Saint Honoré Cake

Instructions

1. Prepare the puff pastry base
   Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Roll out the puff pastry to about 3mm thickness and cut a 25cm diameter circle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely.
2. Make the choux pastry
   In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy.
3. Pipe and bake the cream puffs
   Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe a ring of pastry around the edge of the cooled puff pastry base. Then pipe about 15-18 small rounds (about 3cm diameter) onto a separate parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Allow to cool completely.
4. Prepare the caramel
   In a clean, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 300g sugar with 3 tablespoons of water. Do not stir; instead, swirl the pan occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup turns amber in color. Remove from heat immediately. Carefully dip the top of each cream puff into the caramel and place them, caramel side up, on a silicone mat or lightly oiled parchment paper. Then, quickly dip one side of each puff into the caramel again and stick them around the edge of the puff pastry base, on top of the choux ring.
5. Make the pastry cream
   In a saucepan, heat milk until it almost boils. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 100g sugar, and cornstarch until pale. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and let cool.
6. Prepare the chiboust cream
   Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes (if using powdered gelatin, sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of cold water). Squeeze out excess water from gelatin sheets and add to the warm pastry cream, stirring until dissolved. Let cool completely. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream to create a chiboust cream.
7. Assemble the cake
   Transfer the chiboust cream to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe the cream into the center of the cake, filling the space surrounded by the caramelized cream puffs. Then pipe rosettes of cream on top of each cream puff. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the cream to set.