A cake of the French Basque country, the buttery pastry shell filled with pastry cream or black cherry jam and marked with a pattern on top. Serve it with coffee.
Gâteau Basque with Pastry Cream
Baking
Cakes cupcakes
Vanilla: Extract
Medium
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A crumbly, lemon-scented butter pastry holds a thick vanilla pastry cream, with a fork-scored egg-yolk glaze on top. This is the cream version. Makes 10 slices in about 4 hr 35 min.
Prep
45 min
Cook
50 min
Cooling
3 hr
Total
4 hr 35 min
Yield
10 slices
Ingredients
Adjust yield
slices
Scales from a half to a double batch; give a bigger batch a little more time.
- 2 ⅓ cups (300 g)all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g)baking powder
- ¼ tsp (2 g)fine salt
- ¾ cup (150 g)sugar, for the pastry
- ¾ cup (170 g)unsalted butter, softened, for the pastry
- 1 (50 g)egg, large
- 1 (18 g)egg yolk, for the pastry
- 1 tbsp (15 ml)dark rum
- 1 ½ tsp (3 g)lemon zest
- 1 ⅔ cups (400 ml)whole milk
- 4 (72 g)egg yolks
- 6 tbsp (80 g)sugar, for the pastry cream
- ¼ cup (35 g)cornstarch
- 1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15 g)unsalted butter, for the pastry cream
- 1 (18 g)egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp milk, for the to finish
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Instructions
- Pastry cream: heat the milk until steaming. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk.
- Return to the pot and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and bubbles for 1 full minute. Off the heat, stir in vanilla and butter, press plastic onto the surface, and chill at least 2 hours.
- Pastry: beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, yolk, rum and zest. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough 1 hour. Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and butter a 9 inch (23 cm) springform or cake pan.
- Divide the dough 2:1. Press the larger piece into the pan and 1 inch up the side. Stir the cold cream until smooth and spread it in the shell.
- Roll or press the smaller piece into a 9 inch round and set it on top. Pinch the edge to seal and trim.
- Brush with the egg-yolk wash and score a crosshatch with a fork. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until deep golden.
- Cool completely in the pan, then chill before slicing for clean pieces.
Tips
- The dough is sticky; press it into the pan with floured fingers or between parchment.
- Make the cream a day ahead.
- Let it cool completely before cutting.
- The pastry cream is cooked until it bubbles, which cooks the egg yolks through (USDA: egg dishes to 160 F / 71 C). Refrigerate the finished cake.
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Recipe FAQ
How long does it take to make gâteau basque with pastry cream?
Plan on 45 minutes of prep and 50 minutes of cooking, plus 3 hours to chill. The recipe makes 10 slices.
How should I store gâteau basque with pastry cream?
Keep refrigerated, covered, up to 4 days. Do not freeze; the cream turns watery.
Can I make gâteau basque with pastry cream ahead?
Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.
416
Calories / serving
20.0g
Fat
51.6g
Carbs
6.9g
Protein
25.5g
Sugar
Whole recipe (10 servings): ~4160 cal · 200g fat · 516g carbs · 69g protein · 255g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Made with VanillaGoods
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