Breton Butter Cake

Name: Breton Butter Cake
Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan; 1 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 6 large egg yolks; 2.75 cups all-purpose flour; 0.25 teaspoon salt; 1 large whole egg, lightly beaten; Strawberry Compote

3.0

(205)

2 Reviews

By

Martha Stewart Editors

Updated on January 16, 2019

Breton butter cake — Photo: Charles Schiller

Yield:

1 9-inch cake

For dessert or breakfast, this supremely simple cake has a crisp, dense texture, similar to shortbread, that pairs perfectly with coffee.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten
Strawberry Compote

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and salt; beat just until combined. Do not overmix.
Transfer batter to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; with small offset spatula, spread batter and smooth top. (If necessary, chill batter 10 minutes before smoothing.) Place pan in refrigerator 15 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator. Brush top with beaten egg, and mark a criss-cross pattern with a fork. Brush again with egg. Bake until cake is deep golden brown and edges pull away from sides of pan, about 50 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Remove cake from pan, and slice while still warm. Serve with strawberry compote.