Gateau breton with salted butter caramel or “Gâtea u de Lorient” or again tarte bretonne. The gateau breton is a typical cake of French cuisine, which I am very attached to because of the countless memories I have of that beautiful region and, as proof of this, I have already told you about the galette des rois, the chausson aux pommes, the galette bretonne and the palets bretons. My last trip to Brittany made me rediscover salted butter caramel and all the fantastic recipes that have this delicious ingredient as a base; so, together with the salted caramel cookies, I decided to bring here the very famous gateau breton or tarte bretonne. The characteristic shortcrust, soft and at the same time crumbly, makes it ideal for an autumn breakfast, and the salty touch of the caramel recalls the traditional flavors of France and Brittany.
But now a bit of history! The combination of sugar and salted butter gives life to this specialty traditionally linked to religious festivals or large family gatherings in the Lorient area, where the gateau has an ancient history lost in the centuries and where every good Breton would say it has always existed. Every family, as with every traditional recipe, has its own version of this dessert passed down from generation to generation, but only in 1863 was the gateau breton recognized as a true specialty of the region. That year in fact marked a starting point for the modern history of this particular cake: when it was presented at the Paris Universal Exhibition by a Swiss pastry chef who had married a woman from Lorient, giving the cake the name “Lorient cake“. The success was so great that the famous cake spread beyond the origins of the French department.
Come with me now, I will show you how to make gateau breton with caramel. First I remind you that if you want to stay updated on my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
enjoy
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, All seasons
Ingredients
- 250 g burro salato (o 225g di burro e 25g di sale)
- 400 g farina 00
- 200 g zucchero
- 5 tuorli
- 340 g caramello (salato)
Tools
- Pan About 8.7 in (22 cm)
- Oven
- Bowl
- Spatula
Steps to make gateau breton
Place the butter in a bowl and let it warm until it reaches room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the sugar with the egg yolks and mix everything together.
Add the egg-sugar mixture to the butter and work it until the butter is completely incorporated.
Add the flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder.
Line a pan or baking dish with parchment paper (baking in a pan will be faster) and spread half of the dough over it (the dough will be sticky, so if you have difficulty spreading it you can help yourself by lightly oiling the surface). Use a teaspoon to shape an indentation and create sides about 1 cm high.
Pour in the caramel and let it set in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then add the remaining dough.
Smooth the surface with a spatula and brush it with egg yolk to give the cake its characteristic brown color. Then trace 3 parallel lines and 3 diagonal ones with a fork to replicate the diamond pattern of the gateau breton. Bake in a conventional oven at 356°F for 45–50 minutes.
The cake is ready, but before serving wait for it to cool a little to prevent the caramel from running out of your slices.
Storage recommendations and notes
You can keep the gateau breton for 2–3 days in a cool, dry place or under a glass cloche.
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