Basque Cake

  3.8 – 23 reviews  • Spanish

roasted eggplant Using bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to cover eggplant slices, this delectable Italian-inspired dish is baked between layers of tomato sauce and additional cheese.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 12
Yield: 1 to 9 – inch springform pan

Ingredients

  1. 1 ⅛ cups milk
  2. ⅓ cup white sugar
  3. ⅓ cup white sugar
  4. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  5. 2 eggs
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  7. 1 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour
  8. ½ teaspoon baking powder
  9. 1 ⅛ cups white sugar
  10. 3 eggs

Instructions

  1. To Make the pastry cream Filling: In a sauce pan, combine the milk and 1/3 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  2. Mix 1/2 cup of hot milk into egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Combine and sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside
  4. Cream 1 1/8 cup sugar and 3 eggs until light and fluffy. Fold in the sifted flour mixture in three increments, being careful not to overmix.
  5. Put half of the dough into the greased pan. Spread the dough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Place pastry cream to within 3/4 inch of the edge. Add the second half of the cake dough, making sure to enclose all of the filling.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 205 kcal
Carbohydrate 41 g
Cholesterol 79 mg
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Protein 5 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 59 mg
Sugars 31 g
Fat 3 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Brandon Lee
Absolutely terrible. Suggested baking time lead to an undercooked ( runny) inedible cake. Overly sweet and not flavorful. 0/10 would not recommend
Deborah Sosa
Odd little cake…odd preparation, odd texture, odd taste…it sounded a lot tastier than it turned out to be. Glad I made to satisfy my curiosity, but I won’t make it again…it lacks…:something.::
William Simmons
Directions were hard to follow.
Michele Lawrence
We really enjoyed this cake with some whipped cream on top. I read through the reviews and was sure I would mess this one up since I’m not much of a patient baker. I followed the entire recipe to a T and took the advice of another reviewer and remained patient and careful. The bottom layer does look disturbingly thin like it can’t possibly hold the cream because there is a LOT of it. Don’t be tempted to add more batter you won’t need it. I drizzled the filling around the bottom layer and did the same with the remaining batter until the cream was almost covered (it is possible it won’t look like it but it is) then gently used an off set spatula to smooth it and seal. Turned out perfectly golden brown with a nice layer of pastry cream in the middle. I was totally impressed as was the entire family even the Great Dane who finished the last 2 pieces off the counter!
Ronald Garcia
It’s my son’s favorite recipe! We first made it for the Feast of St. Ignatius and I’ve made it several times since then! Easy but looks impressive! I used a piping bag for the batter and cream to ensure even distribution.
Warren Combs
This was very sweet, it kinda tasted like Tapioca pudding, my family didn’t care for it. We are Spanish Basque, my grandfather came from Ibarranguela so I thought I would try this.
Natalie Tapia
This was a very simple and tasty recipe. Despite what some reviewers claim. Butter was not missed at all. You don’t need butter. A simple recipe with simple ingredients and a classic flavor that’s sure to please a crowd. Follow exactly and you’ll be amazed. Tips: Be gentle and take your time. You must add the 1/2 cup milk to the egg mixture first (it will help keep your custard smooth) Make the bottom layer of batter a little thinner than you think. This will make it easier to cover the top completely. Don’t slam the custard down into the bottom layer. Spoon it out carefully OR use a pastry bag. When applying the top layer of batter, start from the edges and work to the middle. It will help make sure the edges are sealed. Gently drag the batter towards the middle, when/if you have to. I didn’t have a pastry bag when I prepared this, but I wish I did. If you have a lot of experience baking, I could see the desire to modify the recipe. I, however, almost always try it “as is” first. This recipe really needs no modifications at all.
Carol Newman
This was indeed truly something different. I read previous reviews and decided to add a generous dose of Almond extract to the custard–without this I feel the flavor would have been bland. I would also try lemon extract but my family prefers almond. I’m not much of a baker and I was very proud of myself for the way it turned out. Other than the almond extract, I followed this step by step and it turned out great! tastes wonderful with coffee. What I like most about this recipe is that it only needs a few basic ingredients, you can whip this up without having to go to the grocery store.
Lisa Johnson
As another reviewer suggested, I added a block of butter. i also reduced sthe sugar in both the pastry cream and cake, so it wouldn’t be as sweet as others suggested the original recipe was. I don’t know what an authentic Basque cake should taste like, but my husband and guests like the resulting product. It was unique and eye-appealing. The cake had a crispy quality that was a nice contrast to the surprise of thr pastry cream.
Joshua Smith
The first time I tried this recipe, I didn’t read the reviews first, and my cake came out with the cake and cream mushed together. So I tried again, this time with butter added to the cake dough, but the result was still the same. I think perhaps there is too much pastry cream, and it overwhelms the cake. I am going to look for a different recipe.
Heather Holmes
I am giving this 5 stars for taste, but I had a problem. I followed the directions exactly but now wish I had used self-rising flour. The cake turned out to be a gooey mess with no “cake” texture at all. My baking powder is fresh, so I have no idea what happened. Any suggestions are welcomed because I would like to try this again.
Maria Miles
Extremely yummy! Very sweet.. kind of reminds me of buttermilk pie. I didn’t have a spring form pan so I used an 8 in glass baking dish and cooked for about 40 mins total. Husband and two year old loved it too! Will definitely make again!
Breanna Caldwell
This cake was very different to make, but the result was amazing. When pouring the batter into the pan, it seems like there is barely enough to encase the pastry filling, but there is–just make sure to completely seal in the filling. The only change I made was to add about half a cup of butter to the batter, because in all other recipes I found, they usually have some. I don’t know how much difference it made, but a perfect cake came out with a beautiful layer of pastry in between. Very unusual texture and flavor–people who like it love it, but some don’t. I loved it and will make it again.
Vincent Bush
This cake seemed to have great potential, but I would not make it again. The pastry filling did not bake into the cake despite another person stating that it did. I had to cook an additional 10 minutes for it to even fully set beneath the crispy top. It has a slightly rubbery texture. The flavor isn’t bad, it’s just the combination of the consistency and texture that’s not appealing. When making the filling, it is imperative to stir the mixture constantly or else it will burn very quickly. When it is returned to the stove top for the second time, make sure to cook over low heat instead of heating to boiling then reducing to medium. You will end up with a burnt, curdled mess! I’ve never had an authentic Basque cake so it’s difficult to rate for comparative purposes.
Alexander Walker
Made this as dessert for a Spanish themed experimental dinner party with my neighbor. Everyone raved, it was so flavorful and moist beneath the crisp top crust. I was surprised that the cream filling was completely absorbed by the cake, but it was even better I think without the expected filling layer.
Martha Brown
This is a great recipe, I’ve done it exactly as written twice, and once with lemon in the filling and all were great. My only question is this – a shortdough recipe has, you know, ‘short’ in it, or fat of some kind. This recipe is utterly lacking in that. Is this not really meant to be a shortdough or has the butter/fat been left out of the dough part of the recipe by accident? Even if it is a mistake, it’s a tasty and unique mistake I’ll make over and over.
Dr. Paul Reyes
Okay so it was my sister’s birthday and we were going to a Basque Restaurant for dinner. I wanted to make her a cake to fit the occasion. I found this recipe,made it, and took it to dinner. I also made a huckleberry coullis to go with. To my surprise the owner said they make this similar cake. My cake was gooey and theirs had more of a buttery flakey outer cake with a dense middle. Everyone said mine was great but I was dissappointed. I could have cooked it longer than the recipe stated. It is very sweet. I will try it again but I will change some things.
John Thomas
It is good, although very sweet. I already skipped the 1/3 sugar in the milk, but still turned out sweet. I will try it again but reduce the amount of sugar.
Laura Munoz
This was great! It’s something really different, for once. I tried it exactly as written and everything worked fine, though I may play with the vanilla extract next time (maybe almond instead, just to see). Also, I found it tastes even better after it’s been chilled.
Antonio Russell
I was a little cautious at first, but this turned out to be a great cake!! It’s quite good with yogurt.
Denise Miller
argh.

 

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