Gâteau Breton with Prune Filling
By Steve DunnPublished on November 28, 2016
Time
2¼ hours, plus 1½ hours cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup pitted prunes 1 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juiceCake
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 ⅛ ounces/174 grams) sugar 6 large egg yolks (1 lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water)2 tablespoons dark rum 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon SaltBefore You Begin
This cake is traditionally served plain with coffee or tea but can be dressed up with fresh berries, if desired.
Instructions
- Bring prunes and water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until all liquid is absorbed and prunes are very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, add lemon juice, and stir with wooden spoon, pressing prunes against side of saucepan, until coarsely pureed. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate until cool to touch, about 15 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and lightened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes longer. Add 5 egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Scrape down bowl, add rum and vanilla, and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, add flour and salt, and mix until flour is just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Spoon half of batter into bottom of prepared pan. Using small offset spatula, spread batter into even layer. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Spread filling in even layer over chilled batter, leaving 3/4-inch border around edge. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Gently spread remaining batter over filling. Using offset spatula, carefully smooth top of batter. Brush with egg yolk wash. Using tines of fork, make light scores in surface of cake, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart, in diamond pattern, being careful not to score all the way to sides of pan. Bake until top is golden brown and edges of cake start to pull away from sides of pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Run paring knife between cake and sides of pan, remove cake from pan, and let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.
for the filling
for the cake
Time
2¼ hours, plus 1½ hours coolingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Filling
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cake
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 ⅛ ounces/174 grams) sugar
6 large egg yolks (1 lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon water)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cake
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 ⅛ ounces/174 grams) sugar
6 large egg yolks (1 lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon water)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cake
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 ⅛ ounces/174 grams) sugar
6 large egg yolks (1 lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon water)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
Why This Recipe Works
Making a traditional gâteau Breton with a dense yet tender crumb calls for mixing a thick batter made primarily of butter, sugar, egg yolks, and flour, which is baked with a thin layer of jam running through its center. To avoid introducing too much air into the batter, which would lead to a fluffy, airy texture, we creamed the butter and sugar for only 3 minutes before adding the yolks and flour. Briefly freezing a layer of the batter in the cake pan helped us spread a bright prune filling onto the batter. The pan then went back into the freezer to firm so that the top layer of batter could also easily be added. Finally, by making a homemade filling from pitted prunes, we ensured both vibrant flavor and the thick consistency needed to make layering the cake in the pan a breeze.
Before You Begin
This cake is traditionally served plain with coffee or tea but can be dressed up with fresh berries, if desired.
Instructions
- Bring prunes and water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until all liquid is absorbed and prunes are very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, add lemon juice, and stir with wooden spoon, pressing prunes against side of saucepan, until coarsely pureed. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate until cool to touch, about 15 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and lightened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes longer. Add 5 egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Scrape down bowl, add rum and vanilla, and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, add flour and salt, and mix until flour is just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Spoon half of batter into bottom of prepared pan. Using small offset spatula, spread batter into even layer. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Spread filling in even layer over chilled batter, leaving 3/4-inch border around edge. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Gently spread remaining batter over filling. Using offset spatula, carefully smooth top of batter. Brush with egg yolk wash. Using tines of fork, make light scores in surface of cake, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart, in diamond pattern, being careful not to score all the way to sides of pan. Bake until top is golden brown and edges of cake start to pull away from sides of pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Run paring knife between cake and sides of pan, remove cake from pan, and let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.
for the filling
for the cake
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