Black Croquembouche Recipe (Charcoal Profiterole Tower!)

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: coconut cream

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Coconut cream reduces calories while maintaining richness.

dark chocolate

🥗Healthier: cacao nibs

💰Cheaper: semi-sweet chocolate

Cacao nibs provide a healthier crunch.

gold leaf

💰Cheaper: edible glitter

Edible glitter offers a similar visual appeal.

Start by merging butter with water in a saucepan over low heat.

Once the mixture starts to bubble, add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it thickens and forms a dough.

Remove the saucepan from heat and let the dough cool slightly.

Add 2.5 teaspoons of activated charcoal powder and a small amount of dark chocolate to the dough, mixing until combined.

Let the dough cool completely before adding eggs to prevent curdling.

Beat the eggs separately and then gradually incorporate them into the cooled dough until smooth.

Pipe small mounds of dough onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake the mounds until puffed and golden brown, checking for doneness visually as they may be tricky to spot when golden.

Prepare the chocolate pastry cream by whisking together egg yolks and sugar until pale (not shown in detail).

Fill each puff with the chocolate pastry cream using a piping bag (not shown in detail).

Melt sugar in a saucepan to create caramel until golden brown (not shown in detail).

Dip the top of each filled puff in caramel and stack them into a cone shape (not shown in detail).

Drizzle remaining caramel over the tower for decoration (not shown in detail).

Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over the croquembouche (not shown in detail).

Garnish with sea salt and gold leaf before serving (not shown in detail).

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens