Croque en Bouche

Courtesy of Bea's of Bloomsbury, which just so happens to be the best teahouse in London. That isn't hyperbole.




Now that the hubbub of the Royal Wedding has died down and they are no longer Kate and Wills but the Duke and Duchess we can reflect on the best part of a wedding - the food, and more precisely, the cake. I think most of the country would agree with William's
choice of chocolate biscuit cake but it seems to me that when it comes to wedding cakes, it's the French who have the right idea. Piles of profiteroles covered in crunchy caramel - winning wedding cake if you ask me. To give it full ceremonial status they must be towered into a large conical shape and decorated with various bits of nougatine, sugared almonds and royal icing, or anything you wish really.



In my first attempt at this 'cake' I had to assemble it in between courses for lunch so didn't quite brave the full stature that would have made it a Piece Montee. Filled with the holy grail of the pastry world (creme patissiere) and decorated with pastel coloured sugared almonds, this is a wedding - and general celebration cake - cake not to be missed! Be warned, those who do not have a sweet tooth, may be better off with Catherine's choice of wedding cake.



For the Choux Pastry:


Makes about 40 profiteroles
100g plain flour
Pinch Salt
150ml water
75g butter
3 eggs, beaten


Sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl. Place the water and butter in a large saucepan with high sides set over a medium-high heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Let the butter melt completely and come to a boil then remove from the heat. Add the flour and salt all in one go and beat very well with a medium spoon.


Reduce the heat and replace the saucepan, stirring for 1 minute until the mixture becomes sticky. Remove from the heat again. Pour about 1/4 of the beaten egg into the pan and beat very well. Add a little more egg and beat well again until the mixture comes back together. Continue to add the egg, beating vigorously all the time, until the mixture has softened, is shiny and had a dropping consistency. You may not need to add all the egg so keep an eye on it as you go.


Take two spoons and with a cup of cold water as well as two lined baking sheets. Wet the spoons and spoon the dough into walnut sized balls, giving enough space for expansion. Wet the spoons every time as the cold water will help create a crunchy shell. Place in a preheated oven at 220C (425F) and cook for about 20-25 minutes until puffed up and golden.


Take the profiteroles out and pierce a hole in the bottom of each profiterole, returning them to the baking sheets and placing them hole-side up. Return to the oven for another five minutes to allow the steam to escape. Allow the profiteroles to cool on a wire rack.


For the Creme Patissiere - make this when the profiteroles go in the oven so the cream if cold when it comes to filling the profiteroles:


7 medium free-range egg yolks
75g/3oz caster sugar
25g/1oz plain flour
4 tsp corn flour
500ml/18fl oz whole milk
1 tsp vanilla paste


In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they turn a pale blonde colour. Whisk in the flour and cornflour and set aside.


Place the milk and vanilla paste in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 30 seconds. Pour the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking all the time, then return the mixture to the pan. It is important to pour the hot milk onto the cold eggs before you return the mixture to the pan to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Bring the mixture back to the boil and simmer for one minute, whisking continuously, or until smooth. To check that it is the thickness you require, make sure that it coats the back of a cold spoon evenly. Pour the cream into a clean bowl and cover with cling film but ensure that the plastic is directly touching the cream. Place in the fridge to cool.


To assemble:
When the profiteroles are cool and the pastry cream is chilled, fill a piping bag fitted with a small piping nozzle. Pipe the pastry cream into the profiterole through the hole made by the skewer to release the steam. Make sure you don't over-fill or cause it to crack.


Make the caramel - place 375g caster sugar and 150ml of water in a saucepan, stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Do not stir after this point. Allow the sugar syrup to cook until it starts to develop a caramel colour. You can swirl the pan to even out the caramel colouring. It should be no darker than the colour of whisky when you remove it. Place the pan over a bowl of boiling water. Use tongs to dip the profiteroles into the caramel and assemble. This is when you can dip some sugared almonds as well to stick onto your Croque en Bouche, whether they are individual portions or large golden towers.