Mary Berry Manchester Tart Recipe

Mary Berry’s Manchester tart has a crisp pastry case, raspberry jam, vanilla custard, and desiccated coconut — a nostalgic British school dinner classic made properly at home.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Chilling Time 50

Total Time 1 30

Servings: 8 Slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 390

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry:
200 g plain flour sifted
100 g cold unsalted butter cubed
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
Pinch of fine salt
2 –3 tbsp cold water
Vanilla Custard Filling:
4 large egg yolks
75 g golden caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
400 ml whole milk
100 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla extract
30 g unsalted butter
Assembly and Topping:
4 tbsp raspberry jam
75 g desiccated coconut
6 glacé cherries halved

Method

Make pastry — pulse to crumbs, add cold water, wrap and chill 30 minutes. Blind bake at 190°C: 15 minutes with beans, 8–10 minutes without. Cool completely.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour 2–3 minutes until pale and thick. Heat milk, cream, and vanilla to just steaming — pour slowly onto egg yolks whisking constantly. Return to pan over low heat — stir 8–10 minutes until very thick and holding its shape. Stir in butter. Cool 10 minutes.
Spread raspberry jam over cooled pastry base. Pour slightly cooled custard over jam — spread gently to the edges. Cool at room temperature 30 minutes — refrigerate 2 hours minimum until set.
Scatter desiccated coconut generously over the set custard. Arrange glacé cherries decoratively. Slice cold.

Notes

Make the custard very thick — too thin and it will not set firmly enough to slice cleanly.

Cool the custard slightly before pouring — very hot custard melts the jam layer below.

Cool the pastry case completely before assembling — warm pastry softens under the jam.

Be generous with the coconut — it is one of the defining characteristics of this tart.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours — make the day before for the cleanest, firmest slices.