This is an incredibly simple, sweet Wähe, where the filling is primarily cream. Sort of like a Toggenburger Schlorzifladen without the Schlorzi (dried pear filling).

It’s the perfect solution if you don’t have any fruit for Wähe at home, and you can boozy raisins if you see fit.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks, Kulinarische Streifzüge durch die Schweiz (a culinary ramble through Switzerland), a great guide to Swiss cuisine published in the early 1980s.

However, looking up Appenzeller Rahmfladen online does not lead to many similar recipes.

There are numerous Schlorzifladen recipes, including this one from the great Basler blogger lamiacucina, and some savoury varieties, like this one from the wonderful blog Einfach Essen, that features Appenzeller cheese. Swissmilk’s Rahmfladen, though with yeasted dough, is perhaps the most similar.

Dough:

200 g flour

1 tsp salt

80 g butter, cold

125 ml water, cold

Filling:

60 g sugar

3 eggs

350 ml cream

2 tsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp ground almonds

Dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Press the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic or other reusable wrapping, and let cool in the fridge for at least an hour.

Roll out your dough and line a 28 cm (11 inch) round tart pan. Poke the bottom of the dough all over with a fork, then keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready. 

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4.

Filling:

Separate the eggs.

In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Whisk in the cream, flour and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Fold this into the egg yolk mixture.

Place the tart shell on a baking sheet, then sprinkle with the ground nuts.

Pour the cream mixture over top.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is brown and set.

• Use cream with 35% fat or higher (the kind of cream suitable for whipping). I have also had success with this tart substituting some of the cream for crème fraîche.

• If desired, add about 150 g raisins (booze-soaked are best) to the liquid before pouring it into the tart shell.