What in the world is Rahmkuchen? There is nothing trendy about that recipe, it is just plain good old traditional baking at its best. A Rahmkuchen from the Pfalz, located on the border of France and the Alsace, is one of my favorite pastries. There is no doubt in my mind, that as soon as you bake and taste a Rahmkuchen you will be a believer.
Sweet Dough/Pâte Sucrée
Sweet dough or as it is called in French, Pate Sucrée pronounced (pat-sue-cray) is a crust for many desserts. Its principal ingredients are flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. Sweet and tender the taste and texture of Pate Sucrée reminds one of shortbread or cookies. This recipe uses almond powder and eggs for added richness and a cookie-like texture.
The Butter Book
The Butter Book is a creation of world-renowned Pastry Chefs Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., and Jacquy Pfeiffer who are also the founders of The French Pastry School in Chicago, Illinois. For over 25 years, Chef Sébastien and Chef Jacquy have been training thousands of pastry chefs. Regardless of where you are on your pastry-making journey, through this site you can learn the intricacies of baking croissants, éclairs, and many other delicious recipes. I used the sweet dough recipe for the Rahmkuchen from their Butter Book online baking platform.
I’m not a baker, however, I love to bake
The Butter book teaches me the science of classic pastries at home and helps me to become a better baker. It includes 200 + video lessons, recipes, and expert tips, shared by master chefs. Suppose you’re a beginner looking to master the pastry basics, a seasoned home baker looking to take your confectionary skills to the next level, or a professional pastry chef eager to reconnect with classic recipes. In that case, The Butter Book is designed for you. Please review the link from Saveur magazine about the Butter Book as the best online baking platform.
How to make Pate Sucrée
Follow the link for the fantastic step-by-step training video on how to make Pate Sucrée / Sweet Dough.
The video link and recipe for the sweet dough are provided by the Butter Book and published with the permission of Chef Jaquay Pfeiffer and Chef Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. the founders of the French Pastry School.
Why using Cake Flour:
How much gluten is in your flour has a great deal to with how your flour performs in your kitchen. Cake flour is the lowest in gluten of all flours so it enables you to make batter cakes and tarts. Once you mix flour with water, knead, and stretch it, you form gluten which gives your dough a chewy elastic texture. That’s exactly what I’m looking for when I bake bread. That is why I use bread flour for bread baking because it has a high percentage of gluten. However, when I bake pastry or tarts I don’t want that chewy elastic texture.
Double the dough recipe makes sense since the dough holds up extremely well in the freezer
I always double the dough recipe for two round 9-inch tart molds or 2 rectangular tart molds. I freeze 1/2 of the raw sweet dough in plastic wrap, in an airtight plastic container or plastic bag, and store it for up to 1 month. To defrost, I transfer the sweet dough to the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out. The dough will still need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour after rolling and shaping in the tart pan
Fraser the Dough:
Fraser sounds so French and so very sophisticated. It really is not, in a nutshell, Fraser is a very simple technique. The technique is used when making certain doughs by hand. Using the back of your plan you push down the dough. This recipe is using a flat edge dough scraper and scrapes the dough on the table towards you. By scraping or smearing the dough after you’ve mixed it you elongate the pieces of butter in the dough, it brings the dough together and ensures that the dough is lump-free. When mixing the sweet dough, its consistency should be firm, yet you should not overmix it or Fraser it too much, you will develop gluten.
Bake the Seasons
This tart is the perfect combination of Pate Sucrée and sweet peaches
that beautifully showcases fresh summer produce
Knowing your oven
Of all the equipment you are using your oven is the most important one. Beware not all thermostats are always accurate. So it is wise to check the oven temp with an oven thermometer. To that preheat your oven to a set temp and move the thermometer from place to place to find out whether or not it is heating evenly. You may discover that your oven has hotter and cooler areas. The best way to bake the pastry is on the middle shelves, turning the pastries around so they cook evenly.
Rahmkuchen aka Brûléed Yoghurt Cream Tart
The Taste
Brings back fantastic memories,
Just the right sweetness, vanilla flavor, and tartness of the yogurt
The Process
Easy to make and very rewarding.
The basic sweet dough recipe can be used for many seasonal tarts
The Verdict
One of my favorite tarts, a perfect combination, that beautifully showcases fresh summer produce
I promise the Sweet Dough, Pâte Sucrée recipe will serve you well for the rest of your life!!
Rahmkuchen aka Brûléed Yoghurt Cream Tart
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR THE TART
- 3 ounce sugar
- 8 ounce cake flour
- 4 ounce butter, unsalted
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, fine ground
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ounce almond flour
- 1 each whole egg medium - sized
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING
- 4 ounce greek yogurt
- 4 ounce heavy cream
- 1/2 ounce cornstarch
- 2 each medium whole eggs
- 2 ounce sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
Instructions
MAKE SWEET DOUGH:
- Scale the ingredients precisely and bring them to room temperature. Sift the confectioners’ sugar on parchment paper and set it aside. Sift the flour on a separate parchment paper and set it aside.
- Cream the butter and salt in a stand mixer bowl at low speed for about 10 seconds using the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and incorporate. Add the confectioners’ sugar and almond powder. Mix on low speed to combine. Then scrape the side of the bowl.3 ounce sugar, 4 ounce butter, unsalted, 1/4 tsp sea salt, fine ground, 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, 1 ounce almond flour
- Now add the egg. Mix on low speed until combined. Then scrape the bowl. Mix in one-third of the flour at low speed. Then mix in the remaining flour until it is well incorporated.1 each whole egg, 8 ounce cake flour
- Finally, to ensure the dough is lump-free, the next step is to Fraser the dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably overnight.
MAKE THE FILLING:
- Blend the greek yogurt, heavy cream, cornstarch, egg vanilla extract, and sugar. Fill the tart with the yogurt filling. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.4 ounce greek yogurt, 4 ounce heavy cream, 1/2 ounce cornstarch, 2 each medium whole eggs, 2 ounce sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove tart from the oven and cool to room temp. Top the tart with sugar in a thin layer. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Top with seasonal fruit of your choice
Chef Notes
- The recipe is for one rectangular tart mold. I always double the dough recipe for two round 9-inch tart molds or two rectangular tart molds.
- I freeze 1/2 of the raw sweet dough in plastic wrap, in an airtight plastic container or plastic bag, and store it for up to 1 month. To defrost, I transfer the sweet dough to the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out. The dough will still need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour after rolling and shaping.
- It is recommended to chill the sweet dough for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight, to rest the sweet dough. Letting it rest cools the dough and allows the starch in the flour to absorb the moisture, making the dough rollable.
- Do not overmix the dough, overmixing will make the dough tough and rubbery and very difficult to roll out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate