Simple, but indescribably delicious. This is probably what best describes French cuisine, and perhaps is best exemplified by the French sugar cake. Known as the Tarte au Sucre, the cake is fluffy yet crispy with a fantastically crispy sugar crust. It begs the question: What more could we ever want? Read below to find out more about the simple recipe.
Tarte au Sucre: How to Make French Sugar Cake
Why do French pastries always taste so good? The answer is almost shockingly simple: because they don’t skimp on anything. This is indeed a cuisine that does not fear butter, sugar, and eggs. The result is usually full-bodied, fluffy, and deliciously sweet works of art that not only taste good but look good too. There really is some inspiration we can take from a cooking style that doesn’t shy away from heavy!
But, today, we are taking a look at the simple side of la cuisine Française with the modest French sugar cake. Tarte au sucre originates from northern France, specifically Normandy and Brittany. The cake is a simple yeast dough that is then topped with sugar and refined with butter. The north of France has a relatively harsh climate that carries a long tradition of sugar beet cultivation and animal husbandy. So, it’s no wonder that this region is responsible for such a quiet delight! Sugar is widely used in regional cuisine, and of course, you can’t talk about Normandy without mentioning the butter from Isigny, which some call “the best butter in the world.” If you haven’t noticed already, it would seem French cuisine doesn’t skimp on superlatives either.
The good news: You can also easily bake French sugar cake at home too. It’s not a huge effort, and the reward is so delicious that you’ll want to grab a second piece right away. Follow our step-by-step instructions and see for yourself! The cake for the next family celebration is secured, and sugared, too.
If you’d like to try your hand at more home baking, we have other lovely concoctions awaiting you! Our lemon Swiss roll, cherry meringue cake, and Sprite sheet pan cake offer something for every taste.
Tarte au Sucre (French Sugar Cake)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast instant
- ½ vanilla bean seeds scraped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter
For the sugar topping:
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make sure all ingredients are room temperature.
- In a bowl, knead the flour, yeast, vanilla seeds, eggs, sugar, honey and salt for about 5 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
- Add the butter and knead for another 10 minutes until it is completely incorporated and the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
- Place the dough in a floured bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
- After the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured work surface until it reaches about 10 inches in diameter. Let it rise again for 2 hours.
- Press dimples into the dough as you would with focaccia. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Then spread crème fraîche into the dimples and dot the cake with small pats of butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.