Gateau Breton With Apricot is a delicous single layer of cake that as had an apricot purée in the centre. Gateau Breton is a French Butter cake. It is often simply just a single layer of cake. But, in other instances that cake has a filling inside. Common fillings are apricots or prunes, though others can be used too.
For this particular Gateau Breton I use some soft dried apricots from which I produce a purée. The cake, traditionally is quite dense and similar to a shortbread but softer in texture.
This recipe is not difficult though it takes some time. That is because the purée has to cook and then cool down. In addition I like to take the time to firm up the bottom half of the cake batter before placing the purée on. Then I also like to chill that a little too before placing the remaining batter over it. Of course, you can speed up this process if you wish, particularly if you pipe the batter and purée into the cake pan.
Ingredients For Gateau Breton With Apricot
I always like to prepare all the ingredients before I start on the actual recipe. For this recipe that means quite a few have to be measured or weighed out.
For The Purée
Soft Dried Apricots – chopped into small pieces
Water – to turn the apricots into a rough purée.
Sugar – I use caster sugar, but granulated is fine too. To sweeten the purée.
Lemon Juice – adds an extra zing.
For The Cake
Flour – Plain or all purpose.
Butter – unsalted and softened.
Sugar – Caster or granulated. I use golden caster sugar for my cake.
Egg Yolks – from medium egg(large in the USA) for the cake. Plus an additional yolk with a drop of water for brushing on the top.
Salt – to bring out the flavours.
Rum – to flavour the cake. This is optional and you can use extra vanilla if you wish.
Vanilla Extract – to flavour the cake.
Process for Gateau Breton With Apricot
To Make The Purée
Process the apricots with water until they break down to form a rough purée.
Place that into a saucepan and add the sugar, then cook on a medium heat until the liquid evaporates to a point where a clean path can be drawn through the purée, which doesn’t even begin to close. The less moisture excess moisture in the purée the better.
Put the purée into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice then cool completely.
To Make The Cake
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the egg yolks until incorporated. Add the rum, vanilla and salt and mix in. Then add the flour and stir in until just incorporated.
Put half the batter into a greased 8 inch/20cm round cake pan. I like to line the base with parchment paper too. Spread the batter evenly over the base. Chill that in the fridge until the batter firms up enough to easily allow the puree to be spread on it. Leave the remaining batter out of the fridge.
Preheat the oven, to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
Spread the purée onto the chilled batter base, leaving a gap of about 3/4 inch around the edge. I actually like to place some of the soft batter around the edge first, to create a barrier ring into which I put the purée.
Place the pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes, while the oven preheats, to firm up the purée. Then spread the remaining batter over the top to encase the purée.
Brush the egg yolk and water over the top of the cake and score a pattern on the top. Then bake the cake for between 50 and 60 minutes, until it has turned a nice dark brown on the top and a skewer comes out clean when the cake it tested.
Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 20 minutes, then put it onto a rack to cool completely.
My Gateau Breton With Apricot
My cake turned out very well indeed. However there are two things I could have improved on. Firstly cooking the purée for another two minutes would have been better. Secondly I baked mine for 55 minutes, but I think an hour would have been better.
In any event it tasted so good and had a lovely texture too.
Another lovely cake is Torta Paradiso – Paradise Cake, which is very easy to make.
Gateau Breton With Apricot
10
servings40
minutes1
hour10
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Purée
100g(1/2 cup) chopped soft dried apricots
160ml(2/3 cup) water
62g(5 tbsp) caster sugar
15ml(1 tbsp) lemon juice
- Cake
350g(2 1/3 cups) plain flour
250g(1 cup + 1 1/2tbsp) soft unsalted butter
250g(1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
5 medium egg yolks(large in USA), lightly beaten
1 medium egg yolk(large in USA) + 1 tsp water, for brushing
3g(1/2 tsp) salt
15ml(1 tbsp) rum
15ml(1 tbsp) vanilla extract
Directions
- Process the apricots with the water until it combines into a rough purée.
- Place that into a sauce pan and add the sugar.
- Cook on a medium heat for as long as it takes to reduce the liquid to the point when a spoon drawn through the purée leaves a clear path that doesn’t close.
- Place the purée into a dish and leave it to cool completely.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in the egg yolks until fully combined.
- Add the salt, rum and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Stir in the flour, in about 3 additions until just combined into a paste.
- Place half the batter into a greased/lined 8 inch/23 cm round cake tin and spread it over the base.
- Chill that until the base batter is firm.
- Spread the purée onto the base, leaving a gap all the way around the edge.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
- Chill/freeze the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully spread the remaining batter over the purée, encasing it completely.
- Brush the top with beaten egg yolk water.
- Score three lines on the top, evenly spaced, using the tines of a fork.
- Score a further three lines, on a diagonal, creating 2 diamond shapes on the top of the cake.
- Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until is has turned a dark brown on the top and is cooked through.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.