Chocolate & Zucchini has long been one of my favorite food blogs. Clotilde has the most lovely excitement and enthusiasm about all things food. This recipe is another (similar the the Cauliflower Risotto with Spicy Pangrattato) that comes from a specific chef, to a food blog, and then to me. Clotilde found this basic recipe in ELLE Magazine (I assume the French edition), made her adjustments & renamed it. I quite like her name (so I kept it) since it reflects the chef (Jean-François Piège) in the name.

This cake is extremely versatile and I have already thought of a million variations I’d love to try (lavendar, almonds, cointreau – so many things to explore!). I made my version of this cake with clementines since I have been getting so many in my CSA organic boxes. As shown in the picture – I topped it with local California strawberries I found over the weekend as well. Another wonderful aspect of this cake is how quickly you can put it together – perfect for any weeknight or a quick brunch cake. Many possible meals!

Le Gateau Piage recipe follows…

Ingredients:
For the pan:

• 1 T butter
• 1 heaping tablespoon sugar

For the batter:

• 1/2 c plus 1 T unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c plus 2 T sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 organic clementines, scrubbed (any nice citrus could be substituted I think)
• 1 c flour
• 1 T baking powder
• A good pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a round cake pan with the tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with the heaping tablespoon sugar, then shake and tilt the pan around to coat.
2. Grate the zest of the citrus and squeeze the juice (you want ~1/2c juice). Mix together.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one by one and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the juice and zest, mix until smooth.
4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the flour mixture into the batter and mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes if you used a large pan, 25 to 30 if you used a smaller one, until the cake is golden brown and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool on a rack for ten minutes (no more, or the caramel on the crust will harden and stick to the pan), then flip onto a serving plate. Let cool completely before serving.