Saint-Honoré cake - classic

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 sheet of rolled out puff pastry, defrosted in the refrigerator

Crème Patissier

• 1 cup semi-skimmed milk
• Half a vanilla pod or 1.5 tsp vanilla paste
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, cut into pieces

Choux pastry

• 3/4 cup semi-skimmed milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 0.5 cup + 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 and 2/3 cups premium flour
• 5 large eggs at room temperature

Profiteroles

• Half a batch of choux pastry, recipe above
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tbsp white corn syrup

Cake

• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 1.5 tbsp. dry skim milk
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. l. raspberry puree
• 1 cup raspberries

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut a 22cm (9.5in) circle out of the puff pastry (you can also use a 22cm (9.5in) springform tart pan to cut the circle, which will give the base a nice fluted edge) and place it on a baking sheet. Prick the dough with a fork and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool.

3. Custard

   
   Heat the milk, adding the seeds scraped from the vanilla pod or vanilla paste, just before boiling.
   
   In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Prepare a bowl with the butter by fitting it into a sieve.
   
   Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture, then return it to the saucepan. Whisk continuously (using a spatula occasionally to reach the corners) over medium heat until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour it through a sieve, pressing it down if necessary, and fold it into the butter. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Choux pastry

   
   Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a full boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour with a wooden spoon, stirring vigorously until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan (and no longer sticks). Transfer the dough to a large bowl and beat with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 1–2 minutes to cool slightly.
   
   Crack two eggs into a small bowl and whisk until lightly combined. Add the eggs to the batter, still whisking on medium speed, and mix well. Add the remaining 3 eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Continue working the batter while it's still warm.
   
   Makes 2 servings of choux pastry for profiteroles.

5. Profiteroles

   
   Preheat oven to 200°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
   
   Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain tip with the choux pastry. Pipe profiteroles approximately 4 cm in diameter onto a baking sheet. Dip your finger in cool water and lightly smooth out the sharp points of the pastry. You'll need 16-18 profiteroles for the cake.
   
   Bake the profiteroles for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F) and continue baking for about 15 more minutes, until they are richly golden brown and very light. Cool the profiteroles completely before filling.
   
   To fill the profiteroles, stir the cream until it softens and fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium-sized plain tip (or, if you have one, an eclair or donut tip). First, use a skewer to poke a small hole in each profiterole. Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole and pipe cream into the profiteroles until they feel full. Reserve any remaining cream for the cake. Refrigerate the profiteroles until ready to assemble.

6. Assembling the cake

   
   In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue cooking, uncovered and stirring constantly, occasionally brushing the sides of the saucepan with water until the mixture turns a light amber color. Prepare a bowl of ice water and carefully place the saucepan in the ice water to prevent the caramel from cooking further.
   
   Using tongs, carefully dip the tops of the profiteroles halfway into the caramelized sugar and place them caramel-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. If the caramel in the pan begins to harden prematurely, you can reheat it over low heat.
   
   Whip the cream and skim milk powder until soft peaks form and fold in the vanilla. Divide the whipped cream into two portions, fold the raspberry puree into one portion, and then fill two pastry bags fitted with plain or star tips with the cream.
   
   Place a baked puff pastry circle on a serving platter. Spread the remaining custard over it, leaving about 1 cm from the edges. Arrange the caramel-dipped profiteroles around the perimeter of the circle, making sure they are flat, caramel-side up. Place fresh raspberries on the cream inside the profiterole ring. Pipe two colors of whipped cream onto the raspberries, alternating them in straight lines or circles, or any other pattern. Refrigerate the cake until serving.
   
   Saint-Honoré is best served the same day it is assembled, but its individual components – the base, profiteroles and custard – can be prepared a day earlier.