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Gâteau de foie served with toast and salad
Airy and delicate chicken liver soufflé served with tomato sauce.

Lyonnaise chicken liver cake

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Starters
Gâteau de Foie, or chicken liver cake, is a gem of French provincial cuisine (particularly around Lyon). This is not a dessert, but a silky, airy starter or light supper reminiscent of a soufflé. The distinct taste of liver is softened by cream and egg, while Cognac and nutmeg endow it with elegance. Like a warm, rustic pâté.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 50 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 380 kcal
🌍 Cuisine French

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Blender or stick blender
  • Ramekins or a larger mould
  • Roasting tin for water bath

Allergen Information

⚠️ Eggs
⚠️ Milk
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten

Instructions

1 ✓

Clean the liver thoroughly: cut out all veins and membranes. Wash and pat dry.

Tip: Veins and membranes can make this creamy dish bitter and chewy.
2 ✓

Sauté the onion in butter until soft, but do not brown. Add the garlic, then the liver. Fry the liver for 2-3 minutes, just until whitened but the centre remains raw.

Tip: It doesn't need to cook through fully as it will finish in the oven. If overcooked now, the texture will be grainy.
3 ✓

Pour the Cognac into the pan and boil for 1 minute (or flambé carefully) so the alcohol evaporates but the flavour remains.

Tip: Alcoholic deglazing dissolves the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4 ✓

Place the liver mixture in a blender. Add the eggs, cream, breadcrumbs, spices, and parsley. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.

Tip: The key to a smooth texture is thorough blending. Pass through a sieve for extra smoothness.
5 ✓

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter the moulds and fill with the mixture. Place moulds in a deep roasting tin and pour enough hot water around them to reach halfway up the moulds.

Tip: This is a water bath (bain-marie). The water won't exceed 100 degrees, protecting the dish from overcooking.
6 ✓

Bake for 45-50 minutes. It is ready when the centre is no longer runny but set with a wobble. Let cool slightly before serving.

Tip: Check with a skewer: if it comes out clean, it is ready.

Recipe FAQ

Why bake in a water bath?
The egg-cream mixture is very sensitive to heat. The water bath (bain-marie) ensures gentle, even heat distribution so the 'cake' isn't scrambled eggs, but a creamy soufflé.
Can it be eaten cold?
Yes, it functions as a pâté when cold, but Gâteau de Foie is traditionally best served warm with tomato sauce or mushroom sauce.

Ingredients

  • 400 g Chicken livers (cleaned, sinews removed)
  • 1 head Onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 3 whole Eggs
  • 200 ml Double cream
  • 50 g Butter (plus a little for greasing moulds)
  • 50 g Breadcrumbs
  • 30 ml Cognac or Brandy
  • 10 g Salt
  • 1 pinch Ground pepper
  • 1 bunch Fresh parsley
  • 1 pinch Nutmeg (freshly grated)