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The sliced vegan Manchester tart on a marble board with bowls of coconut and glace cherries.
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Vegan Manchester Tart

This vegan Manchester tart is a retro British school dinner recipe, consisting of crisp pastry filled with raspberry jam, desiccated coconut and custard.
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword tart
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 10 people
Author Domestic Gothess

Equipment

  • 25 cm/10 in round loose bottomed tart tin
  • baking beans
  • fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • 200 g (1 + ⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds (almond flour)
  • 30 g (⅓ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter cold
  • 1 Tablespoon cold vodka or water

Custard:

  • 45 g (6 Tablespoons) custard powder*
  • 350 ml (1 ½ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) vegan single cream (I use Oatly)
  • 70 g (⅓ cup) caster or granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To Assemble:

  • 200 g (⅔ cup) raspberry jam
  • 100 g (1 ¼ cups) unsweetened desiccated coconut divided
  • 10-12 glace cherry halves

Instructions

  • To make the pastry, mix the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.
    200 g (1 + ⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds (almond flour), 30 g (⅓ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt, 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter
  • Add the cold vodka (if using) and mix to combine. Gradually add enough cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball (about 1-2 Tablespoons). Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until firm enough to roll out.
    1 Tablespoon cold vodka or water
  • Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle big enough to line a 25 cm/10 in round loose bottomed tart tin. Press the pastry right into the corners then roll over the top of the tin with a rolling pin to trim off the excess.
  • Prick the base of the pastry shell all over with a fork then place it in the freezer for 20 minutes until solid. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas mark 5.
  • Line the pastry case with baking parchment, pressing it right into the corners, then fill with baking beans or dried rice, making sure that the sides are propped up.
  • Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil and baking beans and return the tart shell to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes until very pale golden and dry to the touch. If the sides look like they are getting too dark before the base is cooked, cover them with strips of tin foil. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  • Once the pastry has cooled completely, spread the jam evenly over the base then sprinkle over half of the coconut.
    200 g (⅔ cup) raspberry jam, 100 g (1 ¼ cups) unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • To make the custard, place the custard powder in a saucepan and whisk in a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste. Try and make sure that there are no lumps. Whisk in the rest of the milk, the cream, sugar and vanilla extract.
    45 g (6 Tablespoons) custard powder*, 350 ml (1 ½ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 250 ml (1 cup) vegan single cream (I use Oatly), 70 g (⅓ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly with a balloon whisk until it comes up to the boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and continue to stir gently for a couple of minutes just to cool it slightly.
  • Use a spatula to scrape the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to ensure that it is free from lumps.
  • Pour the (still warm) custard into the pastry case and gently spread it level, trying not to disturb the jam. Sprinkle over the rest of the coconut. Refrigerate the tart for at least 4 hours, until completely cooled and set.
  • Optionally decorate the tart with glace cherry halves before serving.
    10-12 glace cherry halves

Notes

  • *It is especially important to weigh this ingredient rather than using Tablespoons as a difference of a few grams can significantly change the set and texture of the custard. You can use cornflour (cornstarch) instead of the custard powder, plus an extra teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of turmeric for colour.
  • See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
  • All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!