Gâteau Breton Recipe: How to Make Breton Butter Cake

Gâteau Breton is a rich, buttery cake that originated in the Brittany region of northwestern France. You can make this cake with a small number of pantry staples—including flour, butter, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and eggs. It is similar to a large shortbread cookie, with a crumbly, buttery texture.

This recipe for this round, crumbly confection originated in 1863 during a pastry competition at the Paris Universal Exhibition. The gâteau Breton, formerly known as the “Lorient cake,” won first prize in its category, winning judges—and later, generations of cake lovers—over with its buttery, shortbread-like flavor.

A cake and a gâteau share similar base components: Both desserts involve layers of baked cake made out of flour, sugar, egg, leavening agents, and butter. The French word “gâteau” directly translates to “cake” in English (meaning that all gâteaux are technically cakes). Here are a few of the basic differences between a standard cake and a French gâteau:

• Texture: A French gâteau has a light and fluffy sponge cake base, though gâteau Breton has a denser, more buttery texture. A standard cake is likely to be denser and more buttery than the porous, light sponge cake in a gâteau.
• Fillings: Layers of extra creamy fillings like icing, ganache, Chantilly cream, fruit preserves, or mousse separate the many cake layers of a gâteau. A gâteau Breton will sometimes have a layer of prune filling. A North American cake typically incorporates a thicker buttercream frosting between its layers.
• Layers: Standard cakes usually consist of 1–2 thick layers of cake and an outer coating of buttercream frosting. A gâteau typically has as many as five thin layers of sponge cake.

Follow these tips to make a perfectly decadent and buttery gâteau Breton fit for any French pâtisserie:

1. 1. Use high-quality, high-fat butter. Rich, high-quality butter is the primary flavoring agent in this simple cake. Use high-quality (ideally, French) butter with a higher butterfat content, preferably upwards of eighty-five percent. A higher-fat butter will produce a richer tasting, more satisfying cake.
2. 2. Score the top for a traditional cake. Score the top of your gâteau Breton with a knife in a diagonal crisscross pattern before brushing on the egg wash to create its traditional design.
3. 3. Experiment with toppings. Use this simple cake as a canvas for your favorite toppings. Serve slices of the gâteau with fresh fruit, like tart berries, or a dollop of apricot preserves or fruit purée. Drizzle on some caramel sauce or chocolate sauce for some added sweetness, or serve the cake with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream for a cool, creamy finish.