Croquembouche
Description
The time for me to tackle a gluten free Croquembouche has finally come! A Croquembouche is essentially a tower of cream puffs. There are 3 components to this classic French dessert- cream puffs, filling and caramel. That’s it! Time consuming yet very simple steps- this classic French dessert is an absolute show stopper. It looks impressive and sounds fancy and is down right delicious! I tried to make the recipe instructions detailed and easy to follow but recommend watching the video for more in depth directions and tips/tricks. Enjoy!!
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- 30 minutes prep time
- 30 minutes cook time
- 10 minutes chill time
Recipe
Ingredients
For the profiteroles:
1 1/3 cups (320ml) water
10 1/2 tablespoons (160g) butter
2/3 teaspoon (4g) salt (omit if using salted butter)
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups (174g) gluten free flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking Flour)
+/- 4 eggs (see note)
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
For the filling:
1/2 cup (113g) softened butter
6 oz cream cheese
3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
For the caramel:
2 cups (400g) sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) water
2 tablespoons (30ml) corn syrup
Instructions
If using a cone to assemble the croquembouche, cover with parchment paper and secure to a cake board a few inches larger than the base of the cone.
For the profiteroles:
1. In a medium pan over high heat combine water, butter, salt and sugar.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil then remove from the heat.
3. Immediately add in gluten free flour blend and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed and the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
4. Return to the heat and cook additional 30 seconds.
5. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 5-10 minutes. This will ensure your eggs do not cook when added to the batter.
6. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Once mixture has cooled for 5-10 minutes, add an egg into batter and beat with wooden spoon until combined. The mixture may look curdled at first but keep stirring. Add remaining eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next. Dough should be thick, shiny and smooth when complete and form a V off the bottom of the wooden spoon when lifted. *Depending on the size of the eggs and the humidity level you may need more or less eggs. Go by the appearance and texture of the batter (see video for tips).
8. Transfer batter into a piping bag with round tip, I used a Wilton 2A.
9. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the parchment paper with water. This will help the profiteroles puff when baking. Pipe 1 inch blobs onto sheet pan leaving an inch between each.
10. Wet your finger with water and pat down any peaks to form domes, this will create even, round cream puffs.
11. Brush with an egg wash.
12. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes then WITHOUT opening the oven reduce temperature to 375°F and bake additional 15 minutes. The cream puffs will be golden and have a crisp exterior when baked through.
13. Transfer profiteroles to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
For the filling:
1. Combine softened butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until combined.
2. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
3. Slowly sift in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until smooth.
4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip-I used a number 10 from Wilton.
5. Once the profiteroles are cool, poke a hole in the bottom of each using the smaller piping tip.
6. Fill each with chocolate cream cheese filling by placing your piping tip in the hole and squeezing. You will be able to feel it filling up. Don’t put too much filling or your profiterole may burst. Set aside while you make the caramel.
For the caramel:
1. In a medium saucepan over high heat combine sugar, water and cornstarch. Stir to combine and then allow mixture to come to a boil.
2. Without stirring, put a lid on the pot and allow the steam to help dissolve all of the sugar crystals.
3. Once the crystals are dissolved, remove the lid and boil without stirring for 5-10 minutes until the caramel is golden.
Assembly:
1. While the caramel is still hot, carefully dip the tops of each profiterole into the caramel. Allow the excess to drip off then flip over right side up and place them back on the wire cooling rack. You will want to move quickly during this step so the caramel doesn’t cool and harden too much. If it gets too thick or hard, place pot back over the heat until it loosens up again.
2. Once all of the tops have been dipped, it is time to build the croquembouche. Dip the bottom of a profiterole in the hot caramel sauce then while still wet, secure it to the cone. The caramel will act as a glue. Make a ring of profiteroles all the way around the base of your cone and then add a layer on top, continuing all the way up and around until the entire cone is covered. See video for visual.
3. If there is any leftover caramel dip the tip of a fork into the caramel and quickly wave it back and forth over a piece of parchment paper. Remove the strands as they cool and wrap them around the tower to create a web of caramel strands.
4. Enjoy! Croquembouche can be left at room temperature for about 8 hours depending on humidity levels before the caramel begins to soften/drip. It should be enjoyed the same day it is assembled.
Ingredients
For the profiteroles:
1 1/3 cups (320ml) water
10 1/2 tablespoons (160g) butter
2/3 teaspoon (4g) salt (omit if using salted butter)
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups (174g) gluten free flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking Flour)
+/- 4 eggs (see note)
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
For the filling:
1/2 cup (113g) softened butter
6 oz cream cheese
3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
For the caramel:
2 cups (400g) sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) water
2 tablespoons (30ml) corn syrup
If using a cone to assemble the croquembouche, cover with parchment paper and secure to a cake board a few inches larger than the base of the cone.
For the profiteroles:
1. In a medium pan over high heat combine water, butter, salt and sugar.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil then remove from the heat.
3. Immediately add in gluten free flour blend and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed and the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
4. Return to the heat and cook additional 30 seconds.
5. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 5-10 minutes. This will ensure your eggs do not cook when added to the batter.
6. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Once mixture has cooled for 5-10 minutes, add an egg into batter and beat with wooden spoon until combined. The mixture may look curdled at first but keep stirring. Add remaining eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next. Dough should be thick, shiny and smooth when complete and form a V off the bottom of the wooden spoon when lifted. *Depending on the size of the eggs and the humidity level you may need more or less eggs. Go by the appearance and texture of the batter (see video for tips).
8. Transfer batter into a piping bag with round tip, I used a Wilton 2A.
9. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the parchment paper with water. This will help the profiteroles puff when baking. Pipe 1 inch blobs onto sheet pan leaving an inch between each.
10. Wet your finger with water and pat down any peaks to form domes, this will create even, round cream puffs.
11. Brush with an egg wash.
12. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes then WITHOUT opening the oven reduce temperature to 375°F and bake additional 15 minutes. The cream puffs will be golden and have a crisp exterior when baked through.
13. Transfer profiteroles to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
For the filling:
1. Combine softened butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until combined.
2. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
3. Slowly sift in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until smooth.
4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip-I used a number 10 from Wilton.
5. Once the profiteroles are cool, poke a hole in the bottom of each using the smaller piping tip.
6. Fill each with chocolate cream cheese filling by placing your piping tip in the hole and squeezing. You will be able to feel it filling up. Don’t put too much filling or your profiterole may burst. Set aside while you make the caramel.
For the caramel:
1. In a medium saucepan over high heat combine sugar, water and cornstarch. Stir to combine and then allow mixture to come to a boil.
2. Without stirring, put a lid on the pot and allow the steam to help dissolve all of the sugar crystals.
3. Once the crystals are dissolved, remove the lid and boil without stirring for 5-10 minutes until the caramel is golden.
Assembly:
1. While the caramel is still hot, carefully dip the tops of each profiterole into the caramel. Allow the excess to drip off then flip over right side up and place them back on the wire cooling rack. You will want to move quickly during this step so the caramel doesn’t cool and harden too much. If it gets too thick or hard, place pot back over the heat until it loosens up again.
2. Once all of the tops have been dipped, it is time to build the croquembouche. Dip the bottom of a profiterole in the hot caramel sauce then while still wet, secure it to the cone. The caramel will act as a glue. Make a ring of profiteroles all the way around the base of your cone and then add a layer on top, continuing all the way up and around until the entire cone is covered. See video for visual.
3. If there is any leftover caramel dip the tip of a fork into the caramel and quickly wave it back and forth over a piece of parchment paper. Remove the strands as they cool and wrap them around the tower to create a web of caramel strands.
4. Enjoy! Croquembouche can be left at room temperature for about 8 hours depending on humidity levels before the caramel begins to soften/drip. It should be enjoyed the same day it is assembled.