Gato bè
Lime and vanilla butter cake
Haitian lime and vanilla butter cake
Gato bè ('butter cake' in Kreyòl) is what Haitian families bake for birthdays, first communions and Sunday visits, usually in a fluted ring tin, and serve with a cup of hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon. Evaporated milk makes the crumb tender and rich; lime zest, vanilla, almond and a little nutmeg give it the unmistakably Haitian scent. Many cooks add a spoonful of rum; it's optional here and the cake is just as good without. Cold butter and eggs straight from the fridge make the batter curdle and the cake heavy, so leave everything out for an hour first. Chef's tip: rub the lime zest into the sugar with your fingertips before creaming; the oils come out and perfume the whole cake.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
- 8 oz buttersoftened, plus extra for the tin
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- 2 limesfinely grated zest
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 4 eggsat room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 12 ½ oz plain flourplus 1 tbsp for the tin
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp dark rum (optional)optional
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter a 24 cm bundt or ring tin thoroughly, dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Step 3: Beat 8 oz butter with the lime sugar for 4–5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
5 minStep 4: Beat in 4 eggs one at a time, then 2 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp almond extract, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp dark rum if using.
Step 5: Whisk the rest of 12 ½ oz plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp salt.
Step 6: Fold the flour into the batter in three additions, alternating with 1 cup evaporated milk, until smooth.
Step 7: Spoon into the tin, level and tap the tin on the counter to knock out air pockets.
Step 8: Bake for 50–55 minutes, until deep golden, the cake springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.
52 minStep 9: Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. It keeps for 4 days, wrapped.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gato bè take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Basque burnt cheesecake
This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.
Spanish
Soup joumouPumpkin soup
Every 1 January, Haitian families from Port-au-Prince to Brooklyn wake up to soup joumou. It marks independence from France on 1 January 1804: under French rule, enslaved Haitians cooked this pumpkin soup but were forbidden to eat it, so the free people of the new nation made it their own as a dish of freedom. In 2021 it was added to UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The base is a velvety purée of joumou (Caribbean pumpkin) with epis, and in it simmer chunks of carrot, potato, cabbage, celery and turnip, with pasta and a squeeze of lime. It's usually made with beef; this vegetable version is full and golden, rich enough for the day. Chef's tip: roast half the pumpkin before puréeing it; the caramelised edges give the soup the depth that slow-cooked meat usually provides.
Almond cookiesOat, coconut and almond cookies
A big batch of crunchy cookies with rolled oats, coconut, chopped almonds and chunks of cooking chocolate. For a change, use cashew nuts instead of almonds.