French Savory Cake (cake salé)
Have you ever tried a cake salé or French Savory Cake? This is a true classic of French home cooking: a French savory cake that’s perfect for buffets, picnics, aperitifs, or a light dinner.
Cake salé or savory cake a simple batter, similar to a quick bread, enriched with delicious ingredients like cheese, vegetables, olives, or tuna.
In this recipe, I’m sharing one of my favorite variations: a French savory cake with tuna, feta and green olives. It’s moist, flavorful and incredibly easy to make – a perfect addition to your table!
Main Ingredients for My French Savory Cake
One of the great things about a Cake salé is how versatile it is. You can easily adapt the filling to suit your taste. Here are the ingredients I usually use (you’ll find the exact quantities in the recipe below):
- Canned tuna: Drained, preferably packed in oil for extra flavor.
- Green olives: Pitted and sliced.
- Feta: Adds a salty, tangy touch. You can also substitute grated cheese if you prefer.
- Eggs: The base of the batter, giving it structure and moisture.
- Flour + milk: For a light and fluffy texture.
- Olive oil: Replaces butter and adds a lovely fruity note.
How to Make This French Savory Cake – In 3 Easy Steps
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F). Grease your baking pan with olive oil and line it with parchment paper if needed.
- Prepare the batter: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the milk and olive oil. Finally, fold in the tuna, feta, olives, chopped parsley, and black pepper.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
👉 My tip: Let the cake cool slightly in the pan before unmolding – it will stay extra moist!
How to Serve This French Savory Cake
Whether you’re hosting a party, planning a picnic, or preparing a casual aperitif with friends, this French savory cake is always a great idea! You can easily make it ahead of time, it’s travel-friendly, and it’s perfect finger food.
Here’s how I love to serve it:
- Sliced as an aperitif, with homemade black or green tapenade or salmon rillettes, it’s always a hit.
- On a picnic, with pasta salad or potato salad.
- As a light, warm evening meal, this grilled zucchini and mint salad is one of my favorite combos!
And if you’re looking for other ideas to go with it:
- Cucumber salad with cream
- Grated carrots with lemon and cumin
- Crème fraîche, lemon and chive sauce – perfect for topping a warm slice of cake!
Ideas for variations
There are many recipes for savory cakes, I chose tuna, feta and olives but here are some alternative recipes :
- Vegetarian: sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and goat’s cheese
- Classic: ham, Gruyère and green olives
- Lorrain: bacon, onions and Emmental cheese
- Mediterranean: zucchini, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes
Don’t hesitate to leave me a comment, it always makes me happy!
You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to see behind the scenes of my blog
Recipe card
Savory Cake (French cake salé)
Click on the stars to rate!
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan (23 cm, 9 inches)
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup flour (200 g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned tuna , drained (150 g)
- 1 1/3 feta cheese (200 g)
- 1/2 cup green olives (75 g)
- 2/3 cup olive oil (150 ml)
- 2/3 cup milk (150 ml)
- 1 cup fresh parsley , chopped
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) and grease a loaf pan or cake tin with olive oil. Line with baking paper if necessary.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Pour in the milk and olive oil, stirring constantly.
- Add tuna, crumbled feta, chopped green olives, finely chopped parsley and a little black pepper to the dough. Mix until the dough is evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and the tip of a knife in the center comes out clean.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
F&Q : Savoury cake
To determine whether a salted cake is cooked, perform a test by inserting a toothpick or the tip of a knife into the center: if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
Yes, it is possible to prepare a savoury cake in advance. Once the cake has cooled completely, store it in an airtight tin or wrap it tightly in plastic film and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. If you need to keep it longer, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
To freeze a savoury cake, let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic film or aluminum foil. Place in a container or freezer bag, making sure there’s no excess air, and mark the date on the label. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I made the Cake Salè recipe from your lovely cookbook. I’m curious if there is a reason to add the egg yolks to the flour mixture before the other wet ingredients? I found that part very difficult, although the end result was fabulous, and so pretty!
I look forward to trying some of the mixtures suggested here on your blog. I will still use your cookbook recipe for the batter. I like the added cornstarch and using yogurt.
Hi and thank you so much for your lovely message! I start by whisking the egg yolks in the middle of the flour, creating a little well, but they don’t need to be fully incorporated at this stage. This helps create a softer batter when you add the rest of the wet ingredients. But if you find it too tricky, you can absolutely add the other wet ingredients at the same time, it will work just fine!
It was delicious Geraldine! great combo with the basil/mint zucchini salad. It does pack a lot of calories with all that olive oil, but it’s worth it!
Thanks Dayo!
Mind. Blown.
Hi Geraldine..I made this yesterday and wow.. So tasty..I did not have any feta on hand so I did mine with half Parmesan and half Emmenthal with a little bit of lardon thrown in..it was just amazing. Definitely another of your recipe to keep..thank you.
Thank you so much for this kind comment Claudette !
Hi Geraldine…….
I made this yesterday. It is outstanding even though I didn’t have the parsley (my faux pas).
The recipe and photos are great. My cake looked exactly like the photos at 40 minutes but I didn’t think it was done because the internal temperature seemed low at about 150°F and the top was bubbling moisture. At 5 minute intervals I kept checking until about a 185°F internal temperature. My probe was coming out fairly clean at each check but not perfectly clean.
The sides and bottom of the cake stuck to my nonstick so I got to nibble on the overcooked areas while the “imperfect” cake cooled. Delicious.
I can’t wait to try this with parsley and the simple “clean probe technique”…….
This was a very good savory cake recipe, I made mine with sardines instead of tuna and added a couple of anchovies. I also used Parmesan instead of jack, with a bit of jack to add to the fattiness. Finally, to serve, I oven toasted it with jack cheese on top. Yum.
Thank you, Cynthia! Great idea to add parmesan.
Just an fyi, parsley isn’t listed in the ingredients but does make a cameo appearance in the recipe
Thank you, Ded. I just added it 🙂
If I add zucchini or cherry tomatoes would you precook the zucchini and cut tomatoes in 1/2 or put in whole. Worried that those additions will make the gâteau too wet…. Other veggies such as mushrooms, peppers and onions I would imagine I’d sauté first.
Great idea! It’s best to sauté these kind of veggies first for the taste and texture, but I already made it with a zucchini and red bell pepper cut in small cubes without precooking to save time and it worked 🙂
If I add zucchini or cherry tomatoes would you precook the zucchini and cut tomatoes in 1/2 or put in whole. Worried that those additions will make the gâteau too wet….
This bread is versatile! This is a great bread. Do you think it could also work with diced dates and nuts or maybe berries such as blueberries? Perhaps it is not sweet enough for this?
Absolutely, it would work but rather for a sweet and savory version. This cake really is made to be savory 🙂
This is very good. In spite of my spending a lot of time in France over the years, I had never heard of what I have come to learn is a traditional French appetizer. It has the texture of a cake but is savouy, hence the name gâteau salé. I intend to make this again for consumption at my summer cottage with a glass of rosé wine.
Thank you so much! So happy you will make it again and a glass of rosé wine sounds perfect with it 🙂
Geraldine, amo teus pratos, mas deveria publicar também em espanhol e português!!!
I don’t speak Spanish for Portuguese well to translate the recipes myself, but maybe one day I will let them translate 🙂