Gateau Basque
Source: Spanish Sabores
Click here to read about my experience making this recipe for my state meal challenge!
Servings: 8
Total time: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
Pastry Cream:
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 Tbs cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup cherry preserves (optional)
Cake Batter:
- ⅔ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cups sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Glaze:
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup milk
DIRECTIONS
Pastry Cream:
- Bring the milk and orange zest to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the egg, egg yolk, sugar, flour, cornstarch, and vanilla until paste-like.
- Slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture, then return to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened.
- Pour the custard into a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Refrigerate until cold.
Cake:
- Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with parchment and dust with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture until smooth. Transfer a little more than half to a piping bag with a large, round tip.
- Pipe a spiral of batter to cover the bottom of the springform pan, then add a circle just along the outer edge to make a ridge.
- If using cherry preserves, stir them well, then carefully spread a thin layer over the center of the batter. Then top with the pastry cream, smoothing it after filling. Pipe the remaining batter over the top of the pastry cream, making sure to seal the edges and smooth out the top.
- Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk to make a glaze. Brush the mixture over the top of the cake and use a fork to score a crosshatched pattern on the top.
- Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out with a few crumbs, about 45 minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, removing the springform sides after 15 minutes or so.
