Le Ventoulet Tastes of Provence in Every Cake Slice

A few years ago, a group of Provencal pastry masters called les Artisans Pâtissiers Chocolatiers du Vaucluse got together with a concept in mind, their project was to make a cake that is representative of Provence. As you can likely tell, from their official title these artisan bakers know what they are doing when it comes to creating tasty treats.

Their criteria were straightforward:

The cake had to stay fresh for a long time – un gâteau de “voyage”

The cake should be moist like a sponge cake

The ingredients should be from Provence

No nasty stuff (i.e. colourings or artificial flavours)

The cake should be pretty enough to give as a gift

And it should be delicious!

Over the period of a year and a half, there was some experimentation with ingredients, taste testing, objective ranking and refinements to the recipe until the group decided that they had it right.

Then, the question was what to this special cake? There was a contest to name it and the final selection was le Ventoulet (small breeze), which is a play-on-words as the typically violent mistral wind is the furthest thing from delicate. The name also pays homage to Provence’s “giant” Mont Ventoux with its distinctive volcanic shape and the highly visible barren summit at 1912 metres.

Explore the original Ginger and Nutmeg post

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).