Gateau Breton
In France this cake is called a “gateau breton”, in England a “Brittany butter cake”, and in the Netherlands a “boterkoek”. Whichever name or language you prefer, it always looks the same; round and flat, with a lattice design on top, and it always tastes like 8 sticks of butter. Yum! For this reason you need to make sure you use high-quality butter (don’t even think about using margarine!). This is really one of those ‘perfect for tea-time’ cakes, though I must confess, I’ve been eating it for dessert with some vanilla ice cream as well. If you love butter cookies, like shortbread for instance, then you’ll devour this cake to the last crumb! Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Gateau Breton: Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Ingredients for glaze:
- 1 teaspoon egg yolk, from your 6 (see below)
- 1 tablespoon water
Ingredients for cake:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 6 large egg yolks
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mix the glaze, and put aside while you get on with your cake.
- Put the flour into a bowl, stir in 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 init and add the sugar, butter, and eggs and knead to mix.) Scoop this dough into the pan, and smooth the top with a floured hand: expect it to be very sticky, it should be,
- Brush the cake 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; at others, they barely show once the cake’s cooked. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350ºF, 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 pan before unmolding 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-cakelike wedges or, as I prefer if I’m eating it at the end of dinner, crisscross, making irregularly sized diamonds.
Gateau Breton: Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Ingredients for glaze:
- 1 teaspoon egg yolk, from your 6 (see below)
- 1 tablespoon water
Ingredients for cake:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 6 large egg yolks
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mix the glaze, and put aside while you get on with your cake.
- Put the flour into a bowl, stir in 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 init and add the sugar, butter, and eggs and knead to mix.) Scoop this dough into the pan, and smooth the top with a floured hand: expect it to be very sticky, it should be,
- Brush the cake 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; at others, they barely show once the cake’s cooked. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350ºF, 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 pan before unmolding 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-cakelike wedges or, as I prefer if I’m eating it at the end of dinner, crisscross, making irregularly sized diamonds.
Comments
Have to try your recipe. Your pictures are beautiful!
Love your blog!
Do you know the famous britton "kouign amann" with tons of butter? it's sooo good!!! (but gaining weight just looking at it!! ahaha!!)