Trentham Tart

A forgotten teatime favourite recreated here from childhood memories of a lovely bakeshop near the top of Hope Street, Hanley. Long gone, the bake shop always smelled amazing and the double-fronted green windows filled with treats were a delight for children and adults alike.

The finished Tart!

Master these three stages and you’ll never be short of a sweet treat again. Use individually or together and change the flavours to suit your taste for a modern twist.

P.S. They are quick and easy to do!

For the Pastry Base 

5 tsp salt

8oz plain flour (minus 1 or 2 tablespoons - replace them with icing sugar)

1 oz lard

3 oz stork

3 Tbsp of water

Set your oven to 200℃

Mix flour, lard, stork and salt until the breadcrumbs stage is reached

Add the water to bind

Roll out on a lightly floured surface

Grease an 8” pie tin

Place the pastry in the tin making sure it is tucked into the base

Blind bake (with a weight or ceramic beans in the middle on top of baking paper cut to size) for about 15 minutes 

*

Then cool slightly

Turn down your oven to 180℃

*Make the sponge top whilst the pastry case cooks 

For the Sponge

3 medium eggs

Caster sugar - see below for quantity

Stork

Self-raising flour

Flavouring of your choice - traditionally 1 tbs of vanilla essence

Dollop of Raspberry Jam (about tbsp)

Weight 3 medium-sized eggs

Whatever the weight is, weigh out the same amount in self-raising flour, caster sugar and stork Cream the stork and the sugar

Add your first egg and beat quickly. A hand blender or whisk is great for this

Add a second egg and a tablespoon of flour on the top

Beat quickly 

Add a third egg and a tablespoon of flour on top 

Beat quickly. 

Add flavouring and colour at this point I like a teaspoon of vanilla essence 

Fold in the flour

Place a dollop of raspberry jam over the now-cooling pasty base. 

Add the sponge top and cook at 180℃ for about 20 minutes or until the skewer is clean.

Allow to cool completely before icing.

For the Icing

200g Icing sugar 

About 2 tbsp of warm-to-the-touch water 

plus flavouring - lemon is a lovely contrast to the vanilla in the sponge or you could leave it as is.

Sieve the sugar

Add the flavouring 

Add the water very slowly to the sieved sugar, consistency should hold its shape but be spreadable. 

Spread across the now cooled sponge taking care not to lift the top. I like to do this with the back of a metal dessert spoon starting in the middle and working out.

Decoration

The traditional decorations for a Trentham tart are 3 glace cherry halves and 3 walnut halves. But you can add what you like. Dolly mixtures or other favourite sweets make a lovely family-friendly treat.

Making up your own flavours

Sponge, Icing, toppers and even the pastry can be changed just check sure they go together!

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