This classic French dessert sounds so impressive but it’s so easy to make and I didn’t have a food processor with a dough hook either! I used my hand mixer and it did the job perfectly. Raymond Blanc made this recently on the television and I was determined to give it a go. Don’t be put off by the bountiful amounts of butter and the gargantuan number of eggs. It’s a treat and so worth the effort.
Ingredients
What you will need (for a Gateau à la Crème and a brioche loaf):
For the brioche dough
500g strong plain flour
A few pinches sea salt
4 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp yeast
7 free-range eggs
300g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For the crème filling
6 free-range egg yolks
60g caster sugar
1 lemon, juice and zest
250ml crème fraîche
For the glaze
2 free-range egg yolks
1 tbsp caster sugar
25g/¾oz butter, cut into cubes
Method
For the brioche dough
Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a mixing bowl (keep the yeast away from the salt so it can work correctly) and mix together. I didn’t use a mixer for this, I used my hand mixer with the dough hook to mix until it’s well combined.
Increase the speed on the machine and mix for a further 5 minutes until the dough comes away from the edge of the bowl. I found the speed needed to be increased quite a bit on my hand blender. Then add the cubes of butter and continue to mix for 2 to 3 minutes until completely mixed. For me, this took longer than 2 to 3 minutes!
Cover the dough with clingfilm (or a shower cap) and leave at room temperature for an hour to prove, then chill for a further hour.
Lightly flour a work surface and your hands. Form a ball with about half of the dough, then place it on a baking tray and flatten it a little. Starting from the middle, gently press the dough flat and spread it out to form a circle to about 20cm in diameter, leaving a 2cm gap from the edge to create an edge. Look at the pictures to see what I mean. No holes! It’s more of a massaging process really.
For the crème filling
Mix the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice together and gradually add the crème fraîche. Set this aside aside until later.
To prepare and glaze the gateau
Brush the rim of the gateau with the egg yolk and prick the base of the dough with a fork. Pour the crème mixture into the middle part of the dough, sprinkle with some caster sugar and dot with butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the brioche has risen and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, then serve. The preheating of the oven is so crucial.
Some lumpy icing and it was perfect!
All That I’m Eating
What a treat, indeed! Lumpy icing or not, this sounds perfect to me.
I am sure this is delicious. All the ingredients say so!
wow…what a fantastic Gateau!! The icing makes it look fantastic!
cheers
Dennis
Oh wow! This certainly looks worthy of the time and calories involved. All that yolky and creamy goodness sounds so delicious!
Delicious!!
yum yum yum yum. I am going to try this very soon.
What a great dessert!
Thank you for all your comments!