Gateau Breton

This recipe is courtesy of Clarice of Eating Brittany who hasn’t been too well lately – get well soon Clarice and thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.


Firstly, this cake makes the most intensely yellow mix I have ever seen; I guess that’s what 6 egg yolks do for a cake! Secondly, it is mouth-wateringly scrumptious. Thirdly, it is so easy to make you have no excuses not to!

Somewhere between a shortbread biscuit and a cake this is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. It doesn’t look stunning in the sense that it’s piled up with cream and fruit and other show-stopping tricks, but this is a cake that’s beautiful in its simplicity. Its taste and crumbly yet moist texture are out of this world.

Look at how buttery and moist the cut cake is; I particularly like the way you can see the little vanilla seeds dotted around the cake (well, you could when the photo was full screen size!):


I did make a couple of very minor tweaks to the recipe but if you want to see Clarice’s recipe as she makes it please click here .

The next time I make this cake (and believe me, there will be a next time!) I might try almond extract instead of vanilla as I think it could be a great combination of taste and texture.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
350g plain flour
300g caster sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 egg and 5 egg yolks
350g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon caster sugar

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease a 23cm round springform cake tin.
- Mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
- Into the well add the egg and egg yolks, butter and vanilla extract and mix until a rough ball forms.
- Press this mixture into the cake tin and brush over the glaze, then scrape a design on the top with a fork (optional).
- Cook for 40-50 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Let cool in the tin before removing.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.