Benevento Tart is a traditional dessert straight from the city of Benevento. It’s a real temptation: it has a crispy outer crust that encloses a soft and creamy filling. It’s a delicate and very delicious dessert!
This marvel is made with a vanilla-scented shortcrust pastry, a layer of ladyfingers, and a liquid and very fragrant cream, based on milk, eggs, and the famous Strega Liqueur, the typical distillate of Benevento. You absolutely must try it because it is truly amazing!
Let’s get baking! Enjoy the recipe. Giusi.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for the Benevento tart.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsps egg yolks (About 2 medium yolks)
- 1/2 cup butter (At room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/3 cups milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsps Strega liqueur
- 13 ladyfingers
Tools for the Benevento tart
Tart pan 11-12 inches in diameter
Steps
First, grab a bowl. Add the butter (already softened in pieces) and the powdered sugar. Mix until you have a smooth cream.
Add the pinch of salt, then the eggs and lastly the flour.
Quickly knead the ingredients with your hands. Initially, it may seem like the dough won’t come together, but don’t worry: after a few minutes of kneading, a smooth dough ball will form.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch (use a floured surface or parchment paper).
Place the dough in the tart pan, trim excess edges, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to rest for an hour.
Let’s prepare the Liquid Cream
Pour the milk into a pot. The milk should only warm, not boil!
Add the sugar and let it dissolve well, stirring.
Add the liqueur and the eggs, and mix well for a minute.
Attention: the cream should not thicken because it contains no starches. Therefore, remove it from the heat immediately and let it cool slightly.
Take the tart pan with the shortcrust pastry already rolled out. Prick the bottom with a fork.
Place the ladyfingers inside, covering the entire base.
When the cream is warm (not hot), start pouring it with a ladle over the ladyfingers. Pour very slowly so that the ladyfingers absorb the liquid well.
Once you have poured all the cream, bake immediately at 340°F for 35-40 minutes. Place the tart in the lower part of the oven.
When the cooking time is over, open the oven door and leave the Benevento tart inside for 5 minutes.
Then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely (it must be completely cold) while still in the pan.
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Storage and Tips
If you don’t want to use Strega Liqueur, you can easily omit it! Just give the cream a good aroma with a teaspoon of vanilla (extract) or with a packet of vanillin.
The Benevento Tart keeps well for two or three days at room temperature, as long as it is kept under a food cover to protect it.
