The “other” Basque cake you need to know about

The burnt Basque cheesecake has become ubiquitous in Australia, but another cake from the region has a much longer history, and is just as good.

Gateau Basque

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By now, we bet that you have made, eaten, or at least heard of the burnt Basque cheesecake, created in the late 1980s in San Sebastián, and sold in many Australian bakeries. But do you know the much older gâteau basque?

Like its cheesecake cousin, it comes from the Basque Country, the home of the Basque people, which straddles the border between France and Spain. It’s a region with its own language, traditions and cuisine.

Despite being called a gâteau (French for cake), gâteau basque (or etxeko biskotxa, in Basque) is more akin to a tart a pie, or even a biscuit, thanks to its shortbread pastry, which is traditionally filled with crème pâtissière or Itxassou black cherry jam. Round and golden, it’s decorated with a crosshatch pattern or the Basque cross. You can find it in homes, restaurants and bakeries.

In Sydney, Vincent Ventura and Johan Giausseran serve the dessert at their Basque restaurant, Deux Frères. They say some customers come in especially for it, while others have no idea what it is. “Don’t get it confused with the burnt cheesecake. Gâteau basque is a much older dessert, with origins dating back to the 1830s,” explains Giausseran.

A version of the dessert might have existed as early as the 18th century, but a baker from Cambo-les-Bains, on the French side of the Basque Country, is credited for commercialising the version we know today. Marianne Hirigoyen sold her gâteaux basques in the market of Bayonne in the first part of the 19th century.

Basque people take their gâteau seriously. They have an association dedicated to preserving its quality, as well as a festival, La fête du gâteau basque, and a museum, Le Musée du Gâteau Basque.

The small gâteaux basques at Deux Frères sport the Basque cross, and their filling change weekly. In addition to the two classics, you might get to try a hazelnut or pistachio filling. And when crème pâtissière is on the menu, it might be perfumed with almond essence or rum, which is common in the Basque Country.

“We’ve been told that the cake doesn’t have that many ingredients because that’s what grandmas back in the day had in their kitchen; flour, egg, butter. And we’ve heard that there was always some contraband rum coming from Spain at the back of the cupboard, so they would add some in the cake,” says Giausseran.

The gâteau basque at Le Péché Gourmand is filled with crème pâtissière and jam. Credit: Matt Dunne

The version Guillaume Brahimi makes in Guillaume's French Atlantic - which sees him travel from Normandy to the Spanish border - adds a vivid note through the addition of pistachio paste to the crème patisserie filling.

Credit: Blink TV

In Creswick, country Victoria, Paul and Marie Williams from Le Péché Gourmand go all in by filling their gâteau basque with crème pâtissière and seasonal jam. “It wasn't popular at first, but people try it and they come back for it,” says Paul Williams. Their gâteau basque with vanilla crème pâtissière and apricot jam is part of a pie competition in Ballarat this August.

Giausseran says that while the gâteau basque recipe may look simple, it’s important to have high-quality ingredients and to get the baking right so you don’t end up with dry pastry.

And if you want to enjoy your dessert the Basque way, forget cutlery; gâteau basque is best eaten with your hands.