Gâteau Nana
Updated Nov. 5, 2024
- Total Time
- 1¾ hours, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup plus 1 tablespoon/240 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- ½cup/100 grams superfine sugar (or granulated sugar processed in a food processor or blender)
- 6large egg yolks
- 2½ cups/310 grams all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups/214 grams raw pecan pieces or whole nuts
- ½cup/100 grams raw sugar (or 6 tablespoons/75 grams granulated sugar)
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 3ounces/85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1egg yolk
- About 1 teaspoon heavy cream
For the Crust
For the Filling
For the Egg Wash
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), cream together the butter and superfine sugar, starting on low speed and gradually moving to high speed, for about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides, until light and fluffy.
- Step 2
Add the egg yolks and mix just until combined.
- Step 3
In a small bowl, mix together the flour and salt, then, with the mixer on medium-low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture just until combined. The dough should come together quickly and be soft, pliable and forgiving. Separate the dough into two equal portions and place in a bowl with a towel on top. Let rest in the refrigerator.
- Step 4
Prepare the filling: In a food processor, pulse the nuts, raw sugar and salt until they turn into a fine meal, stopping before they turn into paste.
- Step 5
Add the butter and pulse to combine. Then add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and pulse to combine.
- Step 6
Add the flour and pulse until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Step 7
Assemble the gâteau: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or tart pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper and grease it. Press one portion of the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Spread the pecan filling on top in an even layer, leaving a slight border uncovered around the edge. Pop the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill.
- Step 8
On a sheet of parchment, using a rolling pin, roll out the remaining dough into a 9-inch circle, moving quickly so as not to warm the dough. (If the dough falls apart it can be easily pressed back together.)
- Step 9
Remove the pan from the freezer and, using the parchment to help, flip the remaining dough onto the filling. Remove the parchment and press the top layer of dough onto the border of the bottom layer gently to seal it. Gently drag the tines of a fork over the top crust to create a decorative crisscross pattern.
- Step 10
In a small bowl, make an egg wash by whisking together the remaining egg yolk and the heavy cream. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash.
- Step 11
Bake on the bottom oven rack until the top crust is deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool to lukewarm before slicing and serving. The gâteau is best enjoyed fresh, but will keep for 3 to 4 days, well-wrapped at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
Telling bakers to put a 9” springform pan in the freezer assumes that readers have a large or sparsely filled freezer. I don’t. So, I looked up other gâteau recipes here. Dorrie Greenspan has you place it in the refrigerator…just for a longer time. Fridges generally have more space than freezers. Just putting that out there, for those who don’t own SubZero fridges or deep freezers.
Can this gateau be made using a pan other than a springform? Also, a photo that better shows what the filling looks like would be helpful.
I have eaten Gateau Nana starting when I was a small child in South Louisiana . It is delicious with a cup of strong coffee in the afternoon or served for dessert after a wonderful meal. This is the exact recipe that my grandmother used. You can’t go wrong with this .
I made this exactly as written and it was excellent. I rolled the dough for the top layer between two sheets of parchments and chilled it until it was firm and it was easy to work with — no tearing or falling apart. I also served it with a rhubarb compote, but I could see it working well as a backdrop to all sorts of berries and fruit. I found the recipe to be very straightforward and well worth the effort.
Made this tonight. I wonder if the saltiness is due to using table salt instead of kosher salt. Used table salt and dialed it back by nearly half the kosher salt rec. Not too salty. My top definitely cracked. I think, if I make this again (which will depend on whether or not my suegra likes it), I will build a bit of room in the crust on top because the filling expanded and cracked the crust. Still lovely and rustic. The house smelled like heaven. Also, I took a generous sheet of parchment paper and crumpled it up in a tight ball before smoothing into and over the sides of the pan. This way, no butter leakage. The pattern on the top really emerged in the final 10 minutes of baking. Cute.
@505, update. My husband said it was absolutely delicious. He can’t wait to have it was his morning coffee. It does look like a meat pie though, as he pointed out. Be ready to explain if placing on a potluck table.
Very interested in making this since I love pecans. But 9 eggs for one cake is pretty extreme it seems to me. And bummer that this isn't a recipe that uses both yolks and whites so you don't have one or the other that you have to find another use for. So I guess a pavlova and the gâteau.