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Epicurious

Gâteau Nantais

5.0

(2)

Slices of an almond cake with rum glazed being served on a plate.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

I first discovered gâteau nantais at Café Trama, a father-and-daughter bistro close to the Bon Marché department store. I spotted it immediately as I walked in, glowing from the marble counter. An astonishingly moist and fragrant almond cake infused with rum and vanilla, it is crowned by a white glaze that thinly crackles as the spoon digs in. 

As the name suggests, it hails from Nantes in the west of France. The city is built on the banks of the Loire River and became the largest slave port in France in the 18th century. (It hasn’t been easy for Nantes to come to terms with this dark chapter of its history, but the Quai de la Fosse, where slave ships moored, is now home to the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery.) The boatloads of riches from the French Caribbean—including sugar, rum, and vanilla—inspired a local pâtissier of the time to create this cake.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Tasting Paris’ by Clotilde Dusoulier. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Cook's note:

You can bake the gateau Nantais the day before serving. Cover with a kitchen towel and glaze just before serving.

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