Cake Salé (French Savory Cake)

Quick Summary: Cake salé (pronounced "kek sa-LAY") is a French savory cake, or salty cake, baked as a loaf-shaped quick bread with a generous filling of cheese, meat, or fish, and olives. It is served at apéro and picnics, ready in about one hour, and endlessly customizable.

This cake can be made with any savory ingredients, from tuna, smoked salmon, and vegetables to candied tomatoes, goat cheese, and chorizo. The recipe is limited only by your imagination.

What is cake salé?

Cake salé is a French savory cake made with unsweetened soft batter and a generous savory filling served at French apéro dînatoire, a traditional boozy pre-dinner with snacks. In other words, cake salé is a French salty cake, with the French word salé meaning "salty."

Easy and quick to prepare, I love making different variations of savory loaves and serving them as a starter with a few salad leaves or for picnics.

When it comes to ingredients, I do not sweat at choosing them. Whether it is goat cheese, leftover ham, zucchini, or walnuts, I toss them into the recipe.

"I say, open your fridge. Now that you have the base, add whatever you like," says Sophie Dudemaine, the author of the cookbook "Les Cakes de Sophie."

You can make French cake salé in advance and keep it in a cool place for up to 24 hours. Here is my favorite savory cake recipe.

Ingredients

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

• Flour: plain or all-purpose, but you can replace some AP flour with whole wheat flour.
• Baking powder: I always use aluminum-free baking powder.
• Large eggs at room temperature.
• Clarified butter (ghee), store-bought or homemade, brings a slightly nutty, toasted flavor to the cake. To substitute ghee with butter, use 20% more butter than ghee.
• Grape seed oil is flavorless and best used while baking, but you can replace it with extra-virgin olive oil.
• Whole or low-fat milk milk
• Green onions
• Cheese: Choose two types, for example, Emmental and Gruyère.
• Salmon: You will need both fresh and smoked salmon.
• Green olives or black olives work well, but opt for pitted olives.
• Flaxseed

How to make cake salé step-by-step

Step 1: Heat oven to 320°F (160°C). Butter and flour 9 x 5-inch bread loaf pan, and tap the flour excess.

Step 2: In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add eggs to the flour mixture and mix with a hand whisk (photo 1).

Step 3: Add clarified butter warmed to 120°F (50°C) and grape seed oil, then combine with a rubber spatula.

Step 4: Pour the milk, add salt and black pepper (to taste), and mix everything well. Add flaxseed and grated Emmental cheese (photo 2) and combine.

Step 5: Finally, add fresh and smoked salmon cut into pieces, chopped green onions, and chopped green olives (photo 3), and mix just to combine (photo 4).

Step 6: Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it with a spatula (photo 5). Sprinkle with grated Gruyère cheese and bake at 320°F (160°C) for 10 minutes.

Then, lower oven temperature to 285°F (140°C) and bake for 30 minutes longer. Watch for the cheese on top of the cake to turn gold. Once the cake is ready, remove it from the bread pan and let it cool on a wire rack (photo 6).

To serve, decorate the cake using slices of smoked salmon, lemon slices, black sesame, and leek or clover shoots.

Expert Tips

• Use this simple cake pan calculator to recalculate the recipe ingredients for your baking pan.
• Make mini loaf cakes by dividing the cake batter between loaf tins, but adjust the baking time.
• Serve it cold or warm, accompanied by a glass of wine and a nice green salad to add a touch of freshness.

Recipe variations

Here are some mix-in ideas, vegetarian, original, or classic, to create your own version of a cake salé. Use this basic recipe, but try to keep the filling quantities as indicated.

• Black olives and feta 
• Ham and cheese: grated Gruyere cheese, Emmental, Cantal, Comté cheese, etc.
• Zucchini and goat cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil (perfectly pair with Parmesan)
• Bacon lardons and caramelized onion
• Chorizo and bell pepper (perfectly pair with fresh coriander)
• Goat cheese, figs, walnuts (great with fresh rosemary)
• Carrots and cumin
• Spinach and feta cheese
• Cheddar cheese and fresh herbs in equal proportions, such as fresh parsley, cilantro, tarragon, plus garlic

Note: To balance your savory cake with different flavors, choose one or two types of cheese, one protein (meat, poultry, fish, tofu), and one or two mix-ins.

How to serve cake salé

Cake salé is traditionally served at a French apéro dînatoire, the relaxed pre-dinner hour of drinks and finger foods such as Gruyère cheese puffs, but it is just as at home on a picnic, at a birthday party, or as a starter with a few salad leaves. Because it travels and slices well, it works beautifully for buffets and lunchboxes.

Serve this French savory cake cold or gently warmed, cut into thick slices or bite-sized cubes. It pairs perfectly with a glass of white or rosé wine and a crisp green salad, and it is lovely alongside a bowl of soup on cooler days.

For a special presentation, decorate the top with slices of smoked salmon, lemon, black sesame seeds, and leek or clover shoots.

Storing and freezing

Store your savory loaf in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to a week. The goal is to avoid humidity in the refrigerator. For the best results, try to enjoy the cake within the first three to five days.

To freeze, wrap the French salty cake in plastic film, then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, refrigerate the cake overnight or leave it on the kitchen counter for a few hours.

Love quick breads? Try these next!

Recipe FAQ

What is cake salé?
Cake salé is a French savory cake, essentially a loaf-shaped quick bread baked with an unsweetened batter and a generous savory filling such as cheese, ham, or salmon, and olives. The French word salé means "salty," so it is sometimes called a salty cake, though it tastes savory rather than actually salty.

How do you pronounce cake salé?
It is pronounced "kek sa-LAY," with the stress on the second syllable of salé. The word cake is borrowed from English, and salé is the French adjective for "salted."

What is the difference between savory cake and savoury cake?
There is no difference beyond spelling. "Savory cake" is the American spelling and "savoury cake" is the British spelling, and both refer to the same French savory cake, or cake salé.

Can I make cake salé ahead of time?
Yes. You can bake French cake salé in advance and keep it in a cool place for up to 24 hours, or refrigerate it for up to a week. It also freezes well for up to three months, wrapped in plastic film and then foil.

What are the best fillings for a savory cake?
Choose one or two cheeses, one protein such as ham, bacon, salmon, or tofu, and one or two mix-ins. Popular combinations include ham and Gruyère, zucchini and goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, chorizo and bell pepper, or olives and feta.

How do you serve cake salé?
Serve it cold or slightly warmed, sliced or cubed, as part of an apéro spread, a picnic, or a starter. It pairs well with a glass of wine, a green salad, or a bowl of soup.

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Recipe card

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 C'est ma fournée. It was originally published on March 17, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.