Cake salé or savory quick bread? Just call it delicious
A cheese loaf that's good for brunch, soup suppers or nibbling with wine
Hello! Hello!
I’ve got a thing for what the French call cake salé. Salé means salty or savory and cake, for the French, means anything sweet or savory – other than bread – that’s baked in a loaf pan. It can be confusing, but it’s always tasty.
A cake salé is so much a part of the French way of eating – and entertaining – that you can buy all kinds of them in bakeries and supermarkets. The famous frozen food chain, Picard, always stocks a few different cakes and a lot of my Paris pals keep one on hand at all times, ready for when friends stop by for a drink. While the cakes are great for a bunch of things – think brunch or alongside soup – my French friends are most likely to cut them into cubes or fingers and offer the cake during apéro, that delicious moment before dinner when a glass of wine and a nibble is most appreciated.
A CAKE WITH THE HEART OF A QUICK BREAD
Whatever the French may call it, one taste of this loaf and we Americans will recognize it as our old friend, the quick bread. The loaf is leavened with baking powder and mixed like muffins – the dry ingredients get whisked together in one bowl, the wet get mixed in another, one gets poured over the other, everything’s mixed together, the add-ins get added in and it’s ready to be baked. Sounds familiar, right?
I make this loaf with milk and olive oil, shredded cheese (you’ve got choices), cubes of cheese (more choices), some nuts and a lot of scallions or herbs or both. It’s very play aroundable and very good. Like its cousin the muffin, it’s meant to be washed down with something – my choice here is a crisp, cold rosé or white wine.
I know it’s just Tuesday, but why shouldn’t it be a party day? Bake the cake, chill the wine, and toast the start of a good week!
CHEESY, HERBY QUICK BREAD
Click for a printable recipe
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START:
The pan: I use an 8-inch loaf pan. If you use a larger pan, the loaf will be lower and need less time in the oven. If you want to use a smaller pan - say a 7 1/2 inch pan (the loaf would look pretty in that) – just adjust the baking time.
The cheese: I like an easily meltable cheese here. Cheddar’s good, so is Gruyère or Gouda or Swiss. Instead of cubes of melting cheese, you could add dollops of a soft, runny cheese, like Brie or Camembert or a chèvre (a goat cheese).
The herbs and/or scallions: My preference is a combination of herbs and thinly sliced scallions (I use the white part and most of the green part), but as with so many things I make in the kitchen, I use what I’ve got. I usually go with soft herbs, like basil, dill, parsley, mint or cilantro, but you could use thyme, rosemary or oregano – just chop them well. Of course, combining herbs is fine.
The nuts: These are optional but fun. I like the bitterness of walnuts, but sweet almonds or pecans or even pistachios are nice. If you’ve got time, toast the nuts lightly before chopping and mixing them in.
The optional extras: I love this loaf for its generosity – it’ll take loads of add-ins. Think bits of bacon, ham, olives or roasted peppers. It can even have fruit - try snipped dried figs, dates, apricots, apples or pears. Have fun with it.
Makes 10 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups (238 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
4 ounces (113 grams) shredded cheese (see above)
2 to 3 ounces (56 to 85 grams) cheese, cut into tiny cubes (see above)
1/2 cup (20 to 30 grams; precision's not important here) minced herbs and/or thinly sliced scallions (see above)
1/4 cup (about 40 grams) chopped walnuts or other nuts, toasted or not (see above)
Extra add-ins, optional (see above)
DIRECTIONS
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-to 9-inch loaf pan (see above) or use baker’s spray.
Working in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl or in a large measuring cup, whisk the eggs, milk, olive oil and honey together. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and, using a flexible spatula, stir until mostly blended. There’s no need to be thorough now. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix them together. Try to be gentle, but don’t try to be perfect – just like with muffins, it’s better to under- than over-mix. The batter will be heavy and sticky, so scrape it into the pan (it might only come halfway up the sides) and use the edge of the spatula to nudge it into the corners.
Bake the loaf for about 35 minutes – start checking early – or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Put the pan on a rack, let the loaf rest for 3 minutes, then run a table knife around the edges and unmold it onto the rack. Let the loaf come to room temperature right side up. You can eat it when it’s warm, but I think it’s best at room temperature.
SERVING: Use a serrated knife to cut the loaf into slices about 1/2 inch thick. If you’d like, cut each slice into strips for easy nibbling. Serve with drinks. I usually serve the loaf bare, but you could spread it with butter, tapenade or a savory jam or marmalade that you might put on a cheese board.
STORING: Wrapped well, the loaf will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature or for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost at room temperature in its wrapper. Stale bread is nice toasted, but I didn’t have to tell you that.
PLAYING AROUND: See above. There are so many choices, let me know how you fiddle with the recipe.
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Yummy crusty and hearty. Recipe made 3 small loaves and was ready after 18 minutes of baking. Used fresh chives, minced garlic, crushed rosemary, basil and dill. For cheeses-i chose Parmesan and sharp cheddar. I also added a bit of shred sharp cheddar on top at the halfway mark.
Looks just like Dorie’s picture and it rapidly disappeared with the Pinot noir
This bread was delicious and a big hit. Used sage, rosemary and scallions; shredded Gruyere and cubes of cheddar. But the bread came out with a hole in the middle of the loaf -- live a little cave. Any thoughts on why? Thanks, Christine Soto