Gâteau Basque
This traditional Basque dessert is similar to a gâteau breton (brittany butter cake), but very moist as it is filled with a rum-flavoured confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream).
This is a fairly simple recipe, though as the dough is fragile and difficult to handle, I offer a useful tip to make this easier.
This is a fairly simple recipe, though as the dough is fragile and difficult to handle, I offer a useful tip to make this easier.
73 K 4.8/5 (20 reviews)
2 hours 55 min.
Easy
2 gâteaux
13 IngredientsLast modified on: September 11th 2018
For 2 gâteaux, you will need:
- 1
8 egg yolks - 2
2⁄3 cup caster sugar - 3
3 cups whole milk - 4
¼ cup cornflour - 5
4 tablespoons rum - 6
4 cups flour - 7
1 cup butter - 8 1 2⁄3 cup caster sugar
- 9
1 ½ tablespoon vanilla sugar - 10
4 eggs - 11
1 ½ tablespoon baking powder - 12
1 teaspoon fine (or table) salt - 13
3 tablespoons beaten egg
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 8 min.
Resting: 1 hour 3 min.
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 2 hours 55 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 - 30 min.
Prepare the confectioner's custard with 8 egg yolks, 2⁄3 cup caster sugar, 3 cups whole milk and ¼ cup cornflour, using the method explained here.
When the custard is cooked, add 4 tablespoons rum, mix well and cover.
Set aside in the refrigerator.
When the custard is cooked, add 4 tablespoons rum, mix well and cover.
Set aside in the refrigerator.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Put into a food-mixer bowl: 4 cups flour, 1 cup butter, 1 2⁄3 cup caster sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla sugar, 4 eggs, 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon fine (or table) salt.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Start kneading and stop as soon as the dough is evenly mixed.
Stage 4 - 2 min.
Weigh the dough and divide into 2 unequal parts: 1/4 and 3/4.
Stage 5 - 7 min.
Roll out the smaller piece of dough between 2 sheets of cooking parchment into a circle...
Stage 6 - 7 min.
...the size of your tin or mould.
Using 2 sheets of cooking parchment makes it easier to roll out the soft, fragile dough.
Using 2 sheets of cooking parchment makes it easier to roll out the soft, fragile dough.
Stage 7 - 1 hour
Then roll out the larger piece of dough, again using 2 sheets of cooking parchment, into a circle a little larger (by about 1 inch / 2 or 3 cm) than your tin.
Lay both circles, still in their papers, on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Lay both circles, still in their papers, on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Stage 8 - 3 min.
After this, the dough will be firmer and easier to handle.
Take the larger circle out of the fridge, carefully remove the paper and lay the dough in the tin.
Preheat your oven at 360°F (180°C).
Take the larger circle out of the fridge, carefully remove the paper and lay the dough in the tin.
Preheat your oven at 360°F (180°C).
Stage 9 - 4 min.
Fill the case with the rum-flavoured custard and level the top.
Stage 10
Turn the edges of the dough in towards the centre.
Stage 11 - 2 min.
Take the remaining circle out of the fridge, carefully remove the paper and lay in the tin like a "lid" on top of the custard filling.
Stage 12 - 3 min.
Glaze the top of the cake.
Stage 13 - 3 min.
If you like, you can decorate the top by marking the dough with a fork. Use a bit of pressure, or the marks will disappear during cooking.
Stage 14 - 40 min.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Best eaten cold, the gâteau Basque will only improve if kept for a day or two.
Best eaten cold, the gâteau Basque will only improve if kept for a day or two.
Remarks
For an even more pronounced rum flavour, add a tablespoonful to the bowl before mixing the dough.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 150 RDI=60 % | 1,120 RDI=110 % | 310 RDI=50 % | 7,780 RDI=390 % | 32,550 RDI: 390 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 40 RDI=4 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 300 RDI=20 % | 1,270 RDI: 20 % |
| Per gâteau | 80 RDI=30 % | 560 RDI=50 % | 160 RDI=20 % | 3,890 RDI=190 % | 16,280 RDI: 190 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 gâteaux : 6.40 €
- Per gâteau : 3.20 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Whole milk
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Flour
Like these other recipes: Plain cake, Béarnaise sauce, Oat shortbread biscuits, Provençal colombier for Pentecost, Madeleines, ... See them all 201
Butter
Like these other recipes: Gingerbread, Antoinette's caramelized apple cake, Warm white bean salad with smoked trout, Plum and hazelnut crumble, Mushrooms on toast, French style, ... See them all 472
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Clementine Creamy, Caramel rice pudding, Pear, grapefruit and pistachio tart, Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream), Blackcurrant jelly, ... See them all 360
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