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Croquembouche

French dessert

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated February 16, 2026
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A croquembouche (French: [kʁɔ.kɑ̃.buʃ]) or croque-en-bouche is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel. In Italy and France, it is often served at weddings, baptisms and First Communions.

01Etymology

The name comes from the French phrase croque en bouche, meaning '[something that] crunches in the mouth'.

02Presentation

A croquembouche is composed of (usually cream-filled) choux piled into a cone and bound with spun sugar. It may also be decorated with other confectionery, such as sugared almonds, chocolate, and edible flowers. Sometimes it is covered in macarons or ganache.

03History

The invention of the croquembouche is often attributed to Antonin Carême, who includes it in his 1815 cookbook Le Pâtissier royal parisien, but it is mentioned as early as 1806, in André Viard's culinary encyclopedia Le Cuisinier Impérial, and Antoine Beauvilliers' 1815 L'Art du Cuisinier. In Viard's encyclopedia and other early texts (e.g., Néo-physiologie du goût), it is included in lists of entremets, elaborate dishes, both savory and sweet, that were served between courses during large banquets.

04Records

On 6 March 2009, alumni of the Pune-based Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology entered the Limca Book of Records after creating India's biggest croquembouche. It was recorded as 15 ft (4.5 m) tall.

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Croquembouche”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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List of French desserts

This is a list of French desserts, sweet pastries and cakes that come from French cuisine. In France, a chef who prepares desserts, cakes and sweet pastries is called a pâtissier, who is part of a kitchen hierarchy in French cuisine termed brigade de cuisine.

List of choux pastry dishes

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