Basque cake filled with figs and cream

“Basque Cake” is one of my favorite sweets. Its origin lies in the farmhouses of the Basque Country, where it was made with a dough based on butter, flour, and almond and it was filled with fruit that was in season at the time. Cherries were very typical, as were berries; blackberries, blueberries, and of course figs.

Later on pastry cream was added and over time the fruit started to be left out. I still like the recipe that includes both. I love making it from scratch from start to finish; going to the market and making the sweet myself with the fruit.

Now in the north we have the green figs called “lady’s neck,” which are pure honey. To make the cake slice look more attractive, I like to add a handful of blackberries, so the jam takes on a beautiful red hue.

A delight you’ll find in the best pastry shops in the Basque Country, and whose original recipe we bring you today.

De Buyer copper saucepan, cutting board, Le Creuset Damascus steel knife and Emile Henry ceramic mold.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 200gr very cold butter
• 300gr flour
• 150gr sugar
• 60gr ground almond
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Another egg for brushing the cake
• Oil for greasing the mold

For the cream:

• 400ml whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 40gr sugar
• 50gr flour
• 2 eggs
• 50gr butter

For the fig jam:

• 300gr figs (or 250gr figs and 50gr blackberries)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 50/75ml water

Emile Henry ceramic mold, Le Creuset Damascus steel knife and French De Buyer mineral iron pan.

Preparation

Pastry cream

1. Put some of the milk in a glass and dissolve the flour, vanilla, sugar, and eggs in it.
2. In a saucepan over the heat, put the remaining milk and the cinnamon stick; when it boils, add the previous mixture, stirring with the help of some whisks and bring it back to a boil.
3. Keep it going for a couple of minutes and add the butter at the end.
4. Set aside the pastry cream, covered with cling film directly on the surface.

Fig jam

1. In a saucepan or pan, put the peeled figs cut into very small pieces, and a handful of blackberries to add more color.
2. Add the sugar and half the water and let it cook over low heat, stirring from time to time.
3. When it needs more liquid, add the remaining water. Cooking time is about half an hour. The fruit should end up caramelized and thick.

The cake

1. Put the butter in the freezer half an hour before you start handling it.
2. In a wide, open bowl, place the flour with the almond, sugar, and salt, and add the ice-cold butter cut into cubes.
3. Using a fork or a mortar, mix all the ingredients.
4. Beat the eggs separately and then add them to the previous mixture, incorporating them little by little.
5. The dough is ready, and that is when we wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour or 1.30 hours so that when it is time to roll it out, it is cold again.
6. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into two parts. One will be used to cover the cake, and the other to make the base. Put the first one back in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
7. Place a sheet of cling film on the work surface and the dough you are going to roll out on top of it. Cover it with another sheet and shape it into a circle about 5mm thick.
8. Transfer the shaped dough to a ceramic mold like the one from Emile Henry (greased with oil), so that it covers the base and sides.
9. Put the mold with the dough back in the fridge for about 10/15 min.
10. Fill with the cream we set aside and then with the jam.
11. Roll out the dough we had set aside to cover the cake, the same way we did for the base, and place it on top, sealing the sides with your fingers.
12. To finish brush with egg.
13. We can draw some lines first in one direction and then in the other with the help of a very sharp knife. They are very characteristic of this cake.
14. Finally, place it in the preheated oven at 180º for about 40 min. Let it cool and serve directly from the mold, warm or cold.

Le Creuset Damascus steel knife and French De Buyer mineral iron pan.

Tips

• If at any point the dough sticks too much to our hands, the solution is to put it in the refrigerator, or even in the freezer, for a moment.
• The lines are easier to draw if the cake is put in the fridge for a few minutes. While we draw them, and depending on how hot it is in the room, we can chill it several times; a couple of minutes in the freezer is enough.
• If we clean the knife with kitchen paper every time we draw a line, it will be easier not to drag the dough and the lines will come out better.
• To work the dough, it is easier if we place it between two sheets of cling film, so it does not stick to the rolling pin and can be transferred to the mold with great ease.

Emile Henry ceramic mold

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When Beatriz, author of To Be Gourmet, told me she wanted to make the Basque cake recipe for our blog, I did not hesitate to say, "Go for it!", because it is one of my favorite cakes. I have always loved that delicious pastry filled with cream! She presents it to us with a double filling: figs and pastry cream, a luxurious combination in a cake that you will definitely love making at home, you'll see!