Saint Honoré Cake with Sponge Cake

17/11/2023

The Saint Honoré Cake is a classic of French patisserie that takes its name from the patron saint of pastry chefs and bakers, Saint Honoré. The traditional version uses puff pastry as the base, but if you wish to use sponge cake, I will provide a variant that suits this request.

Ingredients

For the sponge cake base:

120g flour
120g sugar
4 eggs
A pinch of salt

For the pastry cream:

500ml milk
1 vanilla pod
120g sugar
4 egg yolks
40g flour
20g cornstarch

For the pâte à choux:

125ml water
60g butter
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
75g flour
2 large eggs

For the chantilly:

250ml fresh cream
20g icing sugar

For the caramel:

150g sugar
50ml water

Preparation

Sponge cake: beat the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a frothy and pale mixture. Add the sifted flour and salt, mixing gently. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured cake tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes. Let cool.
Pastry cream: in a saucepan, bring the milk with the split vanilla pod to a gentle boil. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar, then add the sifted flour and starch. Pour in the hot milk in a thin stream, stir and return everything to the heat to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool.
Pâte à choux: bring the water to a boil with the butter, salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and incorporate the flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Return to the heat and dry the dough. Let cool slightly and incorporate one egg at a time. Pipe small balls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 200 °C for about 20-25 minutes.
Assembly: fill the choux with pastry cream. Prepare a caramel with sugar and water and, when golden, dip the base of the choux into it then attach them along the edge of the sponge cake.
Chantilly: whip the cold cream with the icing sugar and fill the center of the cake.
Finish the decoration with caramel and chantilly on top of the choux and, if desired, with caramel threads.

Trivia

This cake lends itself to numerous variations and customizations. Incorporating the sponge cake as a base adds a soft texture that contrasts with the crunchiness of the pâte à choux and the creaminess of the pastry cream. A nice way to combine French tradition with a more familiar touch of Italian patisserie.