A French Wedding Cake
When planning your wedding in France you may ask yourself two questions: Should we have a classic wedding from our own country? Or, should we incorporate French traditions? There are a lot of similarities and since the ubiquitous Internet and all encompassing globalization, the French do pretty much what Americans and the British do for a wedding celebration. But, one thing that is different is the wedding cake.
The wedding cake in France is called a Croquembouche. It is literally named for the sound it would make when biting into one of the many profiteroles that the cake is constructed with. A profiterole is a small choux pastry-or round ball filled with creamy custard. The base is wider than its top so they create, when stacked, a cone form. And that can go as high as the couple wants. The whole thing is ‘glued’ together with a sort of caramel syrup giving its shiny golden color.
It is believed the first croquembouche was made in the late 1700’s by a pastry chef named Antoine Careme. Traditions of bringing wheat cakes to the marriage by guests dates from the Middle Ages and later these evolved into sweet buns. As evolution goes, the sweet buns also added fruits and nuts all stacked up and by the time Careme had his say, it became the French wedding cake as we know today.
Floral decorated droquembouche
A Different Take on the Classic
The croquembouche isn’t displayed like the wedding cake for the guests to admire through the reception. Instead, because it doesn’t have quite the ‘shelf-life’ as a wedding sponge cake, it is brought out for dessert and served to guests with each receiving about 3 profiteroles. (Or if they’re really hungry….) It is often made with puff pastries that have different flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, raspberry, or lemon injected into each before stacking to the cone shape.
Why not add something classically French to your wedding here in France but change it up a bit such as:
Cover with vining greenery.
Have the florist enhance it with flowers tucked here and there.
Serve as an additional dessert rather than main cake.
Or do a little of everything such as greenery, florals, seasonal berries, and a small chocolates or a sign with your names.
Rose buds adorn this different take on a classic.
Meringue makes each of the profiteroles.
The table that seats the croquembouche can be adorned with flowers, creating a display that blends with the rest of your wedding decor. It will be picture time for you before the Croquembouche is whisked away to be cut up and served to mouth watering guests who can’t wait to try it!
