Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 180 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 15 ml dark rum
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 380 g all-purpose flour
- 8 g baking powder
- 3 g fine sea salt
Filling
- 250 g black cherry jam
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 15 ml milk
- 1 g fine sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 568 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 81 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 38 g
- Sodium
- 343 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 148 mg
- Potassium
- 113 mg
- Calcium
- 94 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 15 mg
- Phosphorus
- 133 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 210 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.16 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 38 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together until light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color.
Add the whole eggs, egg yolk, dark rum, and vanilla extract to the creamed butter. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Mix on low speed just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough. Do not overmix.
Divide the soft dough in half. Shape each half into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm enough to roll.
Preheat the oven to 175 C or 350 F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Roll one disk of the chilled dough into an 8-inch circle on a lightly floured surface, or press it directly into the bottom of the prepared cake pan, creating a very slight lip around the edges.
Spread the black cherry jam evenly over the bottom layer of dough, ensuring you leave a 2 centimeter border around the perimeter so the jam does not leak during baking.
Roll the second disk of dough into an 8-inch circle and place it gently over the jam. Press the edges down lightly to seal the top and bottom dough layers together.
Whisk the egg, milk, and salt together to create the egg wash. Apply generously over the top of the cake using a pastry brush, then drag the tines of a fork across the surface to create a traditional crosshatch pattern.
Bake in the preheated oven at 175 C or 350 F for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is a deep, rich golden brown.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan. The crumb structure needs to set as it cools to prevent falling apart when sliced.
Chef's Notes
- Using a high-quality, European-style butter with a high fat content will vastly improve the final crumb texture and flavor.
- Black cherry preserve from the Basque village of Itxassou is traditional, but any premium, thick black cherry preserve will work beautifully. Avoid runny jellies.
- The dough resembles a very soft, sticky cookie dough. Do not panic if it is difficult to roll; pressing it into the pan is a perfectly acceptable and stress-free technique.
- This cake is arguably better the next day. Allowing it to rest overnight at room temperature allows the moisture from the jam to gently soften the crumbly crust.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to maintain moisture.
Freezer: 2 months — Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then heavy-duty aluminum foil before freezing.
Troubleshooting
Dough is too sticky and tears when rolling
Cause: The high butter content in the dough has warmed up too much, or it was not chilled sufficiently.
Fix: Do not attempt to roll it. Instead, tear pieces of the dough and press them evenly directly into the pan to form the top and bottom layers.
Prevention: Ensure the dough chills for a full 2 hours, and work quickly in a cool kitchen.
Jam leaks out the sides and burns during baking
Cause: Jam was spread too close to the edge, or the top and bottom dough layers were not sealed securely.
Fix: Trim away the burnt sugar bits from the edges once the cake has cooled.
Prevention: Leave a generous 2 centimeter border free of jam and press the edges gently to seal.
Cultural Context
Gateau Basque originated in the French Basque region, specifically around the province of Labourd, dating back to the 17th century. Traditionally, households would fill this tender cake with local black cherries from the village of Itxassou, though a rich vanilla pastry cream is also a highly authentic alternative. The characteristic crosshatch pattern scored on top was often used as a baker's signature or to indicate the type of filling inside.
