I’m wrapping up my week of Nevada-inspired recipes as part of my American Eats series and have one more Basque recipe to share as a nod to the Basque immigrants who helped settle Nevada. This time it’s another Basque dessert that is older than the trendier Basque Cheesecake that I shared earlier. But this cherry or cream-filled cake is a delicious dessert that is every bit as deserving of attention!
What is Basque Cake?
You can think of Basque cake as a cross between a pie and a tart rather than what we more commonly think of as a traditional cake made with layers of sponge cake and frosting. The sweet crust is more cookie like and sweeter than a traditional pie crust. And while it could probably be filled with anything you can dream up, the traditional filling options are a classic vanilla pastry cream or cherry jam. We obviously had to try both options and we loved them both! You’re likely to find either variation in pastry shops when visiting French Basque country or the Basque region of Spain, although the pastry cream version is arguably more popular.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
All-purpose flour – I use unbleached flour because it makes for more delicate baked goods compared to bleached flour. You could also use cake flour here, which has a lower protein content and is probably closer to the type of flour used in the Basque region if you want to be even more authentic. Baking powder – A small amount provides just enough lift to the crust to give it a nice texture that isn’t too dense. Salted butter – I use salted butter for almost all my baking, but you can use unsalted butter by adding an extra pinch or two of salt to the recipe. Granulated sugar – This adds sweetness and a bit of moisture to the crust, making it more cookie or tart-like than a traditional pastry crust. Salt – This brings out the flavor in the other elements of the dessert so it isn’t overly sweet or bland. Eggs – You’ll need two of them. The first large egg goes into the crust itself, while the second on is mixed with a little cold water to create an egg wash that gives the shiny golden finish to the top of the crust. Vanilla pastry cream – I used my favorite pastry cream recipe that we also use to make a Fruit Tart, Boston Cream Pie, and fill Eclairs. It’s made with whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Black cherry jam – I used Bonne Maman cherry preserves and they were perfect!
How to Make Gateau Basque
Tips for Success
Don’t be afraid of making your own homemade pastry cream! I have a whole post dedicated to it with step-by-step instructions because we use it so often. It’s so much better than any pudding mix. I prefer rolling out this dough on parchment paper rather than a clean floured work surface because it’s easier to transfer it to the fridge to chill this way. Filling variations: I haven’t tried these and while they certainly wouldn’t be traditional I’m confident you could get away with filling these with other jam flavors (I’m thinking plum or apricot especially) or chocolate pastry cream. Let it cool completely. I know it’s painful to wait for this to cool when it smells so good, but trust me on this one. If you want to get clean slices that don’t run everywhere when you cut into your Basque cake it needs time to set up all the way. Flavor boosters: For additional flavor, you could add 2-3 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest to the dough when you add the egg and vanilla. Or you could use the seeds of a vanilla pod instead of vanilla extract or add ½ teaspoon of almond extract when making the pastry cream.
Storage Instructions
If you filled your Basque cake with the cherry jam filling, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you opted to use pastry cream as your filling, you should keep the Gateau Basque refrigerated for up to 4 days. You can freeze both options, although the cherry version does better than the pastry cream filled cake which tends to weep and get soggy when thawed in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Dessert Recipes
Easy Classic French Cream Puffs Classic Homemade Eclairs Pistachio Macarons Boston Cream Pie German Apple Cake
Best Chocolate Mousse Recipe
French Fruit Tart
Pavlova
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