Tag: afternoon tea cake

The perfect season for the sugar tarte!

This is the perfect season for the sugar tarte or maybe just an excuse to do it as really it can be done and remains delicious all year round.

I think I promised this recipe a long while ago, and I spoke about it in my rhubarb post.  It is a specialty from the northern part of France and from Belgium.  For me, this tarte au sucre, as I know it, means the smell of the fresh yeast which had to be mixed up with a little milk, then the touch of the soft dough when spread in the tin and of course the final taste of it!

If you are wondering who are the biggest fan of it, no hesitation: kids! That said grownups also love it.

La tarte au sucre, the concept:

A simple yeasted dough with a topping of soft brown sugar and cream.

sugar tarte

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to make it? Yes!

Ingredients:

For the dough

  • 200 g of plain flour
  • 100 g of butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp of milk
  • 1 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 10 g of fresh yeast (or 4 of dry yeast)
  • 1 pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

For the toping:

  • 125 g of soft brown sugar
  • 1 dL (100 mL) of cream
Method:
  1. In a large bowl, place the flour in the bowl and with a spoon, make a well (a hole in the middle of the flour in which you will place all the other ingredients).
  2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.
  3. Add in the well, the yeast, butter, caster sugar, egg and salt.
  4. Mix until you obtain a nice dough.
  5. Transfer into a large bowl, cover with a clean tea-towel and allow to rise in a warm corner until almost double.
  6. Preheat the oven on 180°C.
  7. Butter and flour your tarte tin. Transfer the dough and using the palm of your hand, spread it gently making a little edge.  in the centre spread the soft brown sugar, then randomly pour the cream.
  8. Bake until the edges are golden brown.
  9. Eat warm or cold (do not place in the fridge).

Banana Bread

This recipe of banana bread is moist, rich and delicious.  This is pretty much what you get in cafes all around Australia.  If you would like a lighter recipe of banana bread look HERE.

Serve on its own, with jam, butter or salted caramel. After the second day, toast and spread some butter on it.

You will need a loaf tin to bake it (Frenchies, the loaf tin is wider than the “moule a cake”).

LOAF CAKE BANANA BREAD

Ingredients
  • 250 g butter
  • 200 g brown sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 to 4 ripe to super ripe bananas (400 g)
  • 125 ml of buttermilk (or homemade substitute by adding 1 tsp of white vinegar to one cup of milk)
  • 300 g of plain flour
  • 2 tsp of baking powder
  • 1 tsp of sodium bicarbonate (bicarb soda)
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of mixed spice
  • If using unsalted butter, a pinch of salt
Method
  1. Pre heat oven to 180 °C.  Butter and line with baking paper a loaf tin
  2. Mix butter and sugar until pale and creamy, add the eggs one at the time. Add the vanilla.
  3. Mix in the mashed bananas, the cinnamon, mixed spice and butter milk.
  4. Add all at once the flour, baking powder and bicarb soda. Mix from the centre out to avoid making lumps.
  5. Pour the mix in the loaf tin and bake for just over an hour (up to 1.5 hour depending on your oven).  If you oven is generally strong, reduce the heat to 160 after ½ hour in the baking.  A baking needle inserted in the loaf must come out just moist, with no uncooked dough on it.
  6. Let the banana bread cool in the tin for ½ h before turning on a rack.

LOAF CAKE BANANA BREAD