Gâteau Nana

Updated Nov. 6, 2024

Gâteau Nana
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
1¾ hours, plus cooling
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1½ hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(143)
Comments
Read comments

Fashioned after a traditional French gâteau Breton, the gâteau Basque and even (and maybe especially) the galette des rois — all cakes made of sweet or quick puff dough doubled up and filled with fruit or cream or nuts — this inspired version, uniquely Louisianan and lovingly called gâteau nana, takes inspiration from each. Filled with a pecan cream, this beautiful, simple yet rustic cake was adapted from one developed by Melissa Martin, who was inspired by Nancy Brewer’s version at The Kitchen Shop in Grand Coteau, La. Melissa M. Martin touches upon recipe inspiration in “Bayou” (Artisan, 2024): “Nostalgia drives those of us chasing a specific flavor. Nancy and I both believe in these little things that are so important to a season and a community and how to bake them into dough for celebration.” —Lisa Donovan

Featured in: The Perfect Pecan Pie Inspired by Southern Grannies

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings

    For the Crust

    • 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)

    For the Filling

    • 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

    For the Egg Wash

    • 1egg yolk
    • About 1 teaspoon heavy cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Add the egg yolks and mix just until combined.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Step 5

    Add the butter and pulse to combine. Then add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and pulse to combine.

  6. Step 6

    Add the flour and pulse until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.)

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

Ratings

4 out of 5
143 user ratings
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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 was disappointed by the thickness of the top and bottom dough. It was too heavy tasting. The filling was tasty but too thick. If I make again I’ll try a 10” pan to have a thinner top/ bottom and the filler less tense. I also had trouble with the butter leaking from my springform which I did not notice until the next night ,when baking my kitchen was filled with smoke. Beware.

For the many readers who do not have stand mixers, please include instructions for use with food processors and hand blenders.

From 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), ..."

jge - Do you mean the Karo corn syrup pecan pie? 50’s nostalgia but far too sweet for today’s tastes, IMHO. Try substituting Lyle’s golden syrup. It’s transformative.

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Credits

Adapted from “Bayou” by Melissa M. Martin (Artisan, 2024)

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