Brioche. A rich, bready bun made from yeast dough with eggs and butter. Brioches are often cooked in a characteristic fluted mould. Brioche dough is used for breads, cakes and for enclosing other ingredients which may be either sweet or savoury. Italian brioches may be filled with jam (US: jelly) or custard or plain.
A chocolate sponge filled and decorated with dessert pears and cream beaten and flavoured with vanilla.
"Breton cake." A rich cake made with flour, egg yolks, butter and sugar.
A peculiar cake made on a spit, by dribbling the pastry mix onto it as it turns, resulting in a bubbly spiral. The one we tasted in Coupiac in the Aveyron, from where the cake comes, tasted strongly of sheep's milk. This is not surprising as neighbouring Requista has the largest sheep market in France. However, we found the taste strong and rank.
"Nantes cake." A frangipani cake from Nantes made with almonds and rum.
