Treacle pie is a British dessert made with molasses, often using black treacle for a dark, dense cake. Light treacle, or golden syrup, is less flavorful and not as commonly used. Spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are often added, as well as oats for texture. Treacle pie is moist and can be served plain or frosted, and is often improved by letting it sit for a few days. It should not be confused with treacle tart or treacle pudding, which are different desserts made with molasses.
Treacle pie is a baked dessert made from molasses, a syrup similar to molasses. It is most common in British cooking, but can be prepared and enjoyed by cooks wherever molasses is available. Most cake recipes call for black treacle, which is slightly bitter and very pungent. The resulting cake is usually dark and dense and is often compared to spice cake or gingerbread.
There are two main types of molasses: dark and light. Dark treacle, also called black treacle, is most common in cakes and usually has the color and texture of molasses. Many cooks use molasses and molasses interchangeably, although molasses usually has a slightly more pungent, almost licorice-like scent and taste. Light treacle, or “golden syrup,” as it’s more commonly known, is much paler and doesn’t usually work as well in cakes. It’s sweet, but doesn’t bring much in the way of defined flavor.
In most treacle cake recipes, black treacle is the primary wet ingredient. Baking cakes and breads usually requires an even balance of wet and dry ingredients to create a batter. Treacle pie is often as simple as flour, sugar, butter, and a little water or milk. Cooks also commonly add spices, especially ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Many cooks will also add whole oats. The oats make the cake richer, as well as give the batter a stiffer, more substantial texture. Most treacle pie is exceptionally moist, and drier ingredients like oats help hold it together.
Moisture and viscosity are two of the characteristic qualities of most treacle cake preparations. The confection is usually cooked in a pan and is often cut into square pieces for serving. Treacle pie can be frosted, but is often served plain. It’s delicious right out of the oven, although many cooks have found that making treacle pie a few days in advance—that is, letting it sit for a while before serving—intensifies the flavors and improves the texture.
Treacle pie is sometimes confused with treacle pie or treacle pudding, which are completely different dessert foods. A tart is often served as a kind of treacle pie, with a crust that is filled with golden syrup-based custard. Puddings, on the other hand, are often little more than sponge cakes soaked in golden syrup, then baked to achieve a crystallized, sweet crust. All three are desserts and all three use molasses as the main ingredient. The way they are made, taste and look couldn’t be more different, however.
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