Ingredients
For the pastry
- 200g butter, chopped into cubes
- 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100g light muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
For the sauce
- 200g light muscovado sugar
- 50g butter
- 250ml double cream
For the filling
- 250g date, roughly chopped
- 200ml milk
- 50g butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50g ground almond
- 2 large eggs
- 100g light muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp treacle
- vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
-
For the filling, put the chopped dates and milk in a pan. Bring to the boil, then set aside for 30 mins.
-
To make the pastry, put the butter and flour in a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. Pulse in the sugar. Mix the vanilla and egg yolk with 1 tbsp water, then dribble in while whizzing, to bring the pastry together. If it doesn’t come together, whizz in a trickle more water.
-
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to line 6 individual deep tart tins with an overhang. Prick the bottoms and chill for 20 mins.
-
To make the sauce, melt all the ingredients together, then bubble for 2-5 mins until saucy. Cool.
-
Heat oven to 200C/180C/fan 6. Line each tart case with crumpled baking parchment, add some baking beans and blind-bake for 15 mins. Remove paper and beans, and bake for 5 mins more until biscuity. Trim the pastry edges.
-
Spoon 1 tbsp of the sauce into each tart case. Mash the reserved date mixture with a potato masher, then tip into a bowl with the softened butter, vanilla, flour, bicarb, almonds, eggs, sugar and treacle. Whisk together with an electric whisk until just combined, then divide between tart cases.
-
Reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and bake for 15 mins. Cool a little before turning out. Serve tarts warm topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with sticky toffee sauce.