Gateaux De Voyage: Travel Cakes Unpacked

A fuss-free cake

What the French elegantly refer to as a "gateau de voyage", the Brits might just call a nice slice of "teacake" or the Italians a "torta". Admittedly, the French version sounds more refined and exciting, probably due to the cake's regal history. In 17th century France, the Marquise de Sévigné would travel several times a year between Brittany and the Palace of Versailles; she asked her pastry chef to prepare cakes that could be stored over time and be easy to eat during the week-long journey.

Many familiar cake favorites actually come under this "travel cake" umbrella term; think of the ubiquitous brownie, carrot cake and banana bread. They all share the same basic principles: staple store cupboard ingredients, a good shelf life of up to two weeks at room temperature, easy to cut, package and consume on the hop, good for sharing among a group, great for long journeys. No fuss, no cream, not too greasy or crumbly but definitely sweet, indulgent and delicious. The idea of a picnic, boat trip, train ride or car journey suddenly seems ridiculous without one. They make great snacks, and even better gifts.

The French seem to excel in the small but perfectly formed sweet travelling treat, just think of the 'madeleine' or the 'financier', both stretching back a few centuries .

The madeleine is synonymous with France, as much as its wine, garlic, baguettes and cheese. This small cake has been favoured by kings and peasants since the 17th century, and was cemented into French hearts and culture by the French philosopher Proust in the early 1920s. This soft mini sponge cake made with eggs, flour, sugar and butter always has a distinctive shell shape with tapered edges, smooth on one side and bumpy on the other. - A brief history of the French madeleine.

Originally made by the Visitandine nuns in the 17th century, the financier was popularized in the 19th century. The name financier is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold. According to another tradition, the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris as the cake could easily be stored in the pocket for long periods without being damaged. - Wikipedia.

Travel cakes at EHL

Julien Boutonnet (MOF) is a lecturer in practical arts and has been teaching pastry and chocolate making at EHL since 2015. Julien is responsible for all of the EHL food points of sale including the boutique, stocking them with delicious cake creations made with students throughout the year. Furthermore, he has recently started a baking competition among his Preparatory Year students, whereby teams of six compete to produce the most original recipe resulting in their cakes being sold at the prestigious M Bar, (the epicenter of the school where all the best conversations and impromptu meetings take place around a great cup of tea or coffee).

Each month, what we could refer to as the "EHL Bake Off" has a specific theme and challenge. The idea being that students are stimulated to think creatively and with a workshop spirit to produce cakes that are both totally delicous and Instagrammable. This month, the mission was to produce individual soft cakes without gluten or lactose. We highlight the winners and their successful travel cake recipe.

Raspberry Financier by Cesarine Calafell (team 10, week 13)

Ingredients:

1. Raspberries - 144g
2. Lactose-free butter - 120g
3. Rice flour - 72g
4. Ground almonds - 108g
5. Icing sugar - 180g
6. Salt - 1g
7. Lime zest - 5g
8. Egg whites - 150g

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven at 185°C.
2. Cook the butter until it turns brown with a hazelnut flavour, then set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix the rice flour, almonds, icing sugar, salt and lime zest.
4. Add the egg whites one by one and mix with a whisk.
5. Pour the butter into the mixture and continue to whisk.
6. Measure out 80g of the mixture per mold and add 4 raspberries to each.
7. Bake for around 15 minutes at 180°C.