Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Happy Birthday Dorie



In honor of Dorie's birthday I prepared a recipe that belongs to my Mother and was handed down from her Mother, my own "Nana".  My grandfather came from the town of Scaër, in the city of Brest, in the department of Finistere. Hence the love of Breton cake.

The cake reminds me very much of Dorie's famed butter sablés (if you have not already tried these from her Beurre & Sel cookie shop - you need to do so. Fast.) She refers to her French Shortbread sablé as having "butter, butter, and more butter" (not to mention a bit of bourbon and vanilla). 

That is exactly what I recall about this family favorite and so on behalf of Nana and myself, to celebrate Dorie's birthday I made a Breton Cake.


Happiest of Birthdays Dorie !!

Breton Cake

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) of salted butter, softened
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Mix all ingredients together and place in a 9" square Pyrex pan. Brush an egg wash on top and make a grid design with a fork. Bake about an hour at 350 degrees. It is done when it is nice and brown on the top and outer sides.

18 comments:

  1. Yum! A terrific tribute to Dorie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Tricia and Nana, this brought a few tears to my eyes. What a wonderful tribute not only to Dorie but also to your family. How nice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tricia and Nana - what a fabulous birthdax tribute to Dorie Greenspen! I love Breton Cake and so does the rest of the family - I will have to give this recipe a try, no doubt! It looks buttery and oh so delicious. The only thing I love more than a good cake itself is a traditional family recipe!!!
    Thanks for posting the recipe and have a wonderful day today!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh this looks amazing - need to try it soon :) What a wonderful birthday dish for Dorie!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are right - this is a cake that I love! And I love you for making it for me. Merci! xo Dorie (ps - the next time I see you, you'll know I'm coming before you even spot me: you'll recognize that beautiful Fragonard Vanille perfume. I love it!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful - what could be better than a cake with butter, butter and more butter! Even better that it was a family recipe.

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks amazing! And a wonderful story to go with! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely post! Thanks for sharing this special family recipe-it is a beauty ;) I agree with Cher that butter is a wonderful thing and one can never have enough of it!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That cake looks so delicious - I love simple cakes like that! We sometimes forget about old family recipes, but there is a reason they have been passed down from generation to generation.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tricia and Nana…such a lovely post! Love your special family recipe! Simply beautiful! I can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing! I agree with Patty and Cher…you can never have enough butter! A perfect way to celebrate Dorie’s birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm loving the personal connection to this delicious recipe. Butter, butter, butter! It's almost a salted butter break-up on steroids. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Just lovely! You two are so sweet! I'm sure Dorie will be honored.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Stunning! so on my to-do list!

    ReplyDelete
  14. LOL another winner! :) How fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So special to share your family recipe... really wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This looks awesome! I can't wait to try it myself. There's nothing quite like family recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Beautiful cake. Thanks so much for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete