Gâteau nantais facts for kids
| Alternative names | gâteau du voyageur |
|---|---|
| Type | Cake |
| Place of origin | France |
| Region or state | Nantes |
| Serving temperature | cold |
| Main ingredients | Flour, sugar, salted butter, eggs, almond meal, rum, icing sugar |
| Variations | lemon juice, lemon zest, orange blossom water, vanilla extract, apricot gelée |
The Gâteau nantais is a special cake from the city of Nantes in France. It is a soft, round cake, a bit like a pound cake. This delicious treat is made with flour, sugar, salted butter, eggs, and almond meal. After baking, it is soaked in a mix of rum and lemon, which makes it very moist. Sometimes, it even has a yummy apricot jelly in the middle!
The top of the cake is covered with a white, shiny glaze. This glaze is often thinned with rum, but for cakes served to children, lemon or orange blossom water can be used instead. It is best to make the Gâteau nantais a day before you plan to eat it. This helps the flavors mix and makes the cake even more delicious! It also stays fresh for a long time.
The History of Gâteau Nantais
The Gâteau nantais has a long and interesting history. In the 18th century, the port of Nantes was a very busy place. Ships brought many exciting goods from faraway lands, like cane sugar, dark rum, and vanilla. These ingredients later became important parts of the Gâteau nantais recipe. Because of this, the cake is sometimes called the "traveller's cake."
Early Recipes
Older versions of the Gâteau nantais were a bit different. A cookbook from the 1890s describes a recipe that used grated lemon peel in the batter. This batter was firm enough to be rolled out and cut into round shapes. This older version did not use rum. Instead, it had a topping of almond meal and sugar before baking. Also, the icing on older cakes was an amber color, not the white glaze we see today. Some very old recipes, which did not use eggs, were said to stay fresh for three to four weeks!
A Cake for Special Guests
The Gâteau nantais is known as a special food from Nantes. It is believed that a baker named Roleau created it in 1820. This fancy dessert was once served by people in their homes when they had important guests. Over time, the cake became less popular.
The Cake's Comeback
The Gâteau nantais became popular again thanks to a famous biscuit company called LU. From 1910 to 1972, LU helped bring the cake back into fashion. In the late 1990s, LU even shared their recipe with Gilbert Debotté, who ran the Debotté patisserie (a type of bakery) in Nantes.
Since its return to popularity in the 20th century, bakers in Nantes have continued to make the Gâteau nantais. They often stick to the classic recipe, but some also create new versions with different ingredients.
