Recipe ! The Basque Cake... a French Cake

 The Basque cake is a specialty from the Basque area in France. Its design is quite simple: two layers of dough with a layer of pastry cream or cherry jam in the middle. 

 Ingredients for the dough:
• 200 g flour
• 1 lemon
• 150 g sugar
• 150 g butter
• 2 eggs
• A pinch of salt 
• A teaspoon of baking powder 

 Ingredients for pastry cream:
• 0.25L of milk
• 50 g sugar
• A knob of butter
• 30 g flour
• 2 eggs yolk
• A vanilla pod 

 Preparation of the dough
1 - Very finely grate the lemon zest
2 - Put the sugar, salt, grated lemon zest, a whole egg and a yolk in a salad bowl.
3 - Work the mixture until it whitens.
4 - Gradually incorporate the softened butter.
5 - Add the flour, baking powder and finish kneading the dough by hand.
6 - Roll it into a ball and let it rest in the fridge for at least 40 minutes.

 Preparation of the pastry cream
1 - Boil the milk with the 1/2 vanilla pod split in two.
2 - Work the sugar and egg yolks in a terrine until the mixture whitens.
3 - Add the flour.
4 - Gradually pour in the boiling milk.
5 - Pour back into the saucepan and thicken over very low heat, whisking constantly.
6 - As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove from the heat.
7 - Place a knob of butter on the surface of the cream and let it cool.

 Assembling the cake
1 - Divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3.
2 - Extend 2/3.
3 - line the bottom and sides of a buttered springform pan.
4 - Fill the inside with the chilled pastry cream.
5 - Roll out the other piece of dough, place it as a lid, adhere it by wetting the edges with a little water and pinching.
6 - Prick the surface of the cake with the tip of a knife.
7 - Bake in a moderate oven at 210°C or Th.7 for 45 minutes.
8 - Let cool before unmoulding.

BON APPETIT !