Basic cake batter - the French way
The French have adopted the word "cake" for one that will stand up to being transported (usually made a loaf tin and sometimes called a "travel cake" in French). There are many versions, but here is a new basic recipe to which you can your choice of flavours (pistachio, lemon, chocolate...) and other ingredients (fresh or dried fruit, nuts...).
42 K 4.2/5 (6 reviews)
20 min.
Easy
1 kg 650 g
7 IngredientsLast modified on: November 18th 2020
For 1 kg 650 g, you will need:
- 1
120 g butter - 2
360 g Egg ( How to... ) - 3
450 g caster sugar - 4
240 g cream - 5
360 g flour - 6
6 g baking powder - 7
6 pinches salt - Total weight: 1,540 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 10 min.
Cooking: 7 min.
All in all: 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 7 min.
Melt 120 g butter in a small pan on low heat.
Bring to the boil, then wait until it stops boiling and begins to give off a nutty smell (you have just made noisette butter).
Take off the heat and leave to cool until just warm.
Bring to the boil, then wait until it stops boiling and begins to give off a nutty smell (you have just made noisette butter).
Take off the heat and leave to cool until just warm.
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Add 240 g cream...
Stage 4 - 1 min.
...and mix again.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Mix again.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
Pour the warm noisette butter into the mixture through a fine strainer.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
Mix one last time.
Stage 9
Your cake batter is ready.
You can now add your chosen flavourings (chocolate, pistachio, lemon...), or leave it plain, before pouring it into the tins or moulds.
You can now add your chosen flavourings (chocolate, pistachio, lemon...), or leave it plain, before pouring it into the tins or moulds.
Stage 10
If you want to make a plain cake straight away, pour the dough into a mold and bake for about 40 minutes at 390°F (200°C).
Remarks
If you are using salted butter, omit the pinches of salt.
For a plain cake, you can use replace half an ounce (10 g) of the sugar with vanilla sugar.
For a plain cake, you can use replace half an ounce (10 g) of the sugar with vanilla sugar.
Keeping: Should be used the same day.
Source: Based on a recipe by Christophe Michalak.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 90 RDI=30 % | 730 RDI=70 % | 210 RDI=30 % | 5,180 RDI=260 % | 21,700 RDI: 260 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 50 RDI=4 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 340 RDI=20 % | 1,410 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 kg 650 g : 3.65 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Pistachio cake
Here's a loaf-style cake made with a classic batter, flavoured with pistachio (of course), and with a crunchy "macaronade" topping.
34 K 1 hour 55 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Pear and strawberry verrine with tiramisu cream, Rhubarb tart, Tiramisu, How to cook caramelized puff pastry well, Toasted-flour biscuits, ... See them all 352
Egg
Like these other recipes: Prune Far, Stuffed cabbage leaves, Rolled chestnut and apple brioche, Steak burger topped with egg, Brownies, ... See them all 226
Flour
Like these other recipes: Grapefruit cake, Lumberjack turnovers, Plain cake, Pistachio madeleines, Oat financiers for Louise, ... See them all 196
Cream
Like these other recipes: Clementine Chantilly, Nanou's apple and almond cake, Du Barry soup, Brioche tart with Comté cheese, Gratin Dauphinois, ... See them all 112
Other recipes you may also like
How to prepare endives
A very classic recipe, but which can easily fail due to two main errors: too much water in bottom of dish because endives give off a lot, and endives that are too bitter so that children hate it. Here is a method which avoids these two problems.February 14th 2012460 K3.7 30 min.
Two-stage beef chuck
This recipe cooks beef chuck (or braising steak) in two stages: first, slow-cooked in red wine "in the bag", then fried and served with potato purée and a red-wine sauce.April 27th 2017102 K4.3 3 hours 60 min.
Rillons de Tours
Rillons de Tours (a town in the West of France, in the Loire valley) is a winter pork recipe. Bacon is cooked long and slow in lard and white wine until "confit". Rillons can be eaten like potted meat (rillettes) with bread, wine and pickled gherkins, but they can also be used instead of lardons in...July 30th 2016210 K4.4 2 hours 20 min.
Tarte Jurassienne
This tarte jurassienne (from France's Jura region) has a sweetcrust pastry case, filled with rich hazelnut buttercream and topped with a rosette of apple slices that have been sautéed in Macvin du Jura liqueur.December 30th 201966 K 25 1 hour 20 min.
Duo of slow-cooked pork
Two pork ingredients, smoked sausage and a shoulder joint here, are left to cook slowly on a bed of vegetables and herbs, moistened with a vegetable or poultry stock. This is one of those crafty dishes that can be reheated over and over, getting better each time.November 18th 201866 K 4 hours 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.