Tarte au sucre (French Canadian Sugar Pie)

Tarte au sucre is a French Canadian Sugar Pie. The moist, creamy dessert originated in Quebec, where it was traditionally made with ample syrup instead of brown sugar. It is made with a crust, a sweet, creamy filling, and lots of butter. These days, it’s a holiday favorite for most French-Canadian families, and it’s usually served with whipped cream

We added a few twists to this custardy Tarte au sucre. While the original is a single crust pie (some add a top crust), we omitted the crust all together. Because of the yeast, the cake is slightly less crumbly. With this sweet tart, it’s all about the buttery custard filling. It’s not your average sugar pie!

What You'll Need to Make Tarte au Sucre 

The dough is a light, yeasted dough. To make it you only need a handful of pantry ingredients: milk, yeast, sugar, yogurt, an egg, and flour. It’s then topped with a custard made from egg, yogurt (any plain yogurt will do), brown sugar (not white sugar!), and melted butter. As the tart cooks, the cake becomes soaked in the sweet custard, resulting in a moist, creamy tart!

How To Make French Canadian Sugar Pie

In a small bowl, add the milk, yeast, salt, sugar, yogurt, and egg. Whisk together.

Add the flour and knead until a dough forms.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Add the dough to a cake pan lined with parchment paper.

Cover the dough again with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1 hour. In the meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the egg mixture.

Use your finger to punch small holes in the dough.

Put it into a cake pan and let it rise 1 hour. With your fingertips, make cavities in the dough then pour the egg mixture.

Bake at 160°C/320°F for 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Recipe Notes and Tips

Serve our Tarte au sucre with a side of whipped cream, ice cream, or a drizzle of caramel.

The cake is suitable for freezing. Simply wrap it tightly in clingfilm, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. The cake can also be stored at room temperature. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container.

Don’t skip the step 6. By creating small holes, you allow the custard filling to soak into the dough while baking. This will result in a moist cake. Otherwise the custard will just sit of top, while the rest of the cake will bake dry.

For a delicious variation, add lemon or orange zest and poppy seeds to the dough.