French Prune Custard Cake (Far Breton)

Quick Summary: French prune custard cake, or Far Breton, is a classic dessert from Brittany that bakes rum-soaked prunes into a rich, dense, flan-like custard. It needs only about 20 minutes of hands-on time and makes 8 generous servings, and the prunes and batter can be prepped a day ahead.

If you have never made French Far Breton (Far Breton aux pruneaux in French), a signature dessert from the Brittany region, it is a good one to start with. This easy prune custard cake is simple to put together yet always a crowd-pleaser.

With just a few ingredients and little effort, it makes a reliable everyday cake for any occasion. The batter is much like crepe batter, so if you can make crepes, you will manage Far Breton with no trouble.

The texture is so creamy that it is a pleasure to spoon the cake straight from the baking dish, especially when a piece is full of prunes.

What is Far Breton?

Far Breton, also called Breton Far, is a dense, flan-like custard cake from the Brittany region of France. Its name comes from the Latin far, meaning porridge or gruel, a nod to its humble origins.

The dish dates to the 18th century, when it was a savory preparation made with buckwheat flour. The sweet version, baked with prunes and known in French as far breton aux pruneaux, took hold in the 19th century and became the classic we know today.

Modern Far Breton is made with a simple batter of flour, eggs, milk, and sugar, close to crepe batter, then studded with rum-soaked prunes. Cooks often flavor it with vanilla sugar, dark rum, or plum liqueur.

What is custard?

Custard is a family of preparations made from milk or cream, sugar, and eggs, sometimes thickened further with flour, cornstarch, or gelatin. Eggs give custard its smooth, creamy set.

It ranges widely in texture, from a thin pouring sauce like crème anglaise, to a thicker pastry cream (crème pâtissière), to the dense, sliceable custards of clafoutis, Far Breton, and savory quiche.

Far Breton vs. clafoutis

Far Breton and clafoutis are both baked, fruit-studded custards, so they look similar at a glance and share a crepe-like batter.

The difference is in texture and fruit. Far Breton is dense and flan-like, traditionally made with rum-soaked prunes from Brittany. Clafoutis is lighter and more tender, and classically baked with black cherries.

When clafoutis is made with any fruit other than cherries, such as plums, pears, peaches, or apples, it is technically called a flaugnarde.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy to make: the batter comes together like crepe batter, with only about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
• Make-ahead friendly: soak the prunes and mix the batter a day before, then bake the next day in minutes.
• Budget-friendly: it uses a handful of simple, low-cost ingredients and yields 8 generous servings.
• Any time of day: serve it for breakfast, as an after-dinner dessert, or pack it for a picnic.
• Rum-soaked prunes: the soaked prunes add deep flavor, and you can leave out the alcohol for a kid-friendly cake.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Rum: use dark rum or replace it with calvados or plum liqueur to vary the taste. Omit alcohol to make the custard cake kid-friendly.

• Tea: the recipe calls for two black tea bags.

• Prunes: use stoned prunes or replace them with raisins if desired.

• Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

• Sugar: use granulated white sugar or caster sugar to make Far Breton.

• Salt: one pinch of salt makes a difference. It enhances the dessert's flavors.

• Eggs: use whole large-sized eggs at room temperature.

• Butter: use unsalted, melted butter for this recipe.

• Milk: whole milk is preferred, but you can replace it with low-fat milk.

Equipment

You need only a few basic tools to make Far Breton:

• Square ceramic baking dish or cake pan
• Mixing bowls
• Hand whisk
• Small saucepan or bowl for soaking the prunes
• Colander
• Fine-mesh sieve for dusting powdered sugar

How to make French prune cake Far Breton

Step 1. Steep the tea bags in warm water, then add the rum and pitted prunes. Let the prunes soak for two hours (photo 1).

Step 2. Drain the prunes in a colander and set them aside.

Step 3. Preheat the oven to 395°F (200°C).

Step 4. Butter a square ceramic baking dish and arrange the drained prunes over the bottom.

Step 5. To make the batter, place the eggs, sugar, and salt in a bowl and mix with a hand whisk (photo 2).

Step 6. Add the flour and mix to combine. Then add the melted butter, cold milk, and rum, and whisk until the batter is smooth (photo 3).

Step 7. Pour the batter over the prunes (photo 5).

Step 8. Bake at 395°F (200°C) for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 345°F (170°C) and bake for one hour longer (photo 6).

Expert tips

• Soak the prunes for 2 hours, or overnight, a day ahead. Drain them, cover, and keep at room temperature or in the fridge.
• Make the batter a day in advance too, and store it covered in the fridge so you only need a few minutes the next day.
• Use good, plump prunes, since they carry the cake's flavor. Soaking them in rum, Armagnac, or plum liqueur deepens the taste.
• To make the prunes float higher in the cake, toss them in a little flour and stir them into the poured batter instead of lining the dish.
• Do not open the oven while the cake bakes, or it may deflate before it is set.
• Far Breton naturally sinks a little as it cools, which is normal for this custard cake.

Recipe variations

Far Breton is easy to adapt. Here are a few ways to change it up:

• Different spirits: swap the rum for Armagnac, Cognac, calvados, or plum liqueur, or leave out the alcohol for a kid-friendly cake.
• Other dried fruit: use raisins instead of prunes, or soak both together for a two-fruit Far Breton.
• Vanilla or citrus: add vanilla sugar, a split vanilla bean, or a little orange or lemon zest to the batter.
• Individual servings: bake the batter in buttered ramekins to reduce baking time.
• Savory and traditional: the original 18th-century Far was a savory dish made with buckwheat flour, a nod to its Breton roots.

How to serve Far Breton

Serve Far Breton warm or cold in a baking dish. The dessert tends to deflate as it cools. To serve Far dessert out of the baking pan, butter and line the pan's bottom with parchment paper.

After baking, run a knife around the custard in the dish to loosen it. Invert the baking pan onto parchment, sprinkled with icing sugar. Remove the pan, peel off the paper, and quickly invert onto the serving plate. Sprinkle the top of the custard with icing (powdered) sugar.

Storing & freezing

Store Far Breton in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It actually improves after a day, as the flavors settle and the custard firms up. Bring it back to room temperature, or warm it gently, before serving.

Freezing is not recommended. Like most baked custards, Far Breton loses its creamy texture once thawed and can turn watery, so it is best enjoyed within a few days.

Recipe FAQ

What is French prune custard cake?
It is Far Breton, a classic dessert from Brittany made by baking prunes into a rich, dense, flan-like custard. The batter is close to crepe batter, and the prunes are usually soaked in tea and rum first.

What is the difference between Far Breton and clafoutis?
Both are baked custards, but Far Breton is denser and more flan-like, traditionally made with prunes from Brittany. Clafoutis is lighter and more tender, and it is classically made with black cherries.

Why do you use prunes and custard together?
Soaked prunes add deep, sweet flavor and moisture that balances the plain, eggy custard. They are the signature fruit of the traditional recipe, though raisins work too.

Why did my Far Breton sink or deflate?
A little sinking as it cools is normal for this custard cake. To limit it, don't open the oven during baking, and let the cake cool gradually.

Can you make Far Breton ahead of time?
Yes. Soak the prunes and mix the batter a day ahead, then bake the next day. The baked cake also keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days and tastes even better the second day.

Can you make it without alcohol?
Yes. Leave out the rum and soak the prunes in tea alone for a kid-friendly version.

How many calories are in French prune custard cake?
One serving has about 305 calories.

Love custards? Try these next!

• Cherry Clafoutis
• Easy Fresh Peach Clafoutis
• Coconut Flan (Flan de Coco)
• Crème Anglaise (Vanilla Custard Sauce)
• Browse all the Custard Recipes

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.meilleurduchef.com. It was originally published in February 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.