Gateau Breton
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESSIntroduction
I came across this Brittany butter cake in the wonderful Anne Willan’s Real Food, and as she says, it’s really a cross between shortbread and pound cake. It’s hard to decide whether it’s cake or pastry. I love a stubby slice of this any time, but it does make a perfect pudding with ice cream and berries served alongside.
Use the best butter that you can find, for this is the platonic ideal of the plain cake at its simple best, and the taste of each of these few ingredients is crucial.
I came across this Brittany butter cake in the wonderful Anne Willan’s Real Food, and as she says, it’s really a cross between shortbread and pound cake. It’s hard to decide whether it’s cake or pastry. I love a stubby slice of this any time, but it does make a perfect pudding with ice cream and berries served alongside.
Use the best butter that you can find, for this is the platonic ideal of the plain cake at its simple best, and the taste of each of these few ingredients is crucial.
Ingredients
Serves: 8-10
For the cake
- 225 grams plain flour (preferably Italian 00)
- 250 grams caster sugar
- 250 grams unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
- 6 large egg yolks
For the glaze
- 1 teaspoon egg yolk (from your 6 above)
- 1 x 15ml tablespoon water
For the cake
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (preferably Italian 00)
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
- 6 large egg yolks
For the glaze
- 1 teaspoon egg yolk (from your 6 above)
- 1 tablespoon water
Method
You will need a 25cm/10in Spingform tin, buttered well.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F. Mix the glaze, and put aside while you get on with your gateau.
- Put the flour into a bowl (I never bother to sieve 00 flour because it's so finely milled, but if you're using regular plain flour then do so), stir in the sugar and add the butter and egg yolks.
- With the dough-hook attachment of a mixer, slowly whirr till you've got a smooth, golden dough. (If you're making this by hand, make a mound of the flour on a worktop, then make a well in it and add the sugar, butter and eggs and knead to mix.) Scoop this dough into the tin, and smooth the top with a floured hand: expect it to be very sticky; indeed, it should be.
- Brush the gateau with the glaze, and mark a lattice design on top with the prongs of a fork. For a reason I am not technically proficient enough to explain, sometimes the tine marks leave a firm, striated imprint (a bit like the scrapy lines that drive Gregory Peck mad in Spellbound); at others, as with the cake in the picture, they barely show once the cake's cooked. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F and give it another 25 minutes or so until it's golden on top and firm to the touch.
- Let it cool completely in the tin before unmoulding it. It'll keep well if you've got a reliably airtight tin. When you come to eat it, either cut it in traditional - though slightly narrower - cake-like wedges or, as I prefer if I'm eating it at the end of dinner, criss-cross, making irregularly sized diamonds.
You will need a 25cm/10in Spingform tin, buttered well.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F. Mix the glaze, and put aside while you get on with your gateau.
- Put the flour into a bowl (I never bother to sieve 00 flour because it's so finely milled, but if you're using regular all-purpose flour then do so), stir in the sugar and add the butter and egg yolks.
- With the dough-hook attachment of a mixer, slowly whirr till you've got a smooth, golden dough. (If you're making this by hand, make a mound of the flour on a worktop, then make a well in it and add the sugar, butter and eggs and knead to mix.) Scoop this dough into the tin, and smooth the top with a floured hand: expect it to be very sticky; indeed, it should be.
- Brush the gateau with the glaze, and mark a lattice design on top with the prongs of a fork. For a reason I am not technically proficient enough to explain, sometimes the tine marks leave a firm, striated imprint (a bit like the scrapy lines that drive Gregory Peck mad in Spellbound); at others, as with the cake in the picture, they barely show once the cake's cooked. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F and give it another 25 minutes or so until it's golden on top and firm to the touch.
- Let it cool completely in the tin before unmoulding it. It'll keep well if you've got a reliably airtight tin. When you come to eat it, either cut it in traditional - though slightly narrower - cake-like wedges or, as I prefer if I'm eating it at the end of dinner, criss-cross, making irregularly sized diamonds.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week. To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months (you may want to leave the cake on the base of the springform tin for extra support). To thaw, unwrap the cake and leave on a wire rack at room temperature for 3-4 hours, then store in an airtight container. Individual slices can be wrapped with food wrap, put in a resealable container and frozen for up to 1 month. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week. To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months (you may want to leave the cake on the base of the springform tin for extra support). To thaw, unwrap the cake and leave on a wire rack at room temperature for 3-4 hours, then store in an airtight container. Individual slices can be wrapped with food wrap, put in a resealable container and frozen for up to 1 month. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour.
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What 1 Other has said
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Posted by George739 on 16th November 2018
Show more commentsI love this recipe for its simplicity and ease and it tastes amazing too. The last two times I've made this, the gateau has stuck to the tin even after a thorough buttering so I'd definitely recommend a parchment paper base after the buttering to ensure you get it all out in once piece.