Wedding Croquembouche – the French wedding cake

For centuries the Croquembouche has been the ‘piece montee’, centrepiece of french weddings.  However the increase in bakery programmes such as Masterchef Australia and The Great British Bake Off has led to the french Croquembouche becoming a centrepiece in many other countires.

So what exactly is a wedding croquembouche?

This is a traditional French dessert.  It is a high cone of choux filled with pastry cream that can be dipped in chocolate bound with caramel, and usually decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons. They are also often covered in macarons, a small pastry consisting of two layers and a flavored cream or ganache.

The name comes from the French words croque en bouche meaning ‘crunch in the mouth’.

The profiteroles can also be made with savoury fillings.

Now I do warn you if you are hungry look away now.

 Adriano Zumbo Patissier

Patisserie la Cigogne

Although a wide variety of Croquembouche can be found in France, the Zucchero Patisserie in the UK provides a wide range of Croquembouche Wedding Cake designs.

Four images above are fromZucchero Patisserie.

Robineau Patisserie, UK

Of course for the skilled DIY bride and groom there is always the option of making your own wedding Croquembouche.  If you are brave enough to try I would love to see your choux constructions.