Vanille

Sugar tart with vanilla

Tarte au sucre, a Belgian pastry made with yeasted dough and brown sugar. Our version with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla sugar, step-by-step recipe.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cooking 22 min
  • Total 52 min
  • Serves 8 servings
  • Difficulty Medium

Sugar tart is a Belgian pastry made with a yeasted dough, topped with brown sugar, cream and butter before baking. Our version adds Bourbon vanilla sugar to the topping, for an aroma that pairs with the caramelisation of the brown sugar.

Our family grows and prepares this vanilla in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar. The dough needs time to rise twice, and the tart to cool before slicing so the caramelised sugar sets.

Method

Preparation

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk with a pinch of sugar, then leave to froth for 10 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the eggs and the yeasted milk, then knead until you get a soft dough. Work in the soft butter piece by piece, continuing to knead until it is absorbed.
  3. Cover the dough and leave it to rise for 1 hour 30 minutes at room temperature, until doubled in size.
  4. Knock back the dough, spread it into a buttered 26 cm tart tin, bringing up a slight edge. Leave it to rise for a further 15 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Prick the base lightly, spread the brown sugar and vanilla sugar evenly over the surface, drizzle with liquid cream and dot with small pieces of butter.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is caramelised and the dough is cooked through.
  7. Leave to cool completely before cutting: the caramelised sugar sets as it cools.
Chef's tip

The little extra that changes everything

Knock back the dough well before spreading it into the tin, then leave it to rise a second time: it is this second rest that gives the tart its light crumb under the caramelised layer. Our products for this recipe: Madagascar Bourbon vanilla sugar

Frequently asked questions

About this recipe

Can the dough be made the day before?
Yes, the yeasted dough can rise once, then be kept wrapped in the fridge until the next day; let it come back to room temperature before spreading it out.
What should be done if the caramelised sugar runs when the tart is cut?
Leave the tart to cool completely before cutting it: the caramelised sugar sets as it cools and holds together better when sliced.
Can the brown sugar be replaced with another sugar?
Brown sugar gives a stronger flavour and a crisper texture once caramelised than ordinary white sugar.
In the kitchen

Four moves with one bean

What to do with a whole bean, from the first cut to the sugar jar.

01 Split 30 s

Knife tip halfway through, one single pass along the whole length.

02 Scrape 1 min

Scrape both halves with a spoon. That black is the flavour.

03 Infuse 20 min

Seeds and bean into the hot milk, off the heat, covered.

Vanilla beans laid on a white plate
04 Reuse 1 week

Rinse the emptied bean, let it dry, then slip it into the sugar.

One bean serves twice
Exceptional ingredients

Our products for this recipe

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