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Traditional French Croquembouche made with caramel-coated cream puffs arranged in a cone shape.

Croquembouche

Start the year sweetly with Croquembouche, the French dessert made of choux pastry, pastry cream, and caramel that brings warmth to your New Year’s table.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Choux

  • 250 g – 1 cup flour
  • 500 ml – 2 cups water
  • 250 g – 2 sticks butter
  • 6 g – 1¼ tsp salt
  • 8 eggs

Crème Pâtissière

  • 1 L – 4 cups milk
  • 100 g – ¾ cup + 2 tbsp flour – sifted
  • 12 egg yolks
  • 300 g – 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel

  • 400 g – 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 –7 tbsp water

Instructions

Choux

  1. Bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed and add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next.
  3. Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe it in circles onto a tray lined with baking paper.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C – 410°F for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Crème Pâtissière

  1. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
  2. Add the vanilla extract to the milk.
  3. Gradually pour in the milk while whisking continuously. Add the sifted flour and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, place it over medium heat, and bring it to a boil.
  4. Simmer for a few minutes, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens.
  5. Pour the pastry cream onto a plate and cover it with cling wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely.
  6. When ready to use, whip the pastry cream briefly to restore its smooth texture.

Filling the Choux

  1. Make a small hole on the flat side of each choux using the tip of a pastry bag.
  2. Fill a pastry bag with the crème pâtissière and use it to fill all the choux.
  3. Set the filled choux aside.

Caramel

  1. Combine the sugar and cold water in a heavy saucepan.
  2. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and swirl the pan occasionally as the syrup caramelises until it reaches a deep amber colour. Do not stir.

Piling the Choux

  1. Line your work surface with baking paper.
  2. When the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, dip each choux into the caramel using the rounded side (the one without the hole) and place it on the baking paper, caramel side down. Repeat with all the choux.
  3. Once the caramel has set, dip the sides of each choux in caramel to stick them together and form a cone. Start with a base of 11 choux. You can make a cone shape from cardboard and line it with baking paper to make assembly easier.
  4. Decorate with white fondant as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • This recipe makes about 40 choux pastries, enough to serve 8–10 people.
  • For the Crème Pâtissière, you can use a vanilla pod instead of extract. If you do, heat the milk with the pod and let it infuse for about 15 minutes before using the vanilla-flavoured milk.
  • If you’re gluten-intolerant, substitute the plain flour with rice flour.
  • For a dairy-free Crème Pâtissière, replace the milk with almond milk or another non-dairy alternative. When using almond milk, add an extra tablespoon of flour to help the cream thicken properly.
  • It’s best to assemble the Croquembouche on the same day you plan to serve it. I usually prepare the choux and caramel in the morning and put it together in the early afternoon to serve at dinner. The pastry cream can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge until needed.