TWD Breton Buckwheat Butter Cake

 

Now on to the cake I was supposed to bake first today - Breton Buckwheat Butter Cake. This one comes from Dorie's Anytime Cakes. This bad boy is right up my alley. Buckwheat is a staple in my pantry. Actually, all heirloom grains are, circa my childfree days when I would bake all sorts of novel breads from Eastern Europe. Einkorn, buckwheat, kamut, teff, you name it, I probably have it in the freezer. I was jazzed to see Kasha on the ingredient list! For years I kept that in the pantry because it's featured in a very 1990's Jaques Pepin recipe for stuffed squid, when fat-free foods was all the rage. I no longer spend 72 hours coaxing fermenting and rise out of rye, but I do make my kids Breton crepes on Sundays, alternating weekends with chickpea flour Dutch babies.

Firstly, this recipe is a winner because of how simple it was. Whisk to oven took 25 minutes, wow! I opted to do a topping with turbinado sugar as well as some salt, I can't resist a little sweet and salty. Secondly, watching it bake was immensely satisfying. It was from that signature pale gray that buckwheat has to an almost mahogany shade. It formed a delightfully crisp top, while the interior came out gooey and delicious. Since it's so thin, it cooled quickly and just in time for dinner.

It does have that buckwheat taste which I love. It's earthy, warm, and a bit salty. Dorie suggests several toppings including jammy fruit. This is perfect since I have some gooseberry and rhubarb jam I made in the fridge that has got to get used up by this weekend. I could also see this as a center stage bake during the holidays too, with a dark chocolate topping and extra salt.

Taste test results from the family: husband prefers this cake over the coconut, however the 4 year old said they were both the best cake and if I ever had to make one again, I simply have to make both. Genius!