Lemon Cream Croquembouche
A Croquembouche Recipe is elegant and impressive. This tower of cream-filled choux pastry will make jaws drop!!!
Making a cream puff tower wrapped in caramel threads has been on my bucket list for years. It took a push from my pastry chef friend, Jenni, to create this Lemon Cream Croquembouche. Mission accomplished!
Why You Must Make
- If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert, this is it!
- Do you love cream puffs? This is a cream puff dessert on steroids!!!
- Looking for a holiday centerpiece? A croquembouche’s pyramidal shape resembles a Christmas tree and would be beautiful on a buffet or as the focal piece on your table.
A group of intrepid bloggers, who occasionally like to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones, decided to make Valentine’s-themed croquembouche. Traditionally, a croquembouche is a tower of cream puffs filled with vanilla pastry cream and held together with caramelized sugar (the crispy part).
How to Make
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking sheets.
- Make the choux dough by bringing butter, salt, and water to a boil.
- Vigorously stir in the flour off the heat.
- Return pan to heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, to dry the dough, about 2 more minutes.
- Cool briefly, then mix in the eggs one at a time.
- Scoop rounds of dough onto the baking sheet, glaze with an egg wash, and bake as directed.
- Make your filling and pipe into the cream puffs.
- Make the caramel.
- Arrange your cream puffs on a form, using the caramel as glue. Details in the recipe.
- When the caramel thickens slightly, dip in 2 forks, covering the tines. Tap the tines together then pull them apart to make strands of caramel. Wrap the strands around the puffs and repeat.
- Serve.
I’ve been making cream puffs for decades, so that component of a croquembouche was not daunting. The gluing of the choux together with caramel to form a cone, then spinning a web of sugar to encase it was another story. But before I started, I had to decide whether to stack the cream puffs free form or use a template on which to glue them.
Hunting through my myriad kitchen supplies for anything cone-shaped, all I could improvise was a large plastic funnel taped on a plate. I whipped up the cream puffs, filled them, and set out to make the caramel.
So, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with how to make cream puffs and caramel before starting your creation. Plus I recommend finding a food-safe cone on which to mount your croquembouche.
Lemon Filling vs. Pastry Cream
The classic filling for the cream puffs in a croquembouche is vanilla pastry cream, but I wanted to shake it up. I whipped some cream and sugar to soft peaks, then added a few tablespoons of tart, citrusy lemon curd.
The combination was so fresh and light and a terrific complement to the spun sugar and cream puffs. My lemon Cream Croquembouche was complete! A group of my blogger friends is also sharing their masterpieces today. Please check out their versions of this elaborate French dessert below.
And once you master the cream puff, AKA profiterole or chou à la crème, you’ll have so many desserts and appetizers you can create! I often make Gougeres for an appetizer when entertaining. They’re savory cream puffs flavored with Gruyere cheese! These S’mores Cream Puffs are a summer twist on profiteroles, filled with a toasted marshmallow and a mini milk chocolate bar. And this Cream Puff Dessert from my friend, Valerie, avoids having to make individual cream puffs, but the results are an exquisite dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a croquembouche? Literally translated from French, it’s crisp in mouth. Not a lot of help, eh? I’ll continue with the definition from The Food Lover’s Companion: this elaborate dessert is classically made with profiteroles (custard-filled cream puffs), coated with caramel, and stacked into a tall pyramid shape.
Place sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, till the sugar turns light amber. Remove from heat.
Build your croquembouche while the caramel cools slightly. It should be the consistency of honey when it’s ready.
Dip 2 forks into the caramel and cover the tines with the syrup. Tap the tines together and then pull them apart repeatedly till threads of sugar develop.
Quickly move the treads to the cone of puffs and wrap it around the cone. Repeat numerous times till you cover the exterior with a web of sugar threads.
You May Also Like
PLUS check out these “croques” from some blogger friends:
- Cream Puff Tower from Barbara Bakes
- Dulce de Leche Croquembouche from Ansh of Spice Roots
- Chocolate Orange Croquembouche from Laura of Mother Would Know
- Petit Croquembouche Citron Framboise from Stacy of Food Lust, People Love
Lemon Cream Croquembouche
An elaborate French dessert made of cream puffs filled with lemon cream and stacked into a cone shape and wrapped in spun sugar
Ingredients
Cream Puffs
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 2 cups flour
- 9 eggs, divided (8 for dough, 1 to glaze dough)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Filling
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon curd
Caramel
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Bring butter, salt, and 1 ½ cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Remove pan from heat, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Return pan to heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, try dry dough, for about 2 more minutes.
- Let the dough cool for 5 minutes, then beat in eggs, one at a time, waiting till each is incorporated before adding the next.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, dip in water, shaking off the excess before scooping out rounds of dough and placing them on the baking sheets one inch apart.
- Lightly beat the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water and brush each piece of dough with it. Bake until puffed and light brown, about 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and continue to bake until well browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
- To make filling, whip cream with 1 tablespoon sugar to soft peaks. Beat in lemon curd to firm peaks.
- Using a pastry bag with a small tip, poke a hole in the side or bottom of each puff and fill with cream. Keep filled puffs cool while preparing caramel.
- Place sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, till the sugar turns light amber. Remove from heat.
- If you have a cone form, cover it with non-stick paper so caramel will not adhere to the form. Place cone on serving plate. One at a time, dip the sides of the cream puffs in caramel, and starting from the bottom, make a circle of puffs using the caramel as glue to adhere to the cone.
- Top the bottom layer of cream puffs with a smaller circle of cream puffs and continue till you can place one cream puff on top.
- By this time, the caramel will have thickened slightly. It should be the consistency of honey.
- Dip 2 forks into the caramel and cover the tines with the syrup. Tap the tines together and then pull apart repeatedly till threads of sugar develop.
- Quickly move the treads to the cone of puffs and wrap it around the cone. Repeat numerous times till you cover the exterior with a web of sugar threads.
- Serve within 4 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 348Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 8g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
36 Comments on “Lemon Cream Croquembouche”
Croquembouche is the best dessert, yours looks perfect! Lemon cream is such a refreshing flavour 🙂
By the way, I have stopped receiving your daily updates, I only get the newsletter? Haha so I catch up altogether 😛
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I have always, always wanted to make croquembouche. I am so impressed by yours. I need to get in the kitchen and make my own.
Wow! This is just stunning, Liz! So impressed with the presentation.! That spun sugar looks incredible and I love the lemon cream filling!
This is simply stunning… but I don’t expect anything less from you! 🙂
This was quite an undertaking and you handled it beautifully! Many years ago I attempted something similar with a styrofoam cone and store bought mini cream puffs. I didn’t dare tackle spun sugar. Since it was for a Christmas dinner I dusted it with powdered sugar. Your desserts are always magazine cover worthy Liz and you are a pro!
Wow those look fantastic! Awesome job with the spun sugar, it’s just so pretty and fancy looking! Love the lemon cream flavor too 🙂
Lizzy,
I love lemon desserts and this looks so impressive. The spun sugar looks perfect too.
Annamaria
This is soooo lovely .. look at these strings of caramel !!! I need more than one bite of this 🙂
Congrats on your croquembouche, it looks so beautiful! You did an awesome job. My first one looked terrible. I remember the first one I saw, it was the dessert at my first communion, catered and huge.
This is certainly an impressive dessert, I must admit its been on my bucket list for ages as well. This is simply stunning 😀
Stunning presentation! Lemon cream filling sounds delicious!
Oh wow! You are a real master! It looks perfect!
Absolutely stunning, Liz! I love the spun sugar wrap!
oh lala!! Look perfect and beutiful!! tres belle!!
I think I never made these, and I would like Lizzy!!
Just georgeous dear!! aw you are an artist!! I know!
So elegant- this is gorgeous! Love the lemon. 🙂
How stunning, Liz! It looks absolutely perfect. Maybe one day I’ll finally take the plunge and also attempt a croquembouche.
Exquisite, Liz! Thank you too for the explanation of the caramel sugar how-to..It sounds so do-able when you write about the experience…Do believe you have encouraged me to give it a go some time…Maybe even in 2015 😉
Wow! This turned out beautiful. . .like it was made by a croquembouche expert. Making croquembouche is also on my bucket list but I am certain mine won’t come out as lovely as yours.
This is truly a work of art Liz. I tried doing something with spun caramel right before Christmas and learned that it’s not as easy as it sounds. I’m so impressed!
Wow, looks like you nailed it! Enjoy:@)
Liz, Your croquembouche is simply gorgeous. And your explanation for how you did the spun sugar makes me (almost) want to try it myself:). As a huge fan of lemon curd, I’m totally smitten with your twist on the pastry cream too. A winner all the way around.
Incredible! Such a beautiful dessert. A dear friend of mine had one has their wedding cake about 8 years ago, I remember thinking that I’d love to make one. I’ve made it but not with the spun sugar…on my bucket list too. I love that you filled it with lemon curd instead of pastry cream…this one would be a winner at our place for sure. Congratulations for your accomplishment.
OMG yours came out sooooo perfect looking! LOVE It! The spun sugar is so gorgeous!! You are super FABULOUS!
Liz I’m so impressed with your croquembouche. It’s gorgeous!
Liz, you are the queen of desserts! This is a masterpiece. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making one but I’m too novice – I can’t even make pate a choux successfully. This is impressive and awe-inspiring. Ever since you stated on Facebook that you were attempting this, I knew you’d do it beautifully. I love this!
Yay!! I wondered how it came out! It is absolutely gorgeous Liz 🙂
That is some kind of impressive, Liz! I’ve always admired spun sugar in restaurants, but never had the nerve to try it myself. You’ve done an amazing job!
SO jealous of your spun sugar. Mine was a complete and total failure. And the lemon? I’d be in heaven.
This is gorgeous! I have never heard of a croquembouche. Thanks for the inspiration! Although this might look too fancy for me to make.
LIZ!!!!!! This is GORGEOUS!!! Great job, girl!! This has been on my bucket list for years as well, but they’re just so darn intimidating. You conquered it and it looks magnificent!! *high five*
LOVE the flavors you chose for your cream. And the top shot is Gorgeous with the beautiful spun sugar!
So beautiful! I am a little intimated to make this. Don’t think mine could come out like yours 🙂
quite the masterpiece this should be on every front cover of national recipes mags across the US love it!
Gorgeous…absolutely gorgeous. Love those little berries setting it off so nicely, you do have a way with the photography! 🙂 I don’t suppose there is any of that LEFTOVER???? 🙂 I could be there in no time flat, even with the snow and ice on the road this morning. No? I didn’t really think so, but it’s good to try. 🙂 Love love love the idea of lemon in the filling.
I made a croquembouche a few years ago for Christmas. It was so much fun and quite a challenge. I wish I had done the spun sugar like you did. You did a really fantastic job. It looks beautiful and I’m sure it tastes just as good (if not better) than it looks!
Liz, it just turned out perfectly! And I’m so glad you went with lemon curd and cream–we need some sunshiny citrus this winter! Beautiful-beautiful. I’m so glad you were game for this challenge! <3