Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows

Honey Cake Tartlets with Truffle Honey and Aged Goat's Cheese

Name: Honey Cake Tartlets with Truffle Honey and Aged Goat's Cheese
Prep time: 45 minutes plus 50 minutes chilling
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: ~2 hours

Prep. Time:

45 minutes plus 50 minutes chilling

Baking Time:

35 minutes

Total Time:

~2 hours

Serves:

6 tartlets

Luke created these honey cake tartlets for MasterChef UK Professionals Series 18. A dense, fragrant honey cake baked inside a crisp sweet pastry shell and finished with truffle honey and finely grated aged goat's cheese, they carry the sweet-savoury register that defines the dish from which they com...

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Ingredients

FOR THE SWEET PASTRY SHELLS
180g / 1½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
30g / 3½ tbsp icing (powdered) sugar
Pinch fine salt
90g / 6½ tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 large egg yolk, cold
30–45ml / 2–3 tbsp ice water — use as needed

FOR THE HONEY CAKE FILLING
75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
75g / 3½ tbsp clear honey, acacia or wildflower
1 large egg at room temperature
75g / ½ cup + 1 tbsp self-raising flour (or AP flour + ¾ tsp baking powder)
Pinch fine salt

TO FINISH
Extra truffle honey, for drizzling
50g / 1¾ oz aged goat's cheese for grating, semi-hard; goat's gouda or aged chèvre

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Instructions

Step 1 — Make the sweet pastry
Sift the flour, icing sugar, and salt into a bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining — do not overwork. Make a well in the centre, add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of ice water, and bring together quickly with a fork, adding more water a teaspoon at a time if needed. The dough should just come together without being sticky. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2 — Roll, line, and blind bake
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled pastry to 3mm thickness. Cut circles slightly larger than 8cm / 3 in loose-bottomed tartlet tins and press gently into the tins. Trim the edges and prick the bases with a fork. Chill again for 20 minutes. Line with baking paper and baking beans; blind bake at 375°F / 190°C for 12 minutes. Remove beans and paper; return to oven for 5 minutes until pale gold. Cool completely before filling.

Step 3 — Make the honey cake filling
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Beat the softened butter and honey together until light and creamy — the honey acts as both sweetener and emulsifier. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Sift in the flour and salt; fold until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick.

Step 4 — Fill and bake
Spoon the batter evenly into the blind-baked tartlet shells, filling each to just below the rim. Bake for 14–16 minutes until the filling is risen, set, and golden, with a slight spring when pressed. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Step 5 — Finish and serve
When cool to the touch, drizzle each tartlet lightly with truffle honey. Using a Microplane, finely grate aged goat's cheese directly over the top — it will settle onto the honey in a delicate, fragrant layer. Add the drizzle and grated cheese just before serving if making ahead.