French St. Honoré Cake Recipe

St. Honoré Cake is a French pastry consisting of a puff pastry base, a ring of choux pastry filled with cream, and topped with caramel-glazed cream puffs. The cake is named after the patron saint of bakers and is one of France’s most popular desserts. .

Origin and Cultural Significance

St. Honoré cake, also known as gateau St. Honoré or St. Honoratus Cake, was named after Saint Honoré, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. The cake was originally invented by Auguste Julien at the Chiboust baker in 1847 and the recipe was changed by Julien after opening his own patisserie at a later date. 

The cake is found all over France and particularly popular at celebrations and special occasions. It is considered to be one of France’s best pastries and is notorious for being difficult to make.

The caramel glazed cream puffs are sometimes coated in chocolate, much like a profiterole, rather than the classic caramel topping. 

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French St. Honoré Cake Recipe

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

St Honoré Cake, also known as gateau St-Honoré or St. Honoratus Cake, was named after Saint Honoré—the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.

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Ingredients

• Puff pastry sheet - 1
• Water - 1 cup
• Butter - 1/2 cup
• All-purpose flour - 1 cup
• Eggs - 4
• Milk - 1 cup
• Vanilla bean (split) - 1
• Egg yolks - 4
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Cornstarch - 2 tbsp
• Gelatin (softened) - 1 tsp
• Egg whites - 4
• Sugar (for meringue) - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Water - 1/4 cup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll out the puff pastry and cut a 9-inch circle. Place on a baking sheet and prick with a fork.
2. For choux pastry, heat water and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat, add flour, and stir until dough forms. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
3. Pipe a ring of choux pastry around the edge of the puff pastry circle. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
4. For crème chiboust, heat milk and vanilla bean until simmering. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then pour the hot milk over, whisking constantly. Return to heat until thickened. Add gelatin. Whip egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks and fold into the pastry cream.
5. For caramel, heat sugar and water until golden brown.
6. Fill cream puffs with crème chiboust and dip in caramel. Arrange on the pastry base.
7. Pipe additional crème chiboust in the center and garnish with caramel strands.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 468Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 218mgSodium: 185mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 0gSugar: 52gProtein: 10g

Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.