Is it a cake or a pie? To me, it seems more pie-like with its crispy crust. The filling is just an almond-flavored pastry cream (crème pâtissière), so if you like pastry cream, this is a winner. It is a signature cake from the Basque region of Spain, which shares borders with France.

I whizzed all the ingredients for the Gateaux Basque in my food processor. To make the pastry cream, I brought the milk and vanilla to a boil. While it was heating, I whisked the yolks and sugar in my stand mixer. Then folded in the flour and ground almonds. When the milk mixture came to the boil, I slowly drizzled it into the yolk mixture while whisking with my stand mixer. Then I returned everything back to the heat and brought it to a boil again. Then just simmer for 5 minutes and stir constantly to keep it from sticking or burning. To cool the pastry cream, pour it into a shallow pan and cover with plastic wrap (and dot with butter on top, if desired).

Assemble the pie and bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes.

Despite its name, it's not really a gâteaux, or cake, but rather two layers of buttery, crumbly crust filled with pastry cream. As it bakes, the crust and filling meld into one delicious whole.
- Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table
by Suzanne Goin, Teri Gelber

Recipe for Gâteaux Basque (Almond-Filled Basque Cake)

Serves 8

Gâteaux Basque
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 lemon, zested
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks

Almond Pastry Cream
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 ounce fine-ground almonds (about 1/4 cup)

1 egg, lightly beaten, for glazing
Unsalted butter for pastry cream and tart pan

You can find the recipe for Gâteaux Basque (Almond-Filled Basque Cake) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home.


Tasting Notes
I loved the crust, but would fill it with more than just almond pastry cream next time.

More Almond-Inspired Desserts
Chow: Basque Cake with Pastry Cream Filling Recipe
The Worldwide Gourmet: Gâteau Basque - Basque Cake Recipe
Said she said he: Cherry Lavender Gateau Basque

Next Time
Meringue in Concorde (Chocolate Meringue Cake Filled with Chocolate Mousse) page 464

::Whisk Whenever::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

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