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Healthy Twist on Classic French Basque Cake

Clara T

The Middle School Days

This recipe brings back fun memories, sending me all the way back to middle school days. My sister and I both took French as our language of study in school (not at all encouraged by our Francophile mother ;) ). If I remember correctly, I believe part of the deal was that if we took French classes, our mom would take us each on a trip to France for our 16th birthdays. Not too shabby!

So, with my sister being a few years ahead of me, she started taking French first. I remember her making this cake for parties in French class with another friend from class and it was always quite the production. They’d be in our family kitchen, counters covered end to end with flour, eggs, sugar, mixing bowls, measuring cups and the lot, giggling the entire time as the mess expanded throughout the process.

I myself was less inclined towards baking back then, lacking patience for following directions closely and taking precise measurements. But I still remember how delicious that cake was whenever my sister made it!

Gâteau Basque

Recently I had a random craving pop up for that delicious sweet almond cake, and texted my mom right away for the recipe.

Traditional Gâteau Basque originates from the Basque region of France, where they make the cake with either a cherry preserve or cream filling. This recipe from the recipe book, Simple French Desserts, by Jill O’Connor calls for sour cherry preserves. It’s mixed with almond extract, which adds an amazing nutty sweetness to the tart cherry center.

Of course I tried to make this recipe healthier than the traditional version. I used non-dairy butter, with half the called for amount and subbed in half unsweetened applesauce. I also used monkfruit sweetener in place of real sugar, making this recipe nearly sugar free!

Other substitutions I made include: gluten-free flour, 1 flax egg, reduced sugar cherry preserves (from Trader Joe’s), and stevia powder instead of powdered sugar for dusting.

The result? JUST as mouthwatering and to-die-for as its full fat, full sugar, full carb original. Don’t believe me? See for yourself ;)

THE RECIPE

Adapted from Jill O’Connor’s Basque Cake recipe.

INGREDIENTS

*I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible

For the batter

For the filling

  • 1/3 cup reduced sugar cherry preserves (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)

  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

For topping

INstructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prep a springform pan with oil - I used a 9 inch springform pan and dipped a paper towel in coconut oil to cover the pan.

  2. Use an electric mixer to beat non-dairy butter and applesauce in a mixing bowl. Incorporate monkfruit sweetener 1/3 cup at a time, mix until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and flax egg, one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract.

  3. Using a sifter or mesh strainer, add sifted gluten-free flour, salt, and baking powder to a separate mixing bowl and gently mix together. Incorporate dry mixture into wet mixture about a 1/2-1 cup at a time and fold in using a spatula or wooden spoon. Combine until dough is formed.

  4. Take half of the dough mixture and spread evenly into base of springform pan. Prepare filling in a separate bowl and spoon onto center of dough-lined pan. Use a spoon to spread filling in a circle shape, leaving about 2 inches of room around the border.

  5. Gently add the remaining dough to the springform pan in large spoonfuls, taking care to not disrupt the filling layer while spreading the dough across the top, edge to edge until surface is smooth.

  6. Sprinkle top of cake with sliced almonds.

  7. Place cake in oven on middle rack and bake for 40-50 minutes. Use toothpick trick to test cake for doneness - toothpick will come out clean or with a few crumbs from the center of cake when done. Cook longer for thoroughly cooked cake or shorter for doughier center.

  8. Allow cake to cool in springform pan. Once cooled, remove from pan and dust with stevia powder using a mesh strainer or shaker.

  9. Enjoy!