Saint Honoré cake


Saint Honoré cake
The Saint Honoré cake is a famous example of French patisserie. It consists of a puff pastry base surrounded by a ring of caramel-coated choux puffs and topped with whipped cream (Chantilly).

It is a bit tricky to make, but this recipe gives you all the hints you need.
123 K 4.4/5 (24 reviews)
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Last modified on: April 14th 2013
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 hours 6 min.
Cooking: 45 min.
All in all: 2 hours 55 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 10 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C).

Cut a circle of puff pastry 26 cm (10 inches) in diameter and prick all over with a fork or pique-vite (pastry pricker).

Stage 2 - 10 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Cover with cooking parchment, weigh this down with a wire rack (to prevent the pastry swelling up) and bake in the oven. You can also cook it between two baking sheets.

Stage 3 - 3 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Once the pastry is starting to brown and is almost cooked, take it out of the oven and remove both the wire rack and the paper. Sprinkle icing sugar over the top and put it back in the oven...

Stage 4 - 5 min.
Saint Honoré cake
...for a few minutes, until the top caramelizes (if necessary, finish this under the grill).

Leave to cool on a wire rack.


Stage 6 - 30 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Prepare 350 g choux pastry (pâte à choux) and pipe in small heaps about 1.5 cm (3/4 inch) in diameter using a forcing bag .

Stage 7 - 5 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Flatten the points with a tea spoon dipped in milk to make the puffs nice and round.

Stage 8 - 20 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Once the puffs are cooked, leave them to cool.

Stage 9 - 10 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Prepare a light caramel with 200 g caster sugar.

Stage 10 - 2 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Stand the pan of caramel on a folded cloth.

Stage 11
Saint Honoré cake
Dip the rounded side of a choux puff into the caramel...

Stage 12
Saint Honoré cake
And place on a baking sheet (covered with a sheet of cooking parchment), caramel side downwards.

Stage 13 - 40 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Do this with all the puffs then put the caramel to keep hot.

Fill the puffs with confectioner's custard, without turning them over.

Stage 14
Saint Honoré cake
Turn a filled puff the other way up, hold by the top (the set caramel side) and dip the bottom into the liquid caramel...

Stage 15
Saint Honoré cake
Then stick this around the outside of the pastry circle and hold in place for a few seconds until the caramel sets.

Do this with the other puffs until you have completed the ring around the Saint Honoré.

Stage 16
Saint Honoré cake
You can put a puff in the centre for added artistic effect if you wish.

Stage 17
Saint Honoré cake
Fill the space with rosettes of whipped cream.

Stage 18
Saint Honoré cake
You can pipe small rosettes of cream around the outside, between the puffs, as a finishing touch.

Refrigerate before serving.
Remarks
This recipe needs a lot of work, so it is a good idea to be organised and to prepare the elements that can wait in advance, as far as possible: puff pastry circle, confectioner's custard and choux puffs (you can even fill these).

Once you keep to the basic principle (puff-pastry base, choux pastry around it and cream filling) you can vary this in many different ways: by changing the cream, for example. Give free rein to your imagination.
And to drink?
A sweet white wine, such as a Loupiac.
Keeping: A few hours in the fridge.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe350 RDI=130 %1,770 RDI=170 %1,190 RDI=180 %4,470 RDI=220 %18,710 RDI: 220 %
Per 100 g30 RDI=10 %140 RDI=10 %90 RDI=10 %350 RDI=20 %1,460 RDI: 20 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, Milk, Sulfites, egg
How much will it cost?
  • For 1 Saint Honoré cake : 4.55 €

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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)
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, Pains briochés aux raisins, Almond cream or frangipane, Millefeuille, ... See them all 19

Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Valay-Brest, Puits d'amour, Pets de nonne, Chouquettes, Gougères, ... See them all 8

Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: St Tropez tart, Belle-helene in a glass, Quick Strawberry Millefeuille, Diplomat cream, Ice-cream Vacherin, ... See them all 30

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