Croquembouche is a traditional French christening and wedding cake that isn't a cake at all—it's an impressive tower of caramel-crusted cream puffs. With a bit of patience, you can make this towering dessert at home.


Croquembouche Recipe: How to Make French Croquembouche

A croquembouche is a French dessert made from choux pastry buns arranged in a cone shape and bound together with caramel. *Croque en bouche* means "crack in the mouth," a reference to the crunchy caramel coating. Traditionally served on a base of nougat, croquembouches come in many sizes to accommodate large gatherings like weddings and christenings.

The croquembouche’s invention is generally attributed to Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833), a chef known for his treatises on French cooking and embrace of *grande cuisine*. During the nineteenth century, croquembouches could be cylindrical or formed into miniature architectural wonders like mosques and towers featuring various crunchy confections such as [macarons](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-macarons-and-macaroons), nougat, and cookies. During the twentieth century, the croquembouche evolved to its current form—a cone of cream-filled choux buns decorated with spun sugar.
Making a tower of cream-filled pastry puffs is not simple, but it's worth the effort. Follow these steps to set yourself up for success:

1. __Make the <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-cream-puffs' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-cream-puffs","linkCopy":"cream puffs","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>cream puffs</a> all the same size__. Creating uniform choux buns will make assembly much more manageable. To achieve this, you can use a one-inch cookie cutter to trace circles on parchment paper. Place the parchment guide ink-side down on the baking sheet, and use a tiny bit of choux dough to adhere the corners.
2. __Use a mold or go free-form__. Professional pastry chefs use a conical mold to shape a croquembouche. If you don't have a croquembouche mold, you can make your own out of paper. You can also freestyle the entire croquembouche.
3. __Start small__. Building a tall croquembouche for a special occasion is a worthy goal, but if you're just getting started, practice with a smaller-scale version to get the hang of assembly.
4. __Eat it quickly__. Once a cream-filled croquembouche is complete, it won't take long before the moisture from the pastry cream starts to soften the caramel holding the tower together. You can make the pastry cream and even the choux buns ahead of time, but once you start assembling with caramel, serve the dessert reasonably soon.
Croquembouche is a traditional French christening and wedding cake that isn't a cake at all—it's an impressive tower of caramel-crusted cream puffs. With a bit of patience, you can make this towering dessert at home.

A croquembouche is a French dessert made from choux pastry buns arranged in a cone shape and bound together with caramel. Croque en bouche means &quot;crack in the mouth,&quot; a reference to the crunchy caramel coating. Traditionally served on a base of nougat, croquembouches come in many sizes to accommodate large gatherings like weddings and christenings.

What Is a Croquembouche? 

The croquembouche’s invention is generally attributed to Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833), a chef known for his treatises on French cooking and embrace of grande cuisine. During the nineteenth century, croquembouches could be cylindrical or formed into miniature architectural wonders like mosques and towers featuring various crunchy confections such as <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-macarons-and-macaroons' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-macarons-and-macaroons","linkCopy":"macarons","category":null}'>macarons</a>, nougat, and cookies. During the twentieth century, the croquembouche evolved to its current form—a cone of cream-filled choux buns decorated with spun sugar.

A Brief History of the Croquembouche

Making a tower of cream-filled pastry puffs is not simple, but it&#39;s worth the effort. Follow these steps to set yourself up for success:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Make the <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-cream-puffs' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-cream-puffs","linkCopy":"cream puffs","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>cream puffs</a> all the same size. Creating uniform choux buns will make assembly much more manageable. To achieve this, you can use a one-inch cookie cutter to trace circles on parchment paper. Place the parchment guide ink-side down on the baking sheet, and use a tiny bit of choux dough to adhere the corners. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Use a mold or go free-form. Professional pastry chefs use a conical mold to shape a croquembouche. If you don&#39;t have a croquembouche mold, you can make your own out of paper. You can also freestyle the entire croquembouche. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Start small. Building a tall croquembouche for a special occasion is a worthy goal, but if you&#39;re just getting started, practice with a smaller-scale version to get the hang of assembly. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Eat it quickly. Once a cream-filled croquembouche is complete, it won&#39;t take long before the moisture from the pastry cream starts to soften the caramel holding the tower together. You can make the pastry cream and even the choux buns ahead of time, but once you start assembling with caramel, serve the dessert reasonably soon. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making and Assembling a Croquembouche

Classic Croquembouche Recipe 

Croquembouche is a traditional French christening and wedding cake that isn&#39;t a cake at all—it&#39;s an impressive tower of caramel-crusted cream puffs. With a bit of patience, you can make this towering dessert at home.