An Ode to "Le Cake Salé"

The savory cake you need for your get-togethers, including a recipe for Cake Salé with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes.

When you hear “French cake,” you probably think of elegant gâteaux, delicate pastries, or towering confections. But in everyday French kitchens, le cake is something else entirely—and just as delicious.

Pronounced [kek], a French cake refers to a loaf baked in a rectangular tin. Sure, there are sweet versions like chocolate, lemon, or pistachio. But one of our best-kept secrets? The savory kind known as cake salé.

Think of it as a cross between a quick bread and a loaf-style quiche. Moist, sturdy, and endlessly adaptable, it’s the perfect vehicle for briny olives, tangy cheeses, smoky bits of ham, or sun-dried tomatoes. (I still love the classic ham-and-olive version I shared on my blog a few years back.) Once you get the hang of it, the combinations are endless.

For me, Cake salé is undeniably the underdog of French savory bakes. While quiches enjoy the limelight on the Food Network and Martha Stewart’s kitchen counter, and rustic tarts and galettes regularly steal the show on social media, cake salé quietly stays in the shadows—virtually unknown beyond French borders.

And that’s a shame.

Because this unassuming loaf is woven into French food culture. It’s there at family picnics, apéros with friends, potlucks and casual dinners. And it’s more than just a recipe I think—it’s a reflection of the modern French way of entertaining: unfussy, flavorful, and meant to be shared. I have many fond memories of nibbling on cubes of cake salé at apéros dînatoires—those casual, buffet-style gatherings with friends where the wine flows and no one really eats dinner - but somehow no one leaves hungry.

Whether you serve it warm with a salad, cold from the fridge, or cut into cubes for your next apéritif dinatoire, cake salé is one of those quietly brilliant bakes that deserves a moment in the spotlight.

More French finger foods & appetizers to try

• Baguette Flambée (for paid subscribers)

• Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Pork and Brie (Champignons Farcis)

• Sardine White Bean Cakes (Croquettes de Sardine)

• Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Tarte Soleil

• Eggplant Caviar Dip (Caviar d’Aubergine)

• French Cheese Puffs (Gougères)

• Classic French Salmon Rillettes

• Brie en Croûte with Cranberries, Nuts and Thyme

• Gruyère Cheese Twists (Torsades au Fromage)