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Gâteau Basque

5.0

(2)

Cake with one sliced removed and crisscrossed lines on top.
Photo by Alex Lau

Gâteau Basque is my favorite kind of dessert: simple in concept (if not in execution; it’s a long recipe), not too sweet, and suitable for any occasion or time of the day. It’s essentially a sturdy tart, native to the French Basque country, comprising either pastry cream or cherry preserves baked between layers of a cookie-like crust. For this version, I incorporated fresh or frozen sweet cherries with the pastry cream in a best-of-both-worlds hybrid. It’s a great dessert for a dinner party, and highly transportable.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Dessert Person’ by Claire Saffitz. Buy the full book on Amazon. For more dessert ideas, check out our cake recipes finder→

Cook's note:

The tart, covered and refrigerated, will keep up to 4 days but is best served on the first or second day (the pastry will soften over time). The cherry compote, covered and refrigerated, will keep up to 1 week. The tart dough, wrapped and refrigerated, will keep up to 2 days, or it can be frozen up to 1 month. Let the frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

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