Gluten-Free Gateau Basque

Gateau Basque from the French Basque country: a rich almond butter crust baked around a thick vanilla pastry cream, with the traditional crosshatch pattern on top. It is a make-ahead holiday cake that slices neatly once cooled.

Prep: 45 min Cook: 50 min Total: 330 min Serves: 10

At a glance: This medium desserts recipe yields 10 servings in about 5h 30m (45 min prep, 50 min cook). It uses 17 ingredients — including whole milk, egg yolks, granulated sugar — and walks through 7 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more desserts recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Gateau Basque: When preparing this desserts recipe, flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Gateau Basque: The buttery crust uses a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with almond flour, and the pastry cream is thickened with cornstarch. Use cornstarch, vanilla, almond flour, baking powder and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 For the pastry cream, heat the milk until steaming. Whisk the 3 yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk. Return to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it boils and thickens, then cook 1 minute more. Off the heat, whisk in 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla and the rum. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
2 For the dough, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, the yolk, the lemon zest and the remaining 1 tsp vanilla.
3 Whisk the gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder and salt, and mix them in on low until a soft dough forms. Divide into two pieces, one slightly larger, flatten into discs and chill for 1 hour.
4 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
5 Roll the larger disc between parchment into an 11-inch round and press it into the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Spread the cold pastry cream over it, leaving a small border.
6 Roll the smaller disc into a 9-inch round, lay it on top and press the edges together to seal. Brush with the egg glaze and score a crosshatch pattern with a fork.
7 Bake for 45-50 minutes, until deep golden brown. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove and cool completely before slicing. Store in the fridge.

Tips & Notes

Chill the pastry cream until completely cold and thick before assembling the gateau Basque. Warm cream melts the dough and can leak through the edges.
Roll the soft dough between sheets of parchment and chill it briefly if it gets sticky. Gluten-free dough tears less when it stays cold.
Bake the gateau Basque until it is deep golden all over. The thick crust needs the full time to cook through under the pastry cream.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Gateau Basque?

Check whole milk, for the pastry cream, egg yolks, for the pastry cream, granulated sugar, for the pastry cream before they go into Gluten-Free Gateau Basque. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Gateau Basque use?

Gluten-Free Gateau Basque relies on 3 tbsp cornstarch, 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, 1/2 cup finely ground almond flour and 1 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

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