Why go
Its appeal is in the construction: a puff-pastry base carries a ring of pâte à choux, while small caramel-dipped puffs form the outer crown. It was invented at the Chiboust bakery on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris in 1847. The mixture of crisp pastry, choux, caramel and cream makes it a useful choice when you want a dessert with several classic techniques in one slice.
The full story
St. Honoré cake takes its name from Saint Honoré, the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs and bishop of Amiens. The cake itself was invented in 1847 at the Chiboust bakery on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. Its design brings together several classic pastry techniques. Puff pastry forms the base, with a ring of pâte à choux piped around the outer edge. Small baked cream puffs are dipped in caramelized sugar and attached side by side along that ring. The centre is traditionally filled with crème Chiboust and the cake is finished with whipped cream piped through a special St. Honoré tip. Knowing the structure makes the dessert easier to read: it is not one cake texture, but a deliberate assembly of crisp pastry, choux, caramel and cream.