Hairy Bikers Manchester Tart Recipe

This Hairy Bikers Manchester tart swaps the usual pastry for an oat flapjack base, then layers raspberry jam, vanilla custard, coconut and cherries on top. And from Everyday Winners, it makes 9 squares in about 5 hours with cooling and chilling, at about 505 calories each by my sums. But if you want the classic pastry tart, I cover Yvonne’s version from another of their books in the FAQs.

Manchester tart was “a school dinner favourite” for them both, which is why they paired it with flapjack, hoping it “will be a new classic”. And unlike plain flapjack, the base gets a little flour and an egg, which they say gives it a slightly firmer texture.

Getting the custard thick enough matters most, because it has to set firm in the fridge without any pastry around it. Then I keep whisking until it bubbles and coats the spoon thickly, while it still drops off in a slow, heavy stream.

Hairy Bikers Manchester Tart Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 25 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time:4 hours Total time:4 hours 55 minutesServings:9 servingsCalories:505 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A sticky oat mix is pressed into a lined tin and baked until set, before raspberry jam goes on once it has cooled. Next, homemade vanilla custard is smoothed over, scattered with coconut and cherries, and chilled until firm enough to cut.

Ingredients

For the oat base

• 75g butter
• 50g light brown soft sugar
• 1 tbsp (25g) golden syrup
• pinch of salt
• 175g porridge oats
• 50g flour
• 1 egg

For the custard

• 500ml milk
• 250ml double or whipping cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 5 egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g cornflour or custard powder

To assemble

• 5 tbsp raspberry jam
• a handful of fresh raspberries (optional)
• 35g desiccated coconut
• 9 maraschino cherries, or as many as you like

Instructions

1. Heat and line: Heat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3½. Then line a square brownie tin with baking parchment or a non-stick liner, ideally loose-based (I use 20cm, the BBC size).
2. Make the base: Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Take it off the heat, then beat in the oats, followed by the flour and the egg.
3. Bake the base: Spread the mixture over the tin, patting it smooth with hands run under the cold tap, since it’s very sticky. Bake for about 15 minutes, until set and browning at the edges, then leave to cool.
4. Heat the milk: Heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod until just below boiling point. Then take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Mix the yolks: Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy, then beat in the cornflour or custard powder. Pour the warm milk and cream on from a height, whisking as you go, then tip everything back into the pan.
6. Thicken the custard: Stir over a medium-low heat until it starts to thicken at the bottom, then whisk constantly. Once it bubbles and has thickened a lot, but still pours from a spoon, take it off the heat.
7. Cool the custard: Leave the custard to cool to room temperature, whisking now and then so no skin forms, which takes about an hour for me. Then lift out the vanilla pod.
8. Assemble: Spread the jam over the cooled base and dot over a few raspberries, if using. Then smooth the custard on top with a palette knife, and scatter over the coconut and cherries.
9. Chill and cut: Chill for several hours until completely set, which for me means at least 3. Lift it out using the parchment, then cut into 3 rows of 3 with a sharp knife, wiping it between cuts.

FAQs

Is there a Hairy Bikers Manchester tart with pastry?

Yes, in Mums Know Best, where Yvonne shares her version with a lard and margarine pastry case baked blind. Then it’s filled with strawberry jam, 3 sliced bananas and custard made from custard powder and 850ml of milk.

That one serves 6 and chills overnight, before toasted coconut goes on just before serving. And Si and Dave say “Yvonne’s version with banana is especially good”, so it’s the one to make if you want pastry.

Which oven temperature is right, 170°C or 190°C?

On BBC Food the oven is 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5, against 170°C/Fan 150°C in Everyday Winners. And the BBC version serves 8 rather than cutting 9 squares, with at least 2 hours of chilling.

I follow the book’s cooler oven, since the base only needs to set and brown at the edges. But there’s no tin size in Everyday Winners, so the 20cm comes from the BBC version.

Can I use custard powder or shop-bought custard?

Custard powder is fine, because it’s listed as an alternative to cornflour for thickening the homemade custard. But I wouldn’t use ready-made pouring custard, since it’s made to pour and won’t set firm enough to slice.

If you want a custard that sets in pastry instead, their classic custard tart with nutmeg is the one to try. And that one bakes the custard in the case rather than thickening it on the hob.

How long does it keep, and is it easy?

I’d keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 2 days, since it’s a cream and egg custard. And I don’t leave the custard cooling out for longer than about 2 hours.

It’s easier than the pastry version, with no rolling or blind baking. But the custard needs about 15 minutes of your attention at the hob, in my kitchen.

Is this the same as Mary Berry or James Martin Manchester tart?

No, this is the Hairy Bikers flapjack version from Everyday Winners, not a Mary Berry or James Martin recipe. If you want one of theirs, look for their own published recipes, because I only cook and check Hairy Bikers recipes here.

For another old school pudding with jam and custard, their jam roly-poly with custard is a good one. And their Eccles cakes from Perfect Pies are named after Eccles, a few miles west of Manchester city centre.