Gâteau Breton

Gâteau Breton or Brittany butter cake has become one my latest favorite cakes. When I first saw this recipe, I think hmm.. maybe its just another butter cake but I am glad I was wrong. Its much more than that, taste exceptional rich in butter and has a texture in between shortbread and pound cake. Kind of hard to describe, crumbly and a bit chewy.... but I can only say this cake is amazingly delicious. Although it look kind of huge but it stays good at room temperature for couple weeks and its buttery flavor gets better with time too. Okay let me start some baking now!

Ingredients of this cake is really simple, I have flour, sugar, egg yolks, pinch of baking powder,  vanilla extract and beurre salé (salted butter). The most important thing is to use a high percentage butterfat butter, luckily I have some 84% fat salted butter in hand. First thing is to blend everything in a large bowl, I use a scraper to mix everything together. Its better to use a scraper than a standing mixer, but at the end my hands are a bit tired... that's the traditional way.

Next step is a easy step. I scrape my cake dough into an eight inch fluted tart pan (a traditional shape) and smooth the top. Then glaze the top with some reserved egg yolks and use a fork to make lines on top. My Gâteau Breton looks very pretty now... everything is ready and time for baking. I baked mine in 350 F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top of my cake looks crispy brown (or lighter color depends on what you would like) and its side starts pulled away from my tart pan.

My buzzer went off and now its time to get my cake out of oven. Hmm..its smells so good! I let it sits for about thirty minutes and release it from my pan. Wow! Looks perfectly pretty with a shiny layer on top, see its crumbly side too? I can't wait to try it now but have to let it cool completely. I better go do something to take my mind off about my lovely Gâteau Breton for now. What I am going to do ....?

Yeah, tasting time now! I have my coffee ready, let me cut a slice to see how my cake looks. Oh, it looks perfect and smell so so good. Its rich yellow color from creamy-rich butter and egg yolks is really attractive, I can't wait and have a bite.  Hmm, taste amazing... crumbly yet a bit cakey, plus a bit caramelized outer shell make this Gâteau Breton fantastic! I hope it can last for a while...

Enjoy!