Gâteau Breton: a dense, golden Breton butter cake with a shortbread-like crumb and a criss-cross glazed top.
About this French recipe
Brittany is famous for its salted butter, and gâteau Breton is one of the region’s signature cakes. It keeps well for several days.
Ingredients you will need
The main ingredients are salted butter, caster sugar, egg yolks, dark rum (optional), plain flour. Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.
How long it takes
Allow 2 hr 5 min in total: 20 min of preparation, 45 min of cooking and 1 hr of resting, chilling or soaking. The recipe serves 10.
Inspired by Dominique Crenn
A classic cake from Brittany, the region where Dominique Crenn grew up. Read our profile of Dominique Crenn.
This is our own home-kitchen version of a classic dish. It is not Dominique Crenn’s recipe and is not endorsed by them. For the chef’s own recipes, see their official books and restaurants.
Gâteau Breton (Breton Butter Cake)
Ingredients
Method
- Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the 5 yolks one at a time, then the rum.
- Fold in the flour to a soft dough. Chill for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Press the dough into a buttered 23 cm tart tin.
- Brush with the remaining yolk and draw a criss-cross pattern with a fork.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes until deep golden. Cool in the tin.