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Classic French Croquembouche

Pamper your guests with the Croquembouche dessert, made with cream puffs and caramel.

April 6, 2022
French CroquembouchePhoto By Canva
Difficulty Medium
Servings 8 people
Preparation 60 mins
Cooking 30 mins
Total 90 mins

Ingredients

Directions

Choux Dough

  1. To make the choux dough, preheat the oven to 400 °F.
  2. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a bowl. Then bring to a gentle boil in a large saucepan. Make sure to mix the ingredients well so that the sugar dissolves properly.
  3. Turn off the heat at the bottom of the pan and then add the flour. Stir the flour into the wet mixture.
  4. Stir the mixture well and cook over medium-high heat until the dough mixture comes together well and a thin crust forms on the bottom of the pan. The dough should peel gently from the edges after about three minutes at this point. This process cooks the flour and dries out the dough a little so that it bakes better later on.
  5. Then transfer the dough to the mixing bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat the dough on medium speed for about 1 minute to release steam and cool the dough.
  6. When the mixture stops steaming, add the eggs one at a time. While the mixer is running, add the eggs quickly. Before adding the next egg, make sure the previous one is fully mixed.
  7. After adding the penultimate egg, stop the mixer to check the dough. Dip your finger lightly into the dough. Make sure it slowly rises again.
  8. Then transfer the choux dough to a large round tip piping bag.
  9. Press into 1-inch bumps on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Hold the bag vertically and move it slowly in a circle.
  10. Bake the puffs for about fifteen minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 375 °F. Then continue cooking for about 25-30 minutes. Once the dough balls are golden brown, take them out of the oven.

Pastry Cream

  1. To make the pastry cream, do the egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water.
  2. Then, whisk together the egg mixture, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
  3. Put the milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges.
  4. Whisking constantly, add the milk mixture to the egg mixture. This will soften the eggs. Do this extremely slowly and gently. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter. After whipping, let the pastry cream cool completely.
  5. After cooling, fill the pastry cream into a 13-inch piping bag.
  6. Once the puffs have cooled, poke a small hole in the bottom of each puff with a paring knife. Next, insert the very end of the piping bag and fill each puff with the pastry cream.

Caramel Sauce

  1. Finally, make the caramel sauce. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, turning it from time to time, but without stirring, until the caramel turns a light golden color.
  2. Remove from the heat.

Assemble

  1. Dip each choux pastry into the caramel with a fork and roll it around the croquembouche, leaving a thin strand of caramel behind.
  2. Using this caramel as glue, glue the cream puffs to a vertical cone shape and create a tapered centerpiece.
  3. Serve them immediately, after covering all towers of cream puffs with caramel sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 French Croquembouche
Serves 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories244
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19.4 g24.9%
Cholesterol 129 mg43%
Sodium 271 mg11.8%
Protein 3.9 g7.8%
Potassium 61 mg1.3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Tips

  • Make the dough buns the same size. For this, use round cookie cutters. In this way, the dough will bake evenly.
  • You can also use conical molds to make the croquembouche.
  • The baked puffs should be completely firm and brown in color. If soft, cook for about 5 more minutes.
  • While cooking the caramel sauce, check constantly so that it does not burn. It thickens quickly and continues to cook even after turning off the heat.
  • Consume now. You can pre-make the pastry cream or even choux dough balls. But pour the caramel sauce just before serving. Otherwise, the dough will become soft.
  • The caramel sauce will thicken and harden as it cools. If it starts to get too thick, you can reheat it gently over medium-low heat.
  • Avoid coating the cream puffs with too much caramel. If you don't, you won't be able to separate the dough puffs when it's time to eat them.
Rate This Recipe

Croquembouche is prepared with cream-filled choux dough buns and caramel. This traditional French dessert is made on special occasions such as weddings, Christmas holidays, and New Year's Eve. It means "crunch in the mouth" in French.

This Classic Croquembouche recipe is filled with vanilla pastry cream. There are also whipped cream and ganache-filled varieties. Try this Classic French Croquembouche recipe, which is the perfect combination of crispy, golden choux dough and caramel. Enjoy this delicious cream puff tower.

What Is a Croquembouche?

A croquembouche is a legendary French dessert. It’s made up of small cream puffs that are glued together with caramel. These puffs are typically centered around a paper or cardboard cone, which gives them the structural stability to stay upright.

Cone-shaped croquembouche is prepared by sticking choux dough together with caramel. It is traditionally served over nougat. It is also served on special occasions and invitations.

What Is The Difference Between Croquembouche and Profiteroles?

Croquembouche consists of cream-filled profiteroles stacked in a cone shape and laced with sugar. Each cream puff is called a profiteroles, while all together they form a "croquembouche".

Check out our other French Dessert Recipes:

Recipe byPetite Gourmets

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