British Dessert Recipes

Queen of Puddings

Published April 11, 2016 | By Christine Szalay-Kudra

This traditional British dessert is a bit like Manchester pudding (a brandied bread pudding with egg yolks) or Monmouth pudding (topped with tart berries or seasonal fruit). This authentic British dessert is made by topping a breadcrumb-thickened mixture with jam and then meringue. Various forms of sweet puddings date back to the mid-1600s, and bread soaked in milk is a key ingredient in many of them. We are using raspberry jam in our topping, although some people prefer to use blackcurrant jam. On top of that is a creamy layer of meringue which can be artistically piped or rustically spread on top.

This dessert might look rich and heavy, but you will find it is delicate, light and elegant. Although you might associate meringue and fruit desserts with the warmer months, the queen of puddings is served hot from the oven. You can serve some cream on the side if you like. You do not need a lot of different ingredients to make this dessert – just butter, milk, sugar, breadcrumbs, eggs, lemon, and jam, for the perfect balance.

So if you are looking for some culinary inspiration and you want to make something authentically British, bow down to the queen of puddings because the flavours are certain to wow you and your dinner guests. This old-fashioned British dessert, which is still very popular, is simple to prepare and it goes beautifully after any kind of main course. Our recipe serves 6 people (or 4 very hungry ones!) Continue reading →

Posted in Pudding, United Kingdom | Tagged authentic queen of puddings recipe, british dessert, british dessert recipes, pudding, puddings, queen of puddings | Leave a comment

Tempting Treacle Tart

Published April 5, 2016 | By Christine Szalay-Kudra

This fantastic British tart is made with a buttery shortbread crust and a thick, sweet golden syrup filling. Golden syrup is another name for light treacle. We are also adding lemon zest and breadcrumbs to the filling. Some recipes for treacle tart use ground almonds rather than fresh breadcrumbs. This tart is delicious hot or chilled. It goes well with clotted cream or, if you cannot get it where you are, whipped cream instead. Vanilla ice cream would be good instead. This is quite a simple recipe. The crust is prepared first because it needs chilling time. The crust is baked blind, the filling is added, and then the tart is baked again.

Treacle tart is popular with kids and with the the grownups too. Have you read the Harry Potter books? Treacle tart is actually Harry’s favourite tart and it is popular at all of the Hogwarts parties and feasts. The child-catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tries to lure the children out of the basement by offering this dessert too. A slice of this makes an excellent dessert, or you could enjoy it as a sweet snack with a beverage of choice.

Treacle tart dates back to 1883, when golden syrup (the main ingredient) was invented. Treacle stayed the generic name for syrupy by-products of the sugar refining process, although it used to only come in the thick, dark brown variety. Medieval gingerbread recipes called for sugar and breadcrumbs to make similar desserts, although honey would have been used as the sweetener back then in place of syrup or treacle. Continue reading →

Posted in Tarts, United Kingdom | Tagged british desserts, sweet and sticky treacle tart, tart recipe, tempting treacle tart, treacle tart | Leave a comment

Yummy Plum Crumble

Published April 2, 2016 | By Christine Szalay-Kudra

Crumbles are so popular when it comes to British desserts. Choose from apple crumble, apple and blackberry crumble, rhubarb crumble or this fantastic plum crumble recipe. This is perfect when you have a glut of fresh plums to use up. Perhaps they are on sale locally or one of your family, friends or neighbours are growing them. Whichever is the case, this recipe makes great use of fresh plums, teaming them with sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and a crunchy crumble top, to make the most mouth-watering dessert. This is traditionally served with custard or whipped cream, or even vanilla ice cream.

You will need cooking plums to make this delectable crumble, perhaps Victoria or dessert plums. You will also need light brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest to complement the plums, along with flour and water to get the filling mixture just right. For the crumble: flour, butter, almonds, and 2 kinds of sugar come together to get the perfect texture and flavour result. Use half flour and half oats for a crunchier topping.

As for the garnish, we like to use plum slices and fresh mint sprigs, but it depends if you are making these in ramekins or one main dish. Make this crumble in ramekins and they will take about half an hour to bake. Use a larger dish and you can expect the cooking time to be closer to 40 minutes. Serve the plum crumble with custard, whipped cream or even your favourite good quality vanilla ice cream, for a dessert to remember. Continue reading →

Posted in Pies, United Kingdom | Tagged british dessert recipes, plum crumble, plum crumble with cinnamon and orange, yummy plum crumble | Leave a comment

Derbyshire Bakewell Tart

Published March 27, 2016 | By Christine Szalay-Kudra

This dessert comes from Bakewell, a town in Derbyshire, England, home of the beautiful Peak District. It dates back to the 1860s. Bakewell tart, or Bakewell pudding as it is sometimes known locally, is an almond shortcrust pastry crust filled with frangipane or custard. Go back 150 years and these fillings were interchangeable, but these days the frangipani filling is more common. Sometimes this dessert is made with puff pastry and other times with shortcrust pastry. You can use shop-bought pastry for this tart. If you are making your own, add 1/3 cup (55g) almond flour (ground almonds) to the pastry mixture.

Sometimes Bakewell tart is topped with royal icing but some people prefer not to do this because it makes it very sweet. As is the case with many desserts dating back a long time, there are various ways to prepare this classic dish when you make it yourself instead of buying it. Try a slice of this with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon, as a tasty and satisfying sweet snack between lunch and dinner.

We are using a shop-bought shortcrust pastry crust here just to save time, but you can make your own if you prefer. Puff pastry is better for the old-fashioned custard fillings but shortcrust pastry is stronger so it encases the frangipane better. Next the tart has a layer of ham, and finally the filling. You can choose between lemon and clementine zest in this recipe, and you will also need jam, butter, sugar, egg, flour, almonds, and baking powder. Continue reading →

Posted in England, Tarts | Tagged bakewell tart, bakewell tart recipe, british recipes, derbyshire, derbyshire bakewell tart, how to make a bakewell tart | Leave a comment

Authentic Ecclefechan Tart

Published March 23, 2016 | By Christine Szalay-Kudra

This delicious Scottish fruit and whisky tart is known locally as Ecclefechan tart. Ecclefechan is a small town in the Scottish Borders and it is where this tasty recipe originated. Enjoy it with ice cream, whipped cream or custard, for the perfect dessert. It is rich so you will only need a small slice. Although this tart is not that well known outside of Scotland, it is well worth making for a special occasion because it offers such a unique flavour. You will need sweet shortcrust pastry for this tart, which you can buy or make yourself. Mix some lemon zest into it before rolling it out to make the crust for your tart.

The filling is a rich combination of butter, sugar, dried fruit, syrup, eggs, nuts, Scotch whisky and lemon. The filling is spooned into the crust and then the tart is baked in the oven until your whole kitchen smells incredible and the filling is set but slightly jiggly in the middle. Let it cool down and then enjoy it as a special treat after your meal. This is a recipe for those with a real sweet tooth, who love all things wonderfully sticky and sweet.

Making this tart is very easy, and most of it is simply a question of combining the ingredients. It is of course best to use Scotch whisky to make it, rather than another type, to keep it authentic. This hearty, rib-sticking dessert is perfect for Christmas or a special occasion. Continue reading →

Posted in Scotland, Tarts | Tagged authentic ecclefechan tart, ecclefechan tart, scottish fruit and whisky tart, whisky tart | Leave a comment

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