The original cream to make this cake is Chiboust, not surprisingly also known as la Saint honoré cream . It is nothing more than a custard lightened by Italian meringue. Its foamy and soft texture is heavenly. During preparation it is divided in half to obtain the double vanilla and chocolate flavor for the typical effect two-tone . I advise you to prepare it because it really makes a difference! If you are in a hurry, you can replace it with the classic custard which you can divide in half and make the double color with the same quantity of chocolate that you find in the ingredients. Or even the Diplomatic Cream or custard with the addition of cream.
Chantilly cream is nothing more than fresh liquid cream whipped with icing sugar and that’s what you need for this cake. it remains super delicate and smells of milk. Alternatively, you can use ready-made and already sweetened whipping cream or vegetable whipping cream, but be aware that the taste is more artificial and less authentic.
Without caramel on top, the cream puffs remain soft and when in contact with the cream and the internal filling they lose their crunchy contrast. Which is one of the distinctive features of the saint honorè. So don’t be afraid, it will take 5 minutes more, but it will be worth it.
How to make the Saint Honorè Cake
One of the secrets for a perfect result is to divide the preparation into 2 days. So that the bases have time to settle and then you have time to assemble the dessert and let it rest in the fridge.
Day 1 of preparation
First of all, dedicate yourself to preparing the base, make my sponge cake
Bake in the oven at 180° in a 22 cm pan for about 30 minutes without opening the oven. Once cooked, remove from the mold and leave aside to cool perfectly sealed in cling film.
Then do it first part of the filling
First of all, start by whipping the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla with an electric whisk for 3 minutes until you obtain a very swollen and frothy mixture. Then add starch and flour, whisking constantly, until you obtain a compact mixture. Separately, heat the milk and when it comes to the boil, pour over the whipped eggs and lower the heat. When the milk pierces the eggs forming craters, stir with a hand whisk, turn off and remove from the heat. If you want to see the various preparation steps, look at the Chiboust Cream article
As soon as it comes off the heat, divide the mixture into 2 halves.
Pour the vanilla cream immediately into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
In the other half, add the 70 g of chopped chocolate flakes, mix well with the whisk to mix everything and finally transfer this too into a bowl and cover with cling film.
Let cool completely, first at room temperature then in the fridge.
In the end cut the puff pastry to a size equal to the sponge cake circle, i.e. 22 cm.
Then place on a baking tray with baking paper and brush the surface with very little ice water (it must not drip) and a sprinkling of icing sugar:
Finally, cook in a very hot static oven at 200° for 12 – 15 minutes until golden and set aside.
In the end caramelize the cream puffs
First of all, prepare the caramel by pouring the water into a saucepan with the sugar and bring to the boil over medium-low heat without ever stirring.
As soon as it has reached an amber colour, turn off the heat and immerse the bottom of the saucepan in cold water for a few seconds to stop cooking. The caramel to be used for the glazing must be browned but not burnt, soft and not completely fluid. Then stir continuously to obtain this consistency and if it hardens, heat it in a bain-marie.
Then use a pointed wooden skewer to dip the cream puffs on the surface, leaving only the base part without caramel:
as you make them, place them on a wire rack or on baking paper.
The day before for convenience, also prepare the wetplacing all the ingredients together in a saucepan on the heat, when the sugar melts, remove from the heat and leave at room temperature or in the fridge.
Day 2 of preparation
First of all, take the creams out of the fridge and leave them at room temperature.
Then prepare it Italian meringue to complete the chiboust cream
I advise you to make it directly in the planetary mixer, whipping the egg whites at very low speed with 1 teaspoon of sugar and the pinch of salt which will add flavour.
In a separate saucepan, pour the water with all the sugar and heat over a moderate heat until boiling. The syrup must not caramelize: it will be ready when the sugar has completely dissolved and takes on a transparent color and many bubbles have formed. At that point, immediately pour the boiling syrup over the egg whites without stopping the mixer which in the meantime will still be frothing the egg whites.
Finally, increase the speed and whip the egg whites with the boiling sugar syrup at maximum speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has completely cooled and thickened.
Leave aside to cool completely, meanwhile take the creams and stir them with a hand whisk:
At this point divide the meringue and add it to one cream and half to the other, little by little, always mixing from bottom to top to avoid dismantling the mixture.
Place the two creams directly into 2 disposable piping bags and cut to size an opening of approximately 1 cm.
Assemble the saint honore cake
Cut the sponge cake in half to make 2 discs. Leave it in the freezer for 5 minutes to get a perfect cut and use a sharp knife.
Then, place the first disc of sponge cake directly on a serving plate where you will present the dessert.
Finally, wet the surface with the very cold syrup with a brush and add the first layer of vanilla chiboust cream:
Then, on the cream layer, add the puff pastry disc:
Then add the chocolate chiboust cream:
Finally, lay down the last layer of sponge cake and proceed to brush with the syrup.
At this point, whip the liquid cream with the icing sugar to make the firm Chantilly. If you want to see step by step photos with useful tips, look at the Chantilly Cream article
Finally, with the help of a spatula, cover the Saint honorè entirely with Chantilly cream, starting first from the sides and then expanding above:
Decorate the Saint Honore
First of all, add the chopped hazelnuts to the edges with the help of a spatula.
Then fill your cream puffs with Chantilly from the base, you can use a piping bag with a very small nozzle.
So first place a crown of cream puffs on the surface of the cake, leaving a space equal to the size of a cream puff between one and the other.
Then add tufts of Chantilly between the cream puffs:
At this point you have to make the final decoration. Always use the same piping bags used previously with a 1cm cut and make a row of vanilla polka dots and the other next to the chocolate.
At this point, place it in the fridge and leave for at least 2 – 3 hours.
Here’s yours ready St. Honoré cake
This is the slice of Saint Honoré
Variations and Tips
If you want a simpler alternative to Saint Honore, which is equally elegant enough to leave everyone speechless, you can opt to make a Paris Brest with choux pastry by filling it with this chiboust cream.
Or a spectacular pyramid of caramelized Croquembouche, which you can fill with very easy Chantilly.
Ultimately I recommend you look at my complete collection of Birthday Cakes. The wonderful is guaranteed!
storage
The Saint Honorè Cake keeps perfectly for 2 days in the fridge. If you want to keep it for several days, you can proceed by freezing the dessert and defrosting it slowly in the fridge.
