Saint Honoré Cake with Sponge Cake

To prepare the Saint Honoré cake with sponge cake, start with the Sponge cake, using the cold-separated method. Separate the yolks from the whites 1 and whip the latter with half the sugar 2 until you obtain a white and frothy mixture 3.

Combine the yolks with the remaining sugar 4 and whip these too with a mixer 5, until you get a fluffy, light-yellow mass. Gently fold the whipped yolks into the egg whites 6,

mixing with a whisk 7, and add a pinch of salt. Sift together the cornstarch and flour 8, adding the powders to the egg and sugar mixture with a spatula, gently and without deflating the mixture 9.

Pour everything into a greased and floured 22 cm diameter cake pan 10, then bake in a static oven at 356°F for about 40-45 minutes (if using a fan oven, bake at 320°F for about 40 minutes). Remove the sponge cake from the oven 11 and let it cool on a rack 12.

Start preparing the Chocolate custard cream. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate and soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl full of cold water 1; let them soften for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the milk, cream, yolks 2, and sugar 3 into a saucepan.

Then mix with a whisk, also adding the sifted cornstarch 4. Turn on the heat and thicken while stirring 5, then remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate 6.

Mix again until the chocolate is completely melted and finally add the gelatin 7, which you have removed from the water and squeezed well; let it dissolve completely while stirring 8. The chocolate custard is ready. Place it in a bowl, covered with cling film 9, and let it cool in another bowl with ice and water to cool it down quickly; then transfer it to the refrigerator.

Also prepare the Pastry cream. Soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl full of cold water 1 and let them soften for 10 minutes. Pour the cream, milk 2, and yolks 3 into a saucepan.

Mix with a whisk and add the sugar 4, the seeds from a vanilla bean 5 (first cut it in half and then scrape the seeds with the blade of a thin, sharp knife), and the sifted cornstarch 6.

Turn on the heat and gently bring the cream to thicken, always stirring with the whisk 7 to avoid lumps, then add the softened and well-drained gelatin 8. Stir to dissolve it completely (it will take a few seconds), then transfer everything to a bowl, cover with cling film 9, let it cool in another bowl with ice and water, then transfer to the refrigerator.

Once your creams are well chilled, start preparing the Italian Meringue. Pour the water 1 and 140 grams of sugar 2 into a saucepan and cook until it reaches 250°F (use a kitchen thermometer to measure the exact temperature) 3.

Pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer, and only when the syrup reaches 238°F, add the remaining sugar (40 g) 4 and turn on the stand mixer. When the syrup reaches 250°F, pour it in a thin stream into the mixer 5, which will still be operating at medium speed 6 until, touching the bowl with your hands, you feel it has completely cooled down.

Once cooled, your meringue will be ready 7. Now, to prepare the Chiboust cream, divide the meringue into two equal parts. Add half of the meringue to the classic custard 8, and the other half to the chocolate custard 9. The two creams should now be well chilled. Gently mix with a spatula, transfer them to two separate piping bags, and refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the How to make syrup for cakes. Put the water, Grand Marnier 1, and sugar 2 in a saucepan. Leave on the heat until the sugar is completely dissolved 3, then let it cool completely. If you don't want to use alcohol, you can use non-alcoholic flavors or essences of your choice.

Proceed by unrolling the Puff pastry sheet, and from it, cut out a 22 cm disk with a pastry cutter 4, pierce it densely with a fork in both vertical and horizontal directions 5. Transfer it to a baking sheet and place a steel rack on top 6 to prevent it from puffing up during baking.

Bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 25 minutes (if using a fan oven, bake at 320°F for about 20 minutes). Once the disk is golden, take it out of the oven 7 and let it cool on a rack 8. Retrieve the sponge cake, now cold, cut it in half to obtain 2 layers 9.

Pour the syrup into a pastry bottle and use about half to soak the bottom layer of the sponge cake 10. If you don't have a pastry bottle, you can use a spoon for this operation. Cover the entire surface of the sponge cake with chocolate cream using a piping bag 11, setting aside a small amount for the final decoration. Place the now cold puff pastry layer on the chocolate custard 12.

Cover the entire surface with custard using a piping bag 13, saving a bit for filling the cream puffs and for the final decoration. Place the second sponge cake disk 14, pressing lightly with your hands to settle everything, and soak the surface with the remaining syrup 15. Then place the cake in the refrigerator.

Now, focus on filling and glazing your Choux pastry (pâte à choux). First, make the caramel: put the water and sugar 1 in a saucepan, let it boil until the syrup transforms into a Caramel 2. Quickly dip one cream puff at a time into the freshly made caramel 3 (be very careful not to touch the caramel, as it will be hot).

Let the excess caramel drain back into the pan, then place the cream puff upside down on a sheet of parchment paper 4, making sure the flat side is parallel to the sheet and not tilted. Let the caramel cool and harden, then turn them over on the base; you will notice a charming and characteristic decoration on the cream puff, as if a caramel disk is placed on top. Pierce the cream puffs at the base, fill them with the leftover custard using a piping bag 5, and store in the refrigerator 6.

Lastly, focus on the final decoration. Make the Chantilly cream: in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisks, pour the cold fridge cream, icing sugar 1, and the seeds from a vanilla bean 2, then whip at medium speed 3.

Using a spatula, completely cover the cake with chantilly cream 4 and transfer the remaining into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Cover the edges of the cake with hazelnut crumbs using a spoon 5 (alternatively, you can also use sponge cake or puff pastry crumbs). Place the cream puffs on the edges of the cake, spacing them evenly, and leaving a space between one cream puff and another 6.

At this point, make a tuft of chantilly cream between each cream puff with the piping bag 7. Place the chocolate custard in a piping bag with a teardrop nozzle (typical for decorating Saint-Honoré cake) and create rows of cream quenelles 8, leaving space between each row. Insert other rows of quenelles, this time made of classic custard, using the same piping bag with a teardrop nozzle 9. Place the Saint Honoré cake with sponge cake in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.