Choux Cake With Lemon Curd and Elderflower Crème Chiboust

Meant to be a showstopper, this celebratory dessert doesn't just look impressive — it's delicious too!

It gets its wonderful flavour from elderflower crème Chiboust, caramel sauce and the lemony zing of both the sugar cookies and curd filling.

Choux Cake With Lemon Curd and Elderflower Crème Chiboust was the Technical Bake for the Season 8 finale of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Choux Cake With Lemon Curd and Elderflower Crème Chiboust

Ingredients

Craquelin:

• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Choux Pastry:

• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (156 g) bread flour
• 3 to 4 large eggs, room temperature

Lemon Sugar Cookie:

• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2½ cups (355) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Elderflower Crème Chiboust:

• 2 sheets gelatin
• 3 tbsp elderflower liqueur
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• Kosher salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

Meringue:

• 3 sheets gelatin, plus cold water for soaking
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup cold water
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature

Lemon Curd:

• 2 sheets gelatin, plus cold water for soaking
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
• ⅔ cup (132 g) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 drops lemon-yellow gel food colouring
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes

Caramel:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

Pulled Sugar:

• 1 cup (113 g) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp (20 g) glucose syrup

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

• 2 sheets gelatin, plus cold water for soaking
• 1 cup 35% cream, cold
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (28 g) icing sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Garnish:

• Edible leaves and flowers

Preparation

Craquelin:

Heat oven to 400 F with the rack in the middle position.

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, 1 minute. Add flour and salt, and mix until well incorporated. 

Place dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out until it’s about ⅛ inch thick. Place on a baking sheet, and chill in the freezer until needed.

Choux Pastry:

Bring butter, water, sugar and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until butter is just melted. 

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and quickly mix in flour with a wooden spoon. Then return it to the heat and cook, stirring often, until the dough leaves a skin on the bottom of the saucepan, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the hot dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat on medium until the dough has cooled to room temperature, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add eggs one at a time, making sure they’re fully incorporated before adding the next one. Before adding the last egg, check the texture of the choux by pinching off a piece between your thumb and forefinger. When you pull your fingers apart, there should be a string of dough between them. If the dough separates, add the fourth egg.

Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a number 2A round tip. Pipe a dab of choux in the corners of a baking sheet, and press a sheet of parchment paper on top. Pipe 14 choux puffs, each about 1½-inch wide, onto the parchment.

Remove the craquelin from the freezer and, using a 1½-inch cookie cutter, cut 14 rounds. Place one round on top of each choux puff.

Bake, without opening the oven, until golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and, working quickly, use a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the bottom of each puff. Then place them on a cooling rack and set aside.

Lemon Sugar Cookie:

Lower oven temperature to 325 F.

Add butter, lemon zest and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and cream until light, fluffy and pale yellow. Add egg and yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla.

Stir flour, salt and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add it to the butter mixture until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into three equal portions. Flatten into discs and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for 25 minutes. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough until it’s ¼ inch thick. Using a 6-inch round cookie cutter, cut out a round, then use a large offset spatula to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the centre of the round to create a ring, then discard the centre or use it for another purpose. Repeat with the other two portions of dough. Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes. 

Bake until the bottom is golden brown and the top is lightly coloured with golden edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Elderflower Crème Chiboust:

Break gelatin sheets into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Pour elderflower liqueur over the gelatin to cover. Set aside.

Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just steaming. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, egg and sugar in a large bowl until lightened in colour. Whisk in cornstarch and salt until no lumps remain. 

Whisking continuously, slowly add about a third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then add the rest of the milk. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over the saucepan. Bring to a bubble over medium heat, stirring continuously, and cook until thickened. 

Add softened gelatin and elderflower liqueur, and stir until gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat, add butter, and stir until it has melted. Strain thickened pastry cream onto a quarter-sheet pan, press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface, and refrigerate until needed.

Meringue:

Place gelatin in a bowl, cover with cold water, and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain water and gently squeeze out any excess liquid, then microwave on low power in 10-second increments until dissolved.

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture reaches 250 F, brushing the sides of the saucepan with a pastry brush dipped in water if sugar crystals appear.

Meanwhile, using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium-high until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, gradually stream both sugar syrup and gelatin into egg whites. Continue to beat until stiff, glossy and cooled to room temperature, about 6 to 8 minutes. 

Transfer the crème Chiboust to a large bowl and whisk to loosen. Gently whisk about 1 cup of meringue into the pastry cream, then gently fold in the remaining meringue in two additions until no streaks remain, taking care not to deflate the meringue. Transfer the crème Chiboust to a piping bag fitted with a number 803 tip, and refrigerate. 

Lemon Curd:

Place gelatin in a bowl, cover with cold water, and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain water and gently squeeze out any excess liquid.

Set a large bowl over a double boiler, add the remaining ingredients except butter, and whisk until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk gelatin into the curd until combined, then mix in butter. Pass the curd through a fine-mesh sieve set over a quarter-sheet pan. Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd, and refrigerate until cold.

Transfer the curd to a piping bag fitted with a number 803 tip. Fill the puffs halfway with curd, then fill them the rest of the way with crème Chiboust. Refrigerate while you make the caramel.

Caramel:

Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes for an ice bath. Melt sugar in a non-stick pan until golden brown, stirring, if needed, to make sure all the sugar is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately place it in the ice bath. (The caramel will turn dark very quickly.)

Assembly:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and gather a cutting board, paring knife, flat serving platter, small offset spatula and scissors.

While wearing gloves, dip the top of each choux puff in the caramel and put it back on the baking sheet. If the caramel has thickened, warm it over medium heat to loosen. 

Place a dab of caramel on the bottom of a cookie, and secure the cookie in the centre of the serving plate. Dip the edge of a choux puff in caramel and stick it onto the cookie base with the top facing out. Repeat with six more choux puffs to complete the circle. Cut or pull away any strands of caramel with scissors or the offset spatula.

Spread a small amount of caramel on the bottom of another cookie, and affix it to the top of the choux puffs. Then repeat the process to create a second layer of choux puffs, topped with the third cookie. Allow to set.

Pulled Sugar:

Heat ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 250 F or is frothy and melted. It should be light golden brown. Pour a small amount of melted sugar on a non-stick baking mat. When it’s cool enough to handle, use gloves to carefully pull the sugar into a wavy, decorative shape (you can cut the sugar with scissors). The sugar will harden when cooled, but if you don’t like the shape, you can melt it in the saucepan and try again. 

Stabilized Whipped Cream:      

Place sheets of gelatin in a bowl, cover with cold water, and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain water and gently squeeze out any excess liquid, then microwave on low power in 10-second increments until dissolved. 

Whip cream and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add icing sugar and salt, and whip until medium soft peaks form. Add gelatin, and whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a number 845 tip.

Fill in the gaps next to the cookies and between each choux puff by piping a whipped cream star in between. Pipe stars on the top cookie, leaving space for your sugar sculpture. Decorate the top and sides with leaves and flowers. 

Makes 1 cake