Croquembouche: A Stunning French Pastry Tower
- Croquembouche is an elegant French pastry tower made from cream-filled choux puffs stacked into a cone shape and bound together with a caramel glaze. This stunning dessert is often finished with a drizzle of chocolate or spun sugar, making it a showstopper for any special occasion.
- Prep Time: 1 hour (excluding cooling time for puffs and cream)
- Cook Time: undefined
- Total Time: 4-5 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings (depending on the size of your tower)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking, Frying
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- For the choux pastry (pâte à choux):
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- For the pastry cream filling:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- For the caramel glaze:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- For the spun sugar (optional, for decoration):
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make the choux pastry by combining water, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then add flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the pan. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Pipe small mounds of dough on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20-25 minutes until golden and puffed. Allow to cool completely.
- For the pastry cream, heat milk with vanilla bean or extract. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then temper with hot milk. Cook until thickened, then stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Fill the cooled choux puffs with the pastry cream using a piping bag.
- Make the caramel glaze by heating sugar and water until amber in color. Dip the filled puffs into the caramel and begin stacking them into a cone shape.
- Decorate with spun sugar, if desired, by melting sugar into a golden syrup and spinning into threads. Allow it to cool and place around the tower.
Notes
- To keep the caramel fluid during assembly, gently reheat it if it hardens.
- The choux pastry and pastry cream can be made a day ahead. Store the cream in the fridge and the baked puffs at room temperature.
- For a variation, try different fillings like whipped cream, chocolate ganache, or fruit preserves.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
