French Wedding Cake: A Traditional Taste Of France

A French wedding cake is called a Croquembouche, which directly translates to 'crunch in the mouth'. It is a tower of cream-filled, puff-pastry balls (choux) piled into a cone shape and bound with threads of caramel. The dessert is often decorated with icing, chocolate, sugared almonds, candy ribbons, or macarons. The croquembouche is brought out at dessert time and served to guests, with each guest receiving around three or four choux.

The croquembouche is a traditional French wedding cake

The croquembouche is said to have been invented by French pastry chef Antoine (or Antonin) Careme in the late 1700s. It is believed that the first croquembouche was made in 1783, the year Careme was born. The dessert is mentioned in several cookbooks from the early 1800s, including Careme's 1815 book, 'Le Pâtissier royal parisien'.

In addition to caramel, croquembouche can be decorated with icing, chocolate, sugared almonds, candy ribbons, or even covered in macarons or ganache. The height of the cone can be adjusted according to the couple's preference, and the number of choux pastry puffs included depends on the number of guests. Each guest is typically served around three or four choux.

Unlike traditional American wedding cakes, the croquembouche is not displayed throughout the reception. Instead, it is brought out at dessert time, often with a bit of fanfare. The couple then breaks off a few of the choux and feeds each other before the cake is cut and served to the guests.

It is made of choux pastry puffs, piled into a cone shape

The French wedding cake, or Croquembouche, is a cone-shaped tower of choux pastry puffs, piled high and bound with threads of caramel. The name Croquembouche comes from the French phrase croque en bouche, meaning 'something that crunches in the mouth'. The choux pastry puffs are filled with cream and piled into a cone shape, which can be as tall as the couple wishes. The caramel binding the choux puffs gives the croquembouche its shiny golden colour.

The croquembouche is a traditional French wedding cake, often served as the main dessert, with each guest receiving around three or four choux puffs. The cake is usually brought out at dessert time, with a certain amount of fanfare, and presented with fireworks shooting out from all over it. The couple then breaks off a few of the choux puffs and feeds each other.

The croquembouche can be decorated with other confectionery, such as sugared almonds, chocolate, and edible flowers. It can also be covered in macarons or ganache. Each choux puff can be injected with different flavours such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, raspberry, or lemon.

The invention of the croquembouche is often attributed to the French pastry chef, Antonin Carême, who included it in his 1815 cookbook, Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien. However, it is mentioned as early as 1806 in André Viard's culinary encyclopedia, Le Cuisinier Impérial.

The cone is bound with threads of caramel

The cone is an essential feature of the French wedding cake, the croquembouche. The cone is formed by arranging the choux à la crème (cream puff pastries) or profiteroles (small choux pastries or round balls filled with creamy custard) in a cone shape. The cone can be as high as the couple wants. The cone is then bound with threads of caramel, which gives the dessert its shiny golden colour. The caramel threads can be made by heating sugar until it becomes an amber-coloured liquid and then drizzling it over the cone. Alternatively, a thin caramel syrup can be used to 'glue' the cone together.

The croquembouche is often decorated further with spun sugar, icing, chocolate, sugared almonds, candy ribbons, or edible flowers. Sometimes it is covered in macarons or ganache. The croquembouche can also be customised with nougatine, a substance similar to praline made from light caramel mixed with crushed almonds. Nougatine is usually used as the base of the croquembouche but can also be cut into decorative shapes and attached to the cone.

The croquembouche is typically brought out at dessert time at French weddings, rather than being displayed throughout the reception. Each guest is usually served around three profiteroles or choux.

The cake is brought out at dessert time, with a bit of a show

The French wedding cake, or Croquembouche, is brought out at dessert time, with a flourish. Unlike traditional American weddings, where the cake is on display throughout the reception, the French wedding cake makes a grand entrance. The lights are dimmed, and the DJ gets the guests chanting, "Le gateau! Le gateau!". The head patissier and their assistants then carry out the cake to the happy couple, to the tune of "Rocky's Theme" or "2001: A Space Odyssey".

The croquembouche is a towering, decorative creation, with a wow factor. It is a cone-shaped pile of cream-filled, puff-pastry balls (choux), bound with threads of caramel. The dessert is often decorated with icing, chocolate, sugared almonds, candy ribbons, or even sparklers. The cake can be customised with nougatine, a type of praline made from light caramel and crushed almonds, which can be cut into decorative shapes and attached to the cone.

The couple then breaks off a few of the choux and feeds each other, before the cake is taken away to be cut, plated, and served to the guests.

It is often decorated with icing, chocolate, sugared almonds or candy ribbons

The French wedding cake, or croquembouche, is a tower of cream-filled, puff-pastry balls (choux) piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel. The croquembouche is often decorated with icing, chocolate, sugared almonds, or candy ribbons.

The croquembouche can be decorated with icing, which can be drizzled over the choux or used to cover them entirely. For example, the Parisian patisserie Ladurée offers croquembouche covered in icing in their signature pastel colours.

Chocolate is another popular choice for decorating a croquembouche. For instance, a croquembouche with gold leaves made from real gold and a chocolate base has been created.

Sugared almonds are also used to decorate croquembouche. In fact, one of the ways to customise a croquembouche is with nougatine, which is made from light caramel mixed with crushed almonds. Nougatine is typically used as the base of the croquembouche but can also be cut into decorative shapes to attach to the cone.

Candy ribbons can be used to adorn a croquembouche, adding a touch of sweetness and colour to the dessert.

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