Le gâteau nantais

The last time I was in France, all I kept hearing about was le gâteau nantais. As it happens, every patisserie I walked into had gâteau nantais for sale, in its full size or mini versions. Then, my mother also had one in the fridge and one of my cousins told me all about making one recently.
I was obviously really intrigued and felt I had to taste this cake sooner than later. And when I did taste it, I immediately knew I would have to share the recipe here because this cake is just really delicious and you should really try it if you like this type of desserts. 

The origin of this cake is from the city of Nantes in France (the name might have given a clear hint...). It is also known as gâteau du voyageur (traveller's cake) since Nantes was a stop along the triangular trade route in the 18th century. This resulted in goods such as dark rum, vanilla and cane sugar to be brought in from the Caribbean islands. Those ingredients were then used in the confection of gâteau nantais.

The cake recipe itself as a few variants but I prefer to stick to the kind I got to taste while in France as this is the type of desserts I really enjoy after a meal.  Imagine a thin slice of almond pound cake, soft and buttery, moist with the addition of dark rum in and on the cake (on as a set rum icing). This is just perfect as a sweet note after lunch or dinner served with tea and coffee.
​I have a little note below with the recipe as to how to substitute the rum for a version with no alcohol in it for a children-friendly gâteau nantais.

​Getting to taste a delicious cake such as gâteau nantais is what I really like about my many trips back to France. Even having been raised in France in a family that really loves cooking and trying many recipes, the gastronomy is so diverse in every region that I keep discovering things completely unknown to me (sometimes even in my own region!). And I do love a delicious food discovery! Here is to finding out about many other wonderful French recipes to try.

***
Had you heard about gâteau nantais before? Is this the type of cakes you like?
Let me know if you end up trying the recipe and if you share a photo on Instagram, tag me @cremedecitron and add #cremedecitronblog_recipe
​***

Gâteau Nantais Recipe (Vegetarian)

Ingredients (approximately 12 thin slices)

150g caster sugar
125g salted butter softened at room temperature (plus 5g to butter the cake tin)
100g ground almonds
3 eggs
40g plain flour
40ml dark rum*

For the rum icing
60g icing sugar
20ml dark rum*

1. Preheat the oven to 175˚C.
Butter a 22cm-diameter cake tin and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper (which you should butter too).

2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use an electric mixer or whisk to do so - if using the latter, cream the ingredients vigorously). Mix in the ground almonds then the eggs one by one.

3. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon and mix in 20ml of dark rum.
Transfer the batter into the cake tin and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes (check that it is cooked through by inserting a skewer or thin knife blade in the centre, it should come out clean).

4. Turn out the cake onto a plate, remove the piece of baking paper and while the cake is upside down, drizzle the remaining dark rum (20ml) over the bottom. Once the liquid is absorbed, delicately turn the cake back onto a wire rack to cool down.

5. Mix the icing sugar and 20ml of dark rum together. Once the cake has cooled down completely, spread the rum icing over the top with a spatula. Let it set. 

This cake is better eaten the next day. Once the icing has set, you can cover the cake loosely and keep it in the fridge. It will keep for up to a week.

Serve in thin slices (I get about 12 but you can make them a bit larger if you prefer) with tea and coffee.

​Note: * If you intend to serve this cake to children or people who do not consume alcohol, substitute the dark rum for lemon juice or orange blossom water.

Bon appétit!