Tradition, demonstration, tasting: the spit cakes from the Millavine house Alibert make gourmets salivate

the essential Maison Alibert offers traditionally made spit cakes. And customers and curious people alike can observe and ask questions.

What is a spit cake? Traditionally cooked over a wood fire and turned with a hand crank, it has existed since 1780. According to Legend has it that it was brought back from Eastern Europe by Napoleon in 1790. Today, it is an emblematic dessert of the departments of Aveyron and Hautes-Pyrénées.

In Millau, Maison Alibert makes it a point of honor to preserve cooking over a wood fire for its cakes. "This cooking method gives a soft texture to the dough, explains Stéphanie Jadibert, employed for 6 years. Unlike that made by an oven which dries out and will influence the taste."Stéphanie also specifies that you have to be wary of what is written on the labels. " The term artisanal cooking is different from that over a wood fire.  Many people are fooled."

And add:  " In Aveyron, there are only 4 or 5 of us cooking over a wood fire. We sell between 100 and 150 cakes per day. Demand remains too high to maintain classic hand-crank cooking. We still sometimes make pieces with this technique for weddings."

Ingredients that everyone has in the fridge

The cake batter looks like waffle batter. It is made up of only a few ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, eggs. No colorings, no preservatives."The eggs have beaten into snow. This allows for better conservation, specifies Stéphanie. Like in the old days. With this method, the cake goes from fifteen days to two months of conservation. For a unique taste, we take the time, every morning, to break& ;nbsp;eggs always natural.  We do not use it in powder form. No more than we put margarine…"

The paste is available in four flavors: vanilla (the most popular in Millau), rum (very popular in northern Aveyron), rum almond, and pistachio. "The spit cake is chosen like bread: some like it white, others prefer it well cooked."

A cake to match

"We use stainless steel shapes covered with parchment paper. Until recently the molds were made of wood but the new European standards have banned them." The dough is deposited using ;rsquo;a ladle over the flames before cooking gradually.

Stéphanie pours the batter onto the molds. Midi Libre – L.LEMAIRE

"For a medium-sized cake (25 cm) four or five layers are necessary. It takes between twenty and thirty minutes to cook. We have molds of all sizes. The largest is 1.50 m for 50 kg of cake. It takes four hours to cook and can feed around 500 people. " The record for the largest spit cake was broken in early July. 

Tasting a spit cake in the tropics

Customers of Maison Alibert can watch the cakes being made and chat with the professionals. "It’is a demonstration that pleases enormously. Many people are passing through the region and don't know."

For the last layer the electric turner accelerates to "project" the dough and give it a spicy appearance. After cooking, it’cutting time has come. Certain parts come off and are offered for tasting. "To unmold the cake, it must still be hot. Cold, it becomes brittle, says Laurent Barreau, five years senior. I must be able to handle it."&amp ;nbsp;

"We ship to France, Europe and even Japan, specifies Stéphanie.& nbsp;For my friend's 50th birthday, I sent her one of five kilos to Guadeloupe." Note that since August& nbsp;2023, Mehdi and Laura Saunier are the new owners of La maison Alibert. In addition to spit cakes, spreads and fruit jellies are on sale.

Open every day except Sunday. Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ;nbsp;30. Maison Alibert, 4 rue Peyssière in Millau. I subscribe to read more