The origin of this cake is in Saint-Tropez where, in the 1950s, the Polish pastry chef Alexandre Miccka made and sold a delicate cream-filled brioche. The invention was so delicious even Brigitte Bardot herself fell for it. In fact, it was the actress who suggested the name "Tarte Tropézienne" which today is a recipe and a registered trademark and is still as popular as it used to be.

La Tarte Tropézienne consists of a light brioche flavored with orange blossom water whose surface is covered with pearl sugar and sprinkled with icing sugar. It is filled with diplomatic cream, which is nothing more than pastry cream and whipped cream together. A sublime invention that makes you want to eat by the spoonful.

It is a laborious preparation that needs time and care, but delicious and well worth the extra effort it requires. We recommend preparing the diplomatic cream the day before and keeping it cold until ready to use. The brioche must be completely cold before opening in half and filling. In this way we ensure that the cream maintains its consistency and volume.

Revol porcelain plate , Pallarès carbon steel kitchen knife with boxwood handle and non- stick oven tray De Buyer

INGREDIENTS (For 8-10 people)

For the mass:

• 220g of flour
• 10 g fresh baker's yeast
• 3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
• 4 eggs M (1 of them to brush the dough)
• 80g butter, at room temperature
• 30g sugar
• 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water
• Salt
• Pearl sugar and icing sugar to decorate

For the diplomatic cream (pastry cream + whipped cream):

• 500 ml of milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 125g sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 50 g cornstarch
• 500 ml whipping cream, very cold (35% MG)
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

ELABORATION

Diplomatic cream (pastry cream + whipped cream)

1. We start with the pastry cream and, for this, we put the milk in a saucepan .
2. Open the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add them to the milk and heat until it comes to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl and beat with a whisk until they whiten slightly. Then add the cornstarch and mix again.
4. When the milk reaches the boiling point, remove it from the heat and, little by little, add it to the yolk mixture. Remove at the time and thoroughly so that the egg does not curdle.
5. Once almost half of the milk has been added to the yolk mixture, return to the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Heat again, over low heat, until it boils. We remove without stopping with the rods so that it does not stick to the bottom, until it is thick to our liking.
6. Pour the cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, in contact with the cream so that it does not form a crust. We cool before reserving in the fridge.
7. When the pastry cream is very cold, we prepare the whipped cream. For this, the cream must be very cold. It also facilitates the work that the bowl in which we are going to mount it is cold, so we can keep it in the fridge or freezer for a while.
8. Pour the cream into the bowl and beat with a whisk. When it begins to take shape, add the vanilla essence and, little by little, the icing sugar. We continue beating during the process until we finish with the sugar and achieve the desired consistency. Be careful not to over-whip or the cream will turn to butter.
9. To finish with the diplomatic cream, add the pastry cream to the chantilly bowl, little by little. Mix gently and with enveloping movements, using a silicone tongue. If the pastry cream has thickened a lot when it cools, we can beat it a little so that it recovers the consistency of a cream.
10. Reserve the diplomatic cream in the fridge, inside a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle, until ready to use.

cake batter

1. We dissolve the yeast in milk at room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar and one of the eggs. Stir with a whisk until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
3. Add another two eggs, one at a time, the butter, in clumps, the orange blossom water and the yeast dissolved in milk. We mix again.
4. Add the flour little by little, stirring first and kneading afterwards. It is a fatty and sticky dough that will become elastic and silky with the kneading so we avoid the temptation to add more flour and knead it for as many minutes as necessary.
5. When the dough is smooth, place it in a large bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest until it doubles in volume. The time will depend on the ambient temperature.
6. Once the dough has risen, degas with your knuckles, pressing the dough gently. Knead again for a few seconds while we shape it into a ball. Place the dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and flatten. We have to have a height of between 2 and 3 centimeters.
7. Cover again with the kitchen towel and leave to ferment for about an hour.
8. When the dough has risen, brush the surface with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Place the tray in the oven, preheated to 180º C with heat up and down, and cook for 20 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting in half and filling with the very cold diplomatic cream.
10. We can sprinkle with icing sugar when serving.

Revol porcelain plate , Pallarès carbon steel kitchen knife , Le Creuset mini brush and Buyer non-stick oven tray