Gateaux Saint Honore

Once you master the choux pastry, this is the first cake you should go for. It taste as good as it looks!

1 quantity choux pastry
Choux recipe
1 quantity Creme Patissiere
Creme Patissiere Recipe
250ml fresh cream
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp white sugar crunch sprinkles

Beat the cream with a hand whisk until light and fluffy. Take two tablespoons of whipped cream and stir them into the cold Creme Patissiere. Fold in the remaining cream into the Creme Patissiere, cover and refrigerate. 

Heat the oven to 210c. Lightly oil two baking sheets. Transfer choux paste to a piping bag fitted with 1 cm nozzle. Pipe from centre out circcles of choux paste to form a round base for the cake. Pipe small balls of dough on the other tray the size of a cherry. You will need 12 nicely formed choux puffs for this recipe. Bake base and buns until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool. 

Put one tablespoon water in a pan, then pour sugar on top and turn on heat to medium. Cook the sugar until golden and turn off heat just before you think it's ready.(it will keep on cooking and dark caramel taste horrible) carefully dip in the choux buns. Have sprinkles ready on a plate so that you can press six buns in them while caramel is still hot and sticky. Just before caramel cools make caramel springs by lifting some caramel with a spoon and make spiral forms around an oiled cylinder. ( I use the knife sharpener!) 

Make a small hole underneath each choux bun and pipe to fill with cream. Place the baked and cooled choux base on a serving tray, pipe cream on top. Place the twelve buns on the outer side and decorate the middle with caramel spirals.