Gâteau Basque au Chocolat

Gateau basque translates as “Basque cake,” but the dessert has more in common with a tart or pie than it does a light, airy-crumbed cake. Concealed at the center of a tender, buttery cookie-adjacent crust is a filling—traditionally cherry jam or vanilla cream. Purists might not approve of the chocolate pastry cream in ours, but what does that matter when the cake is this delicious? This dough is quite soft, so it’s better rolled out on plastic wrap than on a floured work surface, and plastic is better than kitchen parchment because parchment is too stiff to get the rolled dough into the pan. The cake is best served at room temperature. Leftovers can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to three days, but let them stand at room temperature for an hour or two before serving.