Tarte au Sucre (Québec Sugar Pie)
A rich, silky brown sugar and cream pie from Québec, traditional at Christmas and the sugar shack.
About this tarte au sucre (québec sugar pie)
Tarte au sucre is one of the oldest desserts in Québec. It came from northern France and Belgium, where sugar pies are still made, and in Québec it's tied to the holidays and the cabane à sucre. Families make it with brown sugar, maple sugar or a mix.
The filling is little more than brown sugar, cream and eggs, so it bakes into something between a custard and a caramel. Slice it thin: it's very rich. A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream helps balance it.
Ingredients
- 1 23 cm (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 35% whipping cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Equipment
- 23 cm pie plate
- Whisk
Instructions
Tip: tap Start Cooking for hands-free step mode with built-in timers.
- 1
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Chill the pie shell while you make the filling.
- 2
Whisk brown sugar and flour together to break up lumps.
- 3
Whisk in cream, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- 4
Pour into the shell. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce to 180°C (350°F) and bake 30–35 minutes more, until the edges are set and the centre jiggles slightly.
35 min timer - 5
Cool completely, at least 2 hours, so the filling sets before slicing.
120 min timer
Substitutions
- some of the brown sugar: maple sugar for a tarte au sucre d'érable
Storage
Refrigerate covered up to 4 days.
Freezer
Freeze baked pie up to 2 months.
Nutrition not calculated. Cook temperatures follow Health Canada guidance where cited.
Tarte au Sucre (Québec Sugar Pie): common questions
Is sugar pie the same as butter tart filling?
They're related but different. Sugar pie uses cream and sets like a soft custard. Butter tarts use butter and syrup and stay runnier.
Why didn't my sugar pie set?
It was underbaked or cut warm. Bake until only the very centre jiggles and cool it fully before slicing.
Can I use maple syrup instead?
For a maple version, replace ½ cup of the brown sugar with maple sugar. Liquid syrup makes the filling too loose.
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