Puits d'amour
This delicious little cake's charming French name means "well of love". It is made up of layers of puff and choux pastry, assembled with a light caramel and filled with vanilla confectioner's custard.
115 K 4/5 (24 reviews)
1 hour 45 min.
Average
6 pieces
4 IngredientsLast modified on: August 23th 2015
For 6 pieces, you will need:
- 1
150 g puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) - 2
300 g choux pastry (pâte à choux) - 3
150 g caster sugar - 4
300 g confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream) - Total weight: 900 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 60 min.
Cooking: 45 min.
All in all: 1 hour 45 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Roll out the puff pastry thinly, cut out circles 6 cm (2 inches) in diameter and put these on a baking sheet.
Prick all over with a fork, then lay a second baking sheet or wire rack on top to prevent them puffing up too much.
Roll out the puff pastry thinly, cut out circles 6 cm (2 inches) in diameter and put these on a baking sheet.
Prick all over with a fork, then lay a second baking sheet or wire rack on top to prevent them puffing up too much.
Stage 2 - 15 min.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Place a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and draw circles 6 cm (2 inches) in diameter.
A cutter of the right size is ideal for this.
A cutter of the right size is ideal for this.
Stage 4
Cover the sheet, but be sure to leave space between the circles.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Turn the sheet over and pipe rings, using a forcing bag with a size 6 nozzle, over the circles you have drawn.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Tidy up the circles if necessary by pushing the choux pastry into place with a small spoon dipped in milk.
Stage 7 - 20 min.
Bake for around 20 minutes, until golden.
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Prepare a light caramel with 150 g caster sugar. Stand the caramel pan on a folded cloth within easy reach.
Stage 9
Begin assembling the puits d'amour: place a circle of puff pastry in front of you (tip: work on a sheet of cooking parchment; then, if the caramel runs over the edge, it won't stick).
Stage 10
Dip a choux-pastry ring into the caramel (use tongs if you can to make this easier).
Stage 11
And stick this quickly onto the puff pastry.
Stage 12
Do this with another ring and stick it on top of the first one...
Stage 13
...then add a third and final ring.
Stage 14 - 30 min.
You can see how to do it in this short video.
Build all your puits d'amour "wells" like this.
Build all your puits d'amour "wells" like this.
Stage 15 - 5 min.
Finish by filling the wells with confectioner's custard.
Stage 16
Refrigerate until needed, but do not serve too cold.
Remarks
Puits d'amour do not keep. To eat them at their best, while they still have both crisp and soft textures, they should be eaten the day they are made, ideally within 2 hours.
Keeping: An hour or two, not much longer.
Source: After Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 300 RDI=110 % | 1,500 RDI=140 % | 990 RDI=150 % | 2,580 RDI=130 % | 10,800 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 30 RDI=10 % | 170 RDI=20 % | 110 RDI=20 % | 290 RDI=10 % | 1,200 RDI: 10 % |
| Per piece | 50 RDI=20 % | 250 RDI=20 % | 160 RDI=30 % | 430 RDI=20 % | 1,800 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 pieces : 2.85 €
- Per piece : 0.50 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: St Tropez tart, Diplomat cream, Paris-Brest, Yvetot Douillons, Pistachio cream, ... See them all 19
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Pets de nonne, Valay-Brest, Paris-Brest, Gougères, Profiteroles, ... See them all 8
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Yvetot Douillons, Cabbage and cheddar quiche, Quiche Bretonne, Smart plum tart, Tart Tatin, ... See them all 71
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: "Psychedelic" sandwich bread, Cranachan, Caramelised apple pie, Little caramelized peach tarts, Double raspberry tartlets, ... See them all 357
Other recipes you may also like
Nanou's chocolate cake
A moist melting cake, very very chocolaty...June 22th 2013279 K4.6 1 hour 45 min.
Four-tier glasses
This starter recipe, served in a glass, consists of four tiers of different vegetable preparations. Each can be made the day before, and it's only the assembly that is tricky.June 2nd 2015261 K5 1 hour 40 min.
Hamburgers
Hamburgers don't have to be the greasy flabby things you find in fast-food outlets, well-made they can be excellent. It's a very convivial recipe as everything goes on the table, and everyone assembles their own burger according to personal taste.December 6th 2015417 K4.8 35 min.
How to beat egg whites
Beat egg whites is very common in cooking and pastry, here are some tips to get there easily.February 21th 2011554 K5 5 min.
Bechamel sauce
Bechamel sauce is a classic, made from a cooked butter-flour mix called "roux", where milk is added and slowly cooked. We get a thick sauce, used in many recipes.June 13th 2024428 K4.3 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-02-16)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.