Saint-Honoré Cake
Ingredients
- 166.7 gPuff pastry (rolled out)
- 100 gWheat flour (sifted)
- 33.3 gUnsalted butter (diced)
- 83.3 mlMineral water
- 2.7 pcEgg (room temperature)
- 166.7 mlWhole milk
- 153.3 gWhite sugar
- 16.7 gCorn starch
- 0.7 pcVanilla bean (split and scraped)
- 133.3 mlCream (very cold)
- 0.7 pinchGray sea salt
Method
A crisp puff pastry base topped with a ring of amber caramel-glazed cream puffs. The smooth pastry cream is balanced by a firm, airy whipped cream.
- 1
Roll out the puff pastry to 3mm thickness. Cut a 22cm disc. Prick the base with a fork to prevent uneven rising. Keep chilled.
- 2
Heat water, butter, and salt. At boiling point, pour in the flour all at once. Dry out the dough over heat until it pulls away from the pan. Off the heat, incorporate eggs one by one. The dough should form a stiff ribbon.
- 3
Pipe a ring of choux pastry on the edge of the puff pastry disc. Pipe 12 small individual puffs next to it. Bake at 180°C. The puffs should be golden, dry, and sound hollow when tapped.
- 4
Whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale. Add starch. Pour in boiling vanilla-infused milk. Stir and cook until thickened. The cream should coat the spoon densely.
- 5
Cook sugar dry until it reaches a light amber caramel. Dip the tops of the small puffs in it. Attach the puffs to the pastry ring using a dot of caramel. Fill the center with pastry cream.
- 6
Whip the very cold cream with the remaining sugar until firm peaks form. Pipe using a Saint-Honoré tip over the cold pastry cream.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get this dish right?
- Use the caramel immediately so it doesn't harden in the pan.
- Do not open the oven door while the puffs are baking, or they will collapse.
- The pastry cream must be completely cold before adding the whipped cream.
How long does this dish keep?
Best consumed within 4 hours to maintain the crunch of the caramel and pastry. Do not freeze.
