Still in catchup mode – tonight we are baking from the recipe book of Picardy.  Le gateaux battu Picardie (or ‘beat cake’) is a specialty of the Somme area of France, and more specifically, Abbeville. It is basically a yeast cake, rich in butter and eggs.  It is traditionally hand beaten and baked in a tall fluted metal mould that resembles a chefs hat.  The end result, when baked in the correct mould,  is a cake that I think most closely resembles the Italian panettone in shape and an airy brioche in texture. This cake is traditionally served either for breakfast with jam or for goûter – the almost universally observed French ‘afternoon tea’.  A tradition worth adopting, I think!