I’ve read through recipes for Border Tart so many times but never actually
made one. Last year in Northumberland I ate the most delicious slice of Iced Border Tart in the Clock Tower Cafe in Bamburgh Castle and promised myself to get cooking. So today the time has come to make my own Border Tart .
Border Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry:
175g plain flour
90g butter, cubed
25g caster sugar
30ml cold water
For the filling:
1 large egg
75g soft brown sugar
50g butter, cubed
2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
120g currants
50g glacé cherries, chopped
For the icing:
150g sifted icing sugar
2-4 teaspoons cold water
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c fan and have a 20cm loose bottomed tart tin at the ready.
To make the pastry put the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and mix 
on full power until crumbly. Leave turned on and slowly add the water until the pastry forms a ball. You might not need all the water so go carefully.
Once a ball has formed, remove from the food processor and with your hands roll it into a tight ball. Wrap in cling film and pop it into the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
When it has chilled remove the cling film and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness just less than a £1 coin. Line the tin and prick the base with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Turn the oven up to 190c fan and whilst the oven is reaching temperature prepare the filling.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a gentle heat and then pour this into a 
large mixing bowl with the soft brown sugar and the egg. Mix together well.
Add all the other ingredients and stir together to combine them.
Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Once the Border Tart has cooled, remove from the tin and prepare the icing.
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, slowly adding the water whilst mixing together until the icing is smooth and glossy.
Pour the icing on top of the Border Tart and spread evenly and leave to set.
This Border Tart serves 8 so perfect for sharing!
Just home from Bamburgh castle and looking on the internet for Border cake recipes having had a delicious one in the castle and your post came up. Can’t wait to try when back home from holiday.
Hope you are having a great time in Northumberland. It was the Border Tart in the Clock Tower Cafe at Bamburgh that inspired me to create the recipe. We were there in 2017! Have fun baking…
You didn’t say if yours was as good as the one at Bamburgh Castle. I’m in Northumberland and have just seen one in a cafe and decided it looked nice, like Bakewell tart with fruit, so I looked up recipes and saw yours. Sounds as though it could be quite sweet.
Sorry for the delayed reply, I’ve been on holiday. If you don’t have such a sweet tooth you could leave it un-iced, many very traditional Border Tarts are without icing. As for whose was better – I’m not sure. It was October 2017 when I tried the one in Bamburgh so it’s been a while since I had it, however I do remember it being lovely as is mine! Maybe we need a blind taste test of both together…
Great recipe and delicious, except my icing was too runny and wouldn’t set! Any tips?
Next time try less water to mix in with the icing sugar. Usually a sign of it not setting is too much liquid. A tiny bit too much can stop it setting. Glad you enjoyed the tart despite runny icing.
Border tart should not have the icing – yuk!
There is a easy fix to that – don’t add the icing on top after baking the tart. Each to their own I say! That’s why I explained that this is my take on Border Tart after having enjoyed a slice with icing on.