From the French Basque village of Cambo-les-Bains, codified in the 19th century by pastry chef Marianne Hirigoyen, who sold them at the Bayonne market around 1830. Older Basque shepherd cakes used corn flour and lard; Hirigoyen's wheat-and-butter recipe became the standard once dairy farms expanded inland. Itxassou's black cherries — local, brief season — locked in the jam variant.
Codified by Cambo-les-Bains pastry chef Marianne Hirigoyen, who sold them at the Bayonne market around 1830. The crosshatch lid isn't decoration — it vents steam so the filling doesn't blow the top off.
A small round cake with crosshatched top, sandy-golden crust, and a soft, almost custardy interior. Inside: either black cherry jam (cerise noire d'Itxassou) or pastry cream — never both in the traditional version. The crumb sits between cookie and cake, dense from butter and almond. Eaten in thick slices with coffee; the jam version stains the crumb purple at the seam.
The dough is a sablée — high butter, low water, almond meal — which is why it bakes short and sandy rather than springy. The crosshatch isn't decoration: it lets steam escape so the filling doesn't blow the lid off. Rest the dough 24 hours cold or it shrinks in the ring and the jam leaks at the seam.
Variations
Itxassou black-cherry jam is the Pyrenees-Atlantique benchmark; the pastry-cream version is the Cambo-les-Bains style; Maison Pereuil in Cambo runs both side by side as the village reference.
On the Palate
Where Gâteau Basque sits in the French flavor cloud
Rest the sablée dough 24 hours cold before baking — high-butter, low-water dough that goes into the ring warm shrinks, cracks at the seam, and lets the jam leak out.
Ingredients
How it's made
6 steps · 53 min active + 30 min waiting
- 13 min
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. The mixture should be pale and smooth.
Watch outCream until the butter turns visibly paler and fluffy — that lightening means enough air is in for a tender crumb.
- 22 min
Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add vanilla, rum, and lemon zest, mixing until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Watch outEnsure each egg is fully mixed in before adding the next to avoid curdling.
- 33 min
Sift in the wheat flour and ground almonds, folding gently to create a smooth, cohesive dough, about 3 minutes.
Watch outDo not overmix the dough to prevent it from becoming tough.
- 40 min
Divide the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Watch outThe dough should be cold and firm enough to hold a fingerprint before you roll it; soft dough tears and sticks.
- 55 min
Roll out one disc of dough and fit it into a tart pan. Spread a generous layer of black cherry jam over the base, leaving a small border around the edge, about 5 minutes.
Watch outEnsure the jam is not too hot or it may make the dough soggy.
- 640 min
Roll out the second disc of dough and place it over the jam. Seal the edges and create a decorative pattern on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Watch outPull it when the top is an even deep golden — pale means the sablée is still doughy inside.
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