No, no Euro butter. Way to expensive. I am able to get very good butter at Sam’s Club (of all places), so that’s what we use. You don’t have to use European style butter for this cake. Yes, it makes a very decadent cake, but it’s really not necessary. Just use a good quality domestic unsalted butter, and add a little bit of extra salt to the batter.

Long live the warehouse butter brands!  I buy Costco’s butter and really love it.  When I’ve lived in other states, I’ve purchased Sam’s and BJ’s house butter… always very good quality, and you just can’t beat the price.

Patrincia - 13 October 2009 05:29 PM

Long live the warehouse butter brands!  I buy Costco’s butter and really love it.  When I’ve lived in other states, I’ve purchased Sam’s and BJ’s house butter… always very good quality, and you just can’t beat the price.

No kidding, Patrincia! We pay about $6.00 for 4 pounds of butter! I think that’s rather amazing, especially for the quality!

Ok.  I think I have Land O Lakes unsalted at home.  I’ll use that instead.  Rose does say in the book that it should work with regular 80% butter but it’s richer with Euro.  Thanks!

Jess

Land-o-lakes is excellent.  I’ve used Euro butters in a few times, and find they have a very “green” or “grassy” flavor.  Good for some things, but not for others.

Roxanne - 13 October 2009 05:41 PM

Patrincia - 13 October 2009 05:29 PM

Long live the warehouse butter brands!  I buy Costco’s butter and really love it.  When I’ve lived in other states, I’ve purchased Sam’s and BJ’s house butter… always very good quality, and you just can’t beat the price.

No kidding, Patrincia! We pay about $6.00 for 4 pounds of butter! I think that’s rather amazing, especially for the quality!

Wow, that’s a great price.  I pay $7 for 4 pounds, but I’m not complaining!  Poor Bill told me he pays anywhere from $4.50 - 6.00 a pound in NYC.  OY!

Unsalted butter is $4.99 a pound here in Toronto, so when it goes on sale for $2.99 I stock-up like it is going out of fashion.    Of course salted butter costs $2.97 at regular price. Figures!!!!

Rozanne - 13 October 2009 06:31 PM

Unsalted butter is $4.99 a pound here in Toronto, so when it goes on sale for $2.99 I stock-up like it is going out of fashion.    Of course salted butter costs $2.97 at regular price. Figures!!!!

Ouch, no fair.

Finally got to make the Gateau Breton tonight.  It’s very easy to make just like the book says.  I attached pictures below.  Haven’t tried the cake yet but I did try the batter and it tasted really good.

Oh wow!  That is so pretty! I love the pattern on top.

Tell use how you like it when you taste it!

That looks picture-perfect!  This is high on my to-do list, can’t wait to hear your tasting notes.  Was your tart pan 1” deep or 1.5” deep?

Thanks, guys!  I cut a wedge this morning and tasted this.  It reminds me of pate sablee, it has a buttery almond taste with a hint of sweetness.  There’s also a little crunch from the almonds.  You definitely want to use a good butter for the taste.  It’s pretty good.  It’s a rich, dense cake.  I think I will try serving it with a raspberry coulis and creme fraiche and see how that goes.

For the pan, I didn’t exactly measure it but I think it’s the 9.5x1 inch.  I have the same brand that Rose recommended in the book (Gobel); it’s non-stick so the cake came off pretty easily.  It baked as per instructions in the book, it rose a bit higher than 1 inch during baking but it flattened out to just about the height of the pan.  It cooked for exactly 35 minutes in my oven, when I pressed lightly in the center, it sprang back so I took it out. 

Jess

Wow! Jess, your Gateau Breton looks perfect! Love the golden colour. Thank you for sharing your tasting notes.

What a lovely Gateau Breton Jess - really, really lovely.  I wish I could try a bite of it right now!