Saint-Honoré Cake

Make the rough puff: combine the flour and salt in a bowl, add the frozen butter cubes, and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, flatten each butter cube into a disc — leave visible streaks of butter throughout; do not rub to a breadcrumb texture. Drizzle in the ice-cold water and bring together into a shaggy dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll to a 20 × 30 cm rectangle, fold into thirds like a letter, rotate 90°, and roll out again. Repeat this fold-and-roll three times in total, then wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bloom the gelatine for the Chiboust cream: sprinkle the powdered gelatine over 3 tbsp cold water in a small bowl and leave to soften for 10 minutes.

Make the pastry cream base for the Chiboust: heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just steaming. Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar, and cornflour together in a bowl until pale. Pour one-third of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper, then return everything to the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the cream thickens and large bubbles burst at the surface — about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, squeeze the bloomed gelatine to dissolve it in the hot cream, and stir until fully incorporated. Press clingfilm directly onto the surface.

Allow the pastry cream to cool to 35°C — it must still be fluid but not hot — before folding in the meringue.

Make the Italian meringue: combine the 150 g caster sugar and 50 ml water in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 121°C on a sugar thermometer. Simultaneously begin whisking the egg whites in a stand mixer on medium speed. Once the syrup reaches 121°C, pour it down the side of the bowl in a thin, steady stream with the mixer running on high. Continue whisking until the meringue is stiff, glossy, and the bowl feels cool to the touch — about 5 minutes.

Fold the Italian meringue into the warm pastry cream in three additions, working quickly and gently with a large spatula to preserve the volume. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large Saint-Honoré tip (or a plain 1 cm tip) and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C for a fan oven. Roll the rested rough puff to a 5 mm thickness and cut a 22 cm circle. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray, prick all over with a fork, leaving a 2 cm border unpricked, and pipe a thin ring of choux pastry around the border. Chill the base on the tray.

Make the choux pastry: combine the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls cleanly from the sides of the pan.

Return the pan to low heat and cook the choux paste, stirring constantly, until a thin dry film forms on the base of the pan — about 2 minutes.

Transfer the choux paste to a stand mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute to release steam. Add the beaten eggs gradually, in five additions, beating well after each, until the paste is smooth, shiny, and falls from the spatula in a slow, thick ribbon — you may not need all the egg.

Transfer the choux to a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain tip. Pipe a single ring of choux onto the rough puff border, then pipe 16 small choux puffs (3 cm diameter) onto a second parchment-lined tray.

Bake the pastry base and the choux puffs together at 200°C, or 180°C for a fan oven until the puffs are deep golden and completely hollow-sounding when tapped — about 25 minutes. Do not open the oven in the first 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and pierce the base of each small puff with a skewer to release steam.

Allow all baked components to cool completely to room temperature before filling or dipping — about 30 minutes. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla to firm peaks for the Chiboust piping finish.

Fill a small piping bag with the remaining Chiboust cream and pipe into each cooled small puff through the hole in the base until just firm to touch.

Make the caramel: combine the 200 g caster sugar, 80 ml water, and glucose syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour — 175–180°C on a sugar thermometer.

Remove the caramel from the heat immediately and set the pan base briefly in a shallow tray of cold water for 5 seconds to halt cooking. Working quickly and carefully, dip the top of each filled choux puff into the caramel and set caramel-side up on a silicone mat to harden.

Use a small spoon to drizzle additional caramel around the base of each puff, then arrange the puffs around the choux ring border of the pastry base, pressing gently so the caramel glues each puff in place. Allow the caramel to set for 5 minutes.

Fill the centre of the pastry base with the Chiboust cream, piping in rosettes or swoops using the Saint-Honoré tip, working from the border inward. Serve within 3 hours for the best contrast of textures between crisp caramel and airy cream.