🇫🇷 Basque Cake – Gateau Basque

This is a traditional dessert from the Northern Basque region of France. This cake is made of thin crusts, filled with pastry cream, …it’s simply Superb!

To make the vanilla pastry cream, please check my recipe here: https://www.myexcellentdegustations.com/french-pastry-cream/

To make the cake crust, mix all the ingredients without overworking the dough, then cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Grease a baking sheet with butter and slightly flour it.

Divide the dough into two unequal balls.

Roll out the bigger dough ball into about 1/8 inch thick disk, then place it onto the prepared baking pan.

Put the pastry cream on top.

Place the second disc on the pastry cream, then brush the top with the beaten egg.

Deeply score the top of the crust in a crosshatch pattern, using a fork.

Bake in a 350 °F preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author LDS's Mom

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick and 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature plus extra to grease the pan
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon zest
• Pinch of salt

Brushing

• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt

Pastry cream for filling

• Please refer to my French Vanilla Pastry Cream recipe (link above).

Instructions

1.  Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl then set aside
2.  In a large bowl whisk the egg, egg yolks, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the soft butter and mix it with a spatula until incorporated.
4. Pour in the flour mixture and mix to just combine. Don't overmix the dough!
5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up (the dough obtained is extremely soft).
6. Divide the dough into two unequal balls, one should be bigger than the other.

7.  Place each ball on a parchment paper and pat into disc of about 1/8 inch thick. The parchment paper will make it easy to place the discs onto the pan.

8. Butter and slightly flour a 9 inch baking pan or tart pan.
9.  Place the larger disc in the pan and press it into the corners. Make sure that the dough disc is big enough to cover the edges of the pan.
10.  Prick the bottom of the disc with a fork.
11. Put the pastry cream on top to within ¾ inch of the edge. Spread the pastry cream evenly with a spatula.
12. Place the second disc on top of the pastry cream. Make sure to seal all the edges.
13. Trim dough along edge of the pan by using a rolling pin.
14.  Brush the cake with a slightly salted beaten egg.
15. Use a folk to deeply score the top of the crust in a crosshatch pattern.
16. Prick the top of the cake with a knife in few places, to let the air escape.
17.  Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
18.  Let cool.