Gâteau breton
Brittany is famous for its salted butter, and it is the star here. Salted butter, sugar, egg yolks and flour — from these four ingredients comes a low cake somewhere between a shortbread and a pound cake: dense, buttery and crumbly, with a glossy golden top scored in a crosshatch with a fork. There is no baking powder, so it barely rises — it should be dense. It is very simple and stays fresh for a long time.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Dough 15 min
- Chilling 30 min
- Baking 40 min
- Cooling 60 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCream butter and sugar
Beat the soft butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. If your butter is unsalted, add half a teaspoon of salt.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Salted butter — it makes the flavour.Add the yolks
Add the yolks one at a time, mixing after each, and finally the rum if using.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Fold in the flour
Add the flour and mix with a spatula just until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Press into the tin
Butter a 24 cm tart tin or springform. Spoon in the dough and smooth it with a wet spoon — the layer will be about 1.5 cm thick.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Even, about 1.5 cm thick — it bakes evenly.Chill
Refrigerate the tin 30 minutes — chilled dough is easier to glaze and score. Heat the oven to 180°C.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Glaze and score
Brush the top with the beaten yolk and score a crosshatch with a fork.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
A fork crosshatch — the mark of gâteau breton.Bake
Bake 35–40 minutes, until the top is deep golden and glossy and a skewer in the centre comes out dry.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Cool completely
Cool the cake in the tin at least an hour — warm, it is too crumbly to cut. Take it out of the tin and cut into 12 thin wedges.
Ingredients: 250 g salted butter, softened · 200 g sugar · 5 pcs egg yolks · 250 g plain flour · 1 tbsp rum (optional) · 1 pcs egg yolk for glazing · 10 g butter for the tin
Before you start
Filled
A popular version has a layer of prune purée (French pruneaux) or jam inside: press in half the dough, spread with 150 g of prune purée or plum butter and cover with the other half. The top layer is easier to place if you chill the dough and roll it out between two sheets of baking paper.
The butter
Use good butter with 82% fat. In Brittany butter with crystals of sea salt is often used — if you have some, it is ideal.
Storage
Wrapped in film, the cake keeps up to a week at room temperature and stays moist and buttery all that time.
