Croquembouche

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 200 g water
• 200 g milk
• 120 g butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 230 g flour, type 405
• 7 large eggs
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 some butter-vanilla flavoring
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• 100 g water
• 600 g sugar
• 1 liter of milk
• 3 packs of pudding powder, for cooking, taste as desired
• 100 g sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

festive cake

This recipe is based on the German version of the cake, i.e. you prepare a normal cake as desired (note: not included in the recipe!), and then build the croquembouche over it, as an outer shell. The cake should be placed in a dish like a Charlotte, i.e. a turned-out cake. The cake should bind a little stronger than normal, so use 2 extra sheets of gelatine. You could of course also use this recipe to build a French croquembouche and use a cone or a bowl (lined with baking paper). In this case you can serve the cake with or without the base (carefully lift it from the base after it has hardened and place it on a serving plate). To make the filling, cook a very stiff pudding from milk, sugar and custard powder. Tip: If you cover the pudding with cling film immediately after cooking, it won’t form a skin! Leave to cool for at least 12 hours before filling. Making the profiteroles, or small profiteroles: Bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a boil, then add the sifted flour all at once, stir with a wooden spoon, and cook over low heat for about 2-3 minutes until the dough forms a lump and a white coating forms on the bottom of the pan. Pour the choux pastry into a mixing bowl and let it cool for about 15 minutes; the temperature must fall below 50 degrees Celsius. Gradually add the 7 eggs, mixing well at low speed each time. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and baking powder with the last egg. Always pipe the choux pastry onto baking sheets lined with baking paper (using a large 12mm star nozzle). Pipe 16-22 walnut-sized, flat rosettes onto each baking sheet; this will yield about 3 sheets, depending on the size of the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit), lightly spray the rosettes with water, place them on the middle rack of the oven, and spray a little more water into the oven (for steam). Close the door immediately and do not open it again for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven after about 22 minutes. If the profiteroles are getting too brown on top, bake with the top tray on for the last 7 minutes. Then bake the next trays in the same way. Let the baked profiteroles cool for 5 minutes and then poke a hole in the bottom with the handle of a teaspoon. Once all three trays are baked, let them all dry again at 130 degrees Celsius (266 degrees Fahrenheit) for another 10-15 minutes. Let the profiteroles cool thoroughly and then fill them with the pudding using the piping bag fitted with the small 5-hole nozzle. Make the caramelized sugar: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, but do not stir. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and turns light golden brown. Immediately plunge the pan into cold water. If the sugar cools too much and becomes too solid, simply reheat it. Constructing the cake: The basic problem with this cake is cooling. The cake body needs to be chilled, but this is bad for the caramelized sugar. So, either construct the cake shortly before serving, or prepare the croquembouche coating separately (over the bowl-shaped cake) and then place it over the cake later. You can also use chocolate coating instead of caramelized sugar. Then you can chill the entire cake. Briefly dip the profiteroles in the hot sugar and stick them together to form an even shape (larger ones at the bottom, smaller ones at the top). Once the body is standing, use the remaining caramelized sugar and a fork to weave spun sugar around the cake, or simply sprinkle a few drops over the cake (don’t overdo it! Less is more!). Eating the cake: Cut into the entire cake, or snack on the profiteroles first and then cut up the rest.