Croquembush is a sophisticated French dessert. A slender tower made of tiny profiteroles filled with delicate Patissier custard, and fastened with thin caramel threads, requires certain pastry skills from the creator, as well as a firm hand. It is better to start cooking the "Croquembush" cake in a few days.
The history of the "Croquembush" cake
The name of the dessert comes from the French expression croque-en-bouche, which translates as “crunchy in the mouth”. The creator of the exquisite cake is considered the "chefs of kings and the king of chefs" Marie-Antoine Carem. It was he who made this dessert popular and introduced it to high society. Croquembush is often made for such solemn occasions as weddings, baptisms, or, in the Catholic tradition, the first communion. Depending on the event, the decor of the cake changes. It is decorated with figurines of the bride and groom, monograms, candied flowers, pasta cakes, colored almond petals or marzipan ribbons.
Choux pastry profiteroles (pâte à choux)
Take profiteroles one or two days before making the Croquembush cake. To prepare them you will need:
- 175 g unsalted butter;
- 185 g wheat flour;
- 6 large chicken eggs;
- ½ cup of milk fat content not less than 2.5%;
- 200 ml of water;
- ½ teaspoon of fine table salt.
Sift flour. Mix water and milk in a wide heavy-bottomed saucepan, salt and melt the butter in the liquid. Bring the mixture to a boil and add flour in a thin stream, stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the mixture forms a stable ball that extends away from the sides of the pot. Remove the pan from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Start adding the chicken eggs one at a time, whisking well in between. You should have an oily, glossy dough that holds its shape well. You may not need all of the eggs. Pour the dough into a narrow-tipped piping bag. Start squeezing the dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. You should have cakes with a diameter of no more than 2 cm, lay them out at intervals of 1 ½ - 2 cm. In total, you should get about 75 profiteroles. You will have to bake them in several passes.
Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Bake for about 25 minutes, the cakes should be plump and golden. Remove them from the oven and cut each profiterole to release the steam. Return the cakes to the hot oven for 5 minutes. Refrigerate and pack in an airtight container.
Custard Patissier (crème patissiere)
The Patissier custard for this cake is often flavored with various spirits. This recipe uses Italian limoncello liqueur. The taste is exceptional. For the cream you will need:
- 500 ml of milk with a fat content of at least 2.5%;
- 150 g granulated sugar;
- 50 g wheat flour;
- 9 egg yolks;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of lemon zest;
- 7 tbsp. tablespoons of limoncello liqueur.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour and lemon zest into a smooth paste. In a wide saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Transfer to a saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat, cover with a parchment circle to prevent skin from forming on the cream. Cool it down.
How to assemble the Croquembush cake
If you don't have a special pastry cone, make one yourself. Take an A1 piece of thin cardboard. Tighten it with baking foil. Roll the cone with a base diameter of 20 cm. The foil should be inside the cone. Secure with duct tape. Cut off the top of the cone. Start profiteroles with cream.
Melt 400 g of white chocolate in a water bath. Install the cone with the narrow end down. Place one bun in a cone, bottom up, use a teaspoon to put some chocolate and again put two cream buns upside down, pour chocolate and add a few more buns. Repeat until the cone is full. Do not grease the bottom of the last profiteroles with chocolate. Wrap the cone in foil and refrigerate for 10-12 hours to set the chocolate. Flip the cone onto a flat serving plate and remove any remaining foil.
In a small saucepan, heat 5 tablespoons of water, add 100 g of granulated sugar and cook a soft, smooth syrup. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes, remove from heat and place a saucepan in a little cold water. Use a teaspoon to form fine strands around the cake cone. Let them freeze.
