. Then return it to the oven and bake for further 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Next, using a sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry. It should leave a relatively neat edge.
Then LOWER YOUR OVEN TO 180°C/FAN 160°C/356ºF.
Filling instructions
To make the filling, mix the golden syrup (750g | 1 Cup), breadcrumbs (175g | 3 x Cups), oats (120g | 1 + 1/4 Cups), lemon zest and juice (of 1 x lemon) and eggs (x 3) together in a large mixing bowl.
Then pour the filling into the pastry case (being careful not to let it go over the edges.) and place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
Once golden and cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. Once fully cooled, you can slice it into 15 bars (a 3 x 5 grid.)
How to store treacle tart traybake
Store your traybake in an airtight container at room temperature, and consume within 4-5 days.
I prefer to use a metal container lined with baking paper, as plastic containers make sugar ‘sweat’ which can quickly alter the texture of your bakes.
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Treacle Tart Traybake Recipe
A classic nostalgic British dessert... made TRAYBAKE! This treacle tart traybake is EXACTLY how you remember it from your school days!
Ingredients
- 320g (11.3 oz) Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry
- 750g (1 Cup) Golden Syrup
- 175g (3 x Cups) Fresh Breadcrumbs *
- 120g (1 + 1/4 Cups) Rolled Oats
- Zest & Juice of 1 x Lemon
- 3 x Eggs
Essential Equipment
- 30 x 20cm (12 x 8″) Rectangular Baking Tin
- Baking Paper
- Baking Beans
- Sharp Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/392ºF and lay two strips of baking paper criss cross in the tin.
- Roll the shortcrust pastry a little thinner, so it fits the base and sides of your tin. Then line your tin with it. (Don't worry about excess edges, we'll deal with those later.)
- Scrunch up a large sheet of baking paper, and line your pastry with it. Then fill with baking beans.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the baking paper and beans, and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until crisp and golden. REDUCE YOUR OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 180°C/FAN 160°C/356ºF.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully trim off any excess pastry. You should be left with neat edge.
- To make the filling, mix the golden syrup, breadcrumbs, oats, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the filling into the pastry case, taking care not to spill it over the edges. Then bake for 40 minutes.
- When it's ready, it should be cooked through and deep golden in colour. Allow to cool completely in the tin before slicing.
Notes
*you can make your own breadcrumbs by using some stale bread. Simply cut off the crusts, weigh out the correct amount then blitz in a food processor.
If you would rather use a more in depth picture recipe, please see the main body of this post. Where you’ll also find lots of extra FAQs and helpful tips, should you need them.
Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.
Tips
- If you don’t have any baking beans, you can always use rice or coins. No need to get fancy or expensive!
- Remember that the beans (or rice or coins) will retain heat. I find it best to lift them onto a tray, still on the baking paper, and let them cool before storing again.
- Making your own homemade breadcrumbs are not only a great way to use up stale bread, but actually work far better than shop bought in this recipe.
- You may find it easier to two thirds fill your pastry case with the filling, then place it in onto the oven shelf, and finish filling it there. (Less chance for spillages!)
- Treacle tart traybake is absolutely perfect when served with PROPER homemade custard!
Storage
Store your traybake in an airtight container at room temperature, and consume within 4-5 days.
I prefer to use a metal container lined with baking paper, as plastic containers make sugar ‘sweat’ which can quickly alter the texture of your bakes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 228mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.
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Experienced British Online Publisher, recipe writer, and home cook, Emma has a background of over 20 years in British cuisine and cooking. Born and bred in the UK, she excels in classic British dishes, is passionate about air frying, and loves sharing her Gran’s old school recipes. She has been featured in popular publications such as Food Network, Cosmopolitan, and The Huffington Post.
Knowledgeable On: Traditional British Cuisine, Recipe Writing, Air Frying, Home Cooking.