Today I prepared the Gâteau Basque, a typical dessert of the Basque Country and northern France.
It’s a dessert that has long been on my list of international cuisine recipes that I wanted to try, and finally… here it is!
As always, I roamed the web to gather various information and curiosities, and on English Wikipedia, I read that the base can be made of pâte sucrée or sablée, the latter being more crumbly than the former and therefore different to the palate.
The notes also say that the different filling is recognizable from the outside by the typical patterns on the surface, and if we find a 
Basque cross or lauburu
on the cake, the filling is sour cherry jam; if we find a crosshatch pattern, our Gâteau Basque will also have custard inside!
My Gâteau Basque has the filling I saw in most of the cakes online, which is a layer of cherry or sour cherry jam on an almond shortcrust followed by cinnamon-scented cream, then covered with another layer of dough.
This dessert has a peculiar history, and I will share some interesting facts hoping it interests you too!
The symbolic city of the Gâteau Basque is the spa town of Cambo-les Bains located in the Department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the Aquitaine region, where “txeko biskotxa” was first created, the term by which the Gâteau Basque was known in the Basque language.
Originally, it is said that the Gâteau Basque or pastel vasco was simpler as it wasn’t filled and the dough was made with wheat or corn flour, lard, eggs, and sugar.
Over the years, the typical dessert of the Basque Country became richer, firstly with the addition of a fruit filling, and later with custard or black cherry jam.
It seems that Mrs. Marianne Hirigoyen was the one to spread the Gâteau Basque recipe, which she inherited from her mother around 1830, producing the gâteau de Cambo in her pastry shop.
The spa town became a popular tourist destination, and the recipe gained fame and demand, leading Marianne to open her second pastry shop shortly after.
Upon her death, her nieces Elizabeth and Anne Dibard (the Biscotx sisters, in French les Biscuits) inherited the business and are still considered today the owners of the Gâteau Basque recipe registered with a notarial act in 1600.
When Elizabeth died in 1939, her sister Anne decided to sell the recipe’s ownership to a rival pastry chef named Cambo Ingres.
There is an association Association Eguzkia which protects the recipe in the French Basque Country; there is a museum dedicated to the Gâteau Basque and a Gâteau Basque Festival is celebrated, precisely on the first Sunday of October!
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I have opened a recipe channel open to everyone and free on WhatsApp with no notifications and no sound, which you can join by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you can read a sweet and a savory recipe!
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Other Spanish cuisine recipes that you find on the blog are gathered in this article 
COLLECTION OF SPANISH CUISINE RECIPES
GATEAU BASQUE TYPICAL DESSERT OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY
The kitchen of ASI
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 425.83 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 51.54 (g) of which sugars 27.61 (g)
- Proteins 6.99 (g)
- Fat 22.11 (g) of which saturated 12.17 (g)of which unsaturated 7.12 (g)
- Fibers 1.65 (g)
- Sodium 29.51 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Gâteau Basque typical dessert of the Basque Country
- 7 oz butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2.1 oz almond flour
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 lemon (zest only)
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1.4 oz sugar
- 1.8 oz butter
- 1 cinnamon stick
- as needed sour cherry jam
Tools for Gâteau Basque typical dessert of the Basque Country
- Mold
- Bowl
- Casserole
- Spoon
- Whisk
Preparation of the Gateau Basque or Pastel Vasco typical Spanish dessert Recipe
For this very tasty dessert, I first prepare the almond shortcrust pastry.
Half an hour before kneading, I leave the butter in the freezer and have all the ingredients at room temperature on my work surface.
This step is not always written, but it’s implied that everything should already be out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before starting any recipe.
In a bowl, I put the sifted flours with sugar and the grated lemon zest.
I add the butter cut into chunks and start kneading with my hands.
Lastly, I add the eggs one by one, and once the dough is formed, I divide it into 2 parts, one slightly heavier than the other, and place everything in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
During the resting time of the almond shortcrust, I prepare the cream by putting the milk in a saucepan over the flame with the cinnamon stick.
While it comes to a boil, in a bowl, I mix sugar, flour, and eggs.
I add a ladle of boiling milk to the mix and blend everything smoothly. I combine the rest of the milk, return it to the heat, and keep stirring with a hand whisk to thicken the cinnamon-scented custard for the few necessary minutes.
I remove from the heat and add the butter while stirring well.
I cover with plastic wrap in contact and let the cinnamon-scented custard cool for the Gâteau Basque or Pastel Vasco typical dessert of the Basque Country.
After the rest time, I roll out THE HEAVIER DOUGH BALL of shortcrust, which IS VERY STICKY, and even using 2 sheets of parchment paper to flatten it, the operation was somewhat problematic at least for me!
I spread the dough also on the edges (at least 1 1/2 inches) of the mold because then I will have to add the sour cherry jam and the cinnamon-scented cream.
On the bottom of the shortcrust pastry laid out, I first put the sour cherry jam, then the now cold cream and level everything well.
Now I roll out the other part of almond shortcrust, close the dessert well, then score lines with a small knife and…
During the baking of my Gâteau Basque, the pattern got a little lost ;(((
Now, just bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes or according to your oven characteristics.
Let the Gâteau Basque cool perfectly. I would say to let it rest for at least a day; I did so because I baked it in the afternoon and tasted it only the day after!
The Gâteau Basque should be enjoyed cold or lukewarm, and it is very good!
It is a very rich dessert that should be served without the addition of other sauces or cream, and I highly recommend it!
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
SOURCE https://claudiafornaciari.it/ricette/pastel-vasco-gateau-basque/
INFORMATION https://www.legateaubasque.com/
www.lafetedugateaubasque.com
