As the gateau basque is our speciality, it deserves a special place in our bakery.
You can buy it fresh in our shops every day. You can also place your order online (see below) for home delivery.
We are members of EGUZKIA.This is an organisation founded to preserve the tradition and knowledge of how to bake a genuine gateau basque. EGUZKIA and its members are dedicated to promote the original recipe and the high quality of this cake. EGUZKIA imposes a strict charter to produce this Basque cake.
The aim is to protect the genuine version and offer the most wonderful cake to connoisseurs and gourmets. PaneHestia bake its own biskotxak (cake) using only natural ingredients, no preservative, no artifical colouring and no artificial flavour.
The history of “gateau basque”
The history of the basque cake started during the 1800 century when a basque woman called Marianne Hirigoyen started to bake this cake.
She sold it on a weekly basis at the market in Bayonne.
In those days it was called ’Gateau de Cambo’ because she was from the village called Cambo-les-bains.
When Marianne retired she passed on the activity to her daughter and then eventually her grand-children.
The recipe stayed in the family until 1955, then a local baker took over and continued to make the local cake.
The basque cake is well know in all of France.
The cross which is very often inscribed on the cake is the religious basque cross.
If you ever visit the Basque country you will see this somewhere, it is a well-used sign.
EGUZKIA means sun in Basque and the cake resemble a sun with its form and golden color.
Whenever you have the possibility to share a nice moment with friends and family, enjoy a genuine gateau basque together. It gives you warmth on the table at the end of the meal.
Order your Gateau basque
Preservation, 14 days in the fridge
When you receive the cake it has a life span of 14 days when you keep it in the fridge.
Thanks to a home made conservation process, we can send it anywhere in France or Europe without having to alter the quality of the taste. Take the opportunity to have a piece of your holiday memories at home and/or invite your friends to try something local from the Basque country.
Traditional Basque Cake Recipe:
We provide the traditional recipe of the famous Basque cake
Pastry:
- 300 gr flour
- 3 pinch of salt
- 120 gr butter
- 200 gr granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 table spoons of Rum or fresh vanilla
- 11 g baking powder
Mix butter and sugar in a bowl.
Pour in the flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and the flavouring you choose. Mix thoroughly.
Put the pastry in the fridge to stiffen up.
The cream:
- ½ litre of milk
- 4 eggs
- 125 gr granulated sugar
- 40 gr flour
- 2 table spoons of Rum or 2 fresh vanilla bean (gousse)
Pour the flour in and mix together, heat the milk until the boiling point and pour half in the bowl and stir.
If you use vanilla bean, place on bean in the milk until the boiling point. Open the second in two part and separate them in two long part, scrape inside the two pieces with a knife and put it in the milk. Little black points will appear.
Pour the rest in the pan and boil during 3-4 minutes. Make sure you stir the cream during this time.
Pour in the rum and continue to stir. If you’ve place the vanilla bean, put away the first long bean and place it aside.
Pour the cream in a bowl to make it cool down (in room temperature)
In the meantime, lubricate your mould (22 cm), sprinkle some flour in the bottom and on the sides of the mould, roll your pastry on to a table sprinkled with flour (make it 4-5 mm thick)
Spread the pastry on to the mould, bottom and sides (use approximately 60% of the pastry)
When the cream is cool (approx 20-25 degrees) – pour it into the bowl.
Put the rest of the pastry as a lid over the cream, pencil the egg on top and make square decorations with a fork
Bake the cake slowly in the oven on 160 degrees during 35-40 minutes
ENJOY YOUR GENUINE GATEAU BASQUE!
