Today we want to tell you about a completely unusual dessert. Crockembus cake is one of the most popular sweets in the world. This is the embodiment of the highest culinary excellence, sophistication and sophistication. You won’t believe it, but it was invented almost by accident ...
The story of the sweet pyramid
French cake "Croquembos" has its own interesting story.
The name of the miracle confectioner who created this masterpiece, unfortunately, has not been preserved. But they say that during the reign of Charles the Second, the masters were invited to London for a wedding ceremony. The pastry chef was extremely surprised by how casually and unaesthetically decorated the wedding cake (there were no wedding cakes at that time) by local chefs. It was stuffed cakes, randomly laid out on a dish. The culinary specialist worked a little and made a spectacular cone-shaped dessert from baking. He called it "Crockembus cake," which is translated from French as "a crunch in the mouth." And later, the pies were replaced by wonderful and tender profiteroles with filling. However, they are still bonded with caramel, berries, fruit slices, nuts are added, decorated with candied flowers, threads from the same sweet caramel.
Croquetmbush dessert is currently being prepared not only for wedding ceremonies, but also for other celebrations. The recipe is constantly being improved, various ingredients are added (nuts, chocolate). We want to tell you about one of its many options.
Cake Ingredients
As you know, French desserts are famous for their sophistication and sophistication. But Crockembus is something completely special ... Sometimes culinary experts work real miracles by decorating cakes. They are so beautiful and airy (like a fragile work of art) that it’s even scary to touch them. Of course, creating such a masterpiece is not so easy, it is not for nothing that the most eminent culinary specialists compete in this direction. Let’s and we will figure out how to cook Croquembush.
We want to bring to your attention one of the many recipes for making dessert, perhaps the simplest.
For the cakes themselves we need:
- Milk - 250 ml.
- Butter - half packs.
- Flour - 150 g.
- Eggs - 5 pcs.
- Salt.
For cream, take:
- Flour - 100 g.
- Eggs - 4 pcs.
- Milk - 1 liter.
- Sugar - to taste, but not less than five tablespoons.
- Vanillin or vanilla sugar.
To make caramel, you need ordinary clean water and a half cup of sugar.
Crockembus: a step-by-step recipe
Let's start by making custard dough. First of all, you need to sift the flour so that it becomes light, enriched with oxygen. Next, turn on the stove and put the pan with milk on medium heat. Add salt and oil. Stirring constantly, melt the butter and bring the liquid to a boil. Then turn off the heat and add the flour, beat the whisk to a homogeneous consistency. Then, armed with a spatula, mix the mixture until it thickens.
Next, you need to wait until our dough has cooled, so that you can enter the eggs. We drive them one at a time and then mix them with a mixer until completely homogeneous. Here is our dough for Croquembush cake from profiteroles ready.
Cooking profiteroles for dessert
Cover the baking sheet with baking parchment or grease it with oil. If there is a pastry bag - this is very good. It will be useful to us for the formation of profiteroles. But if it is not there, do not despair and use the usual package, cutting off one corner. So, we spread the dough on a baking sheet using a pastry bag. Between the cakes you need to leave a little distance, since during the baking process they will slightly increase in volume.
Now you can send the pan to the oven. It needs to be warmed up to 220 degrees in advance. Cakes will be baked for up to seven minutes. Be vigilant and do not overdo them. After turning off the stove, you can open the oven door and leave the baking dish to stand inside for another couple of minutes. Profiteroles should have time to prepare and brown.
Cooking cream for toppings
French desserts are difficult to prepare. The process is long, laborious, consists of several stages. But the result, of course, should please.
So, we continue to cook Croquembush. The recipe for a cream filling for cakes can be very different. Culinary experts - gurus in the preparation of this dessert have their own toppings secrets, they carefully store them, without revealing to anyone.
We will begin to fill our profiteroles with a gentle custard. For him, take fat milk, pour it into a saucepan and put on a slow fire, bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, we sift the flour through a sieve. Wash the eggs under hot water and break them into a plate. Add vanilla, flour and stir until smooth. Yes, and do not forget about milk on fire! Once it boils, turn off the stove and very, very carefully pour it into the egg-flour mass, not forgetting to constantly mix with a whisk.
When everything is well beaten, again pour our mixture into the pan and put it on the fire. Intensively stirring, bring it to a boil and turn it off again. The cream will become a little thicker as it cools.
Getting cream profiteroles
In each cake, we have to make a cut somewhere on the side or bottom. And then with the help of a pastry bag or a teaspoon to start (the first is more convenient for these purposes).
Cooking Caramel for Crockembush
The obligatory component of the dessert is caramel. To prepare it, you need to get the right dishes, otherwise it may not work. We will need a pan with high edges and a thick bottom (do not take dishes with non-stick coating). Pour water into it and add sugar. We put the pan on the stove and wait for the sugar to melt, while constantly stirring.
The finished caramel will acquire a pleasant amber color. It is necessary to ensure that it does not burn.
Build Crockembus
That’s practically our Crockembus cake. The recipe is certainly not easy. All stages are completed. Remained the latest and most interesting. We have to build a cake in the form of a cone from ready-made profiteroles. To do this, you need to glue a pyramid (cone) from thick cardboard. Outside, it is better to wrap it with baking foil. You can adjust the height and width of the cake yourself. So, we begin to collect the cone. Dip each cake in caramel and stack in a circle in the form of a spiral. In this case, profiteroles should stick together. To simplify the work, you can use a silicone brush to apply additional layers of caramel.
So, gradually laying row after row, we got to the top of the cone. Now we can safely say that our Crockembus is ready. The matter remains small. It needs to be decorated yet.
Croquembush Cake Decoration
The recipe for dessert is different for different masters, and cake decorating is a real art that is not subject to beginning confectioners. And then everyone has their own secrets. Real masters simply make works of art, decorating the dessert with caramel strings that entangle the whole cake. Also, chocolate icing, candied flowers and fruits, cream and much more are used for decoration. Today, such a dessert is served not only for weddings, and not only for royal people, but because they decorate the cake in accordance with the theme of the holiday. So, New Year’s versions of Crockembus cake, which truly look magical and fabulous, have become very popular.
Croquetumbus is served chilled. It can offer drinks. For example, hot chocolate, tea or coffee, or even a cocktail.
Instead of an afterword
In general, this cake is perhaps the most controversial and complex in its execution. Such a creation can only be done by real masters of confectionery art. Imagine that the real height of such a dessert is at least one meter, or even more. And this, not to mention the weight of the cake. After all, every cake is filled with cream.
So, the whole product cannot be light. Although outwardly it seems very fragile and airy. Nevertheless, the whole structure is quite stable on the holiday tables.
Undoubtedly, the Croquembos cake is the pinnacle of French pastry art.