09 Nov. 2019
The Relais Desserts Pastry Chefs imagine cakes that tempt and delight both eyes and palate; they are real creators of sweetness. A detailed review of some of their prettiest compositions, 100% gourmet…
Jean-Paul Hévin, Paris
The areas where you look for inspiration?
My trips to cocoa-producing countries; I locate the plantations and the most typical varieties inspire taste and texture combinations in me.
The most beautiful cake?
One of my most beautiful creations is the Happy, a birthday cake. Just like a wedding dress closes a fashion show, this cake was conceived as the culmination of a celebration dinner.

Happy cake by Jean-Paul Hévin: almond Dacquoise, French meringue surrounded by a dark chocolate mousse and decorated with salted pistachios.
Pierre Hermé, Paris
The most out there cake… the hot pick?
The Venus, a Breton shortbread cake, cake, glazed quince and rose apple, rose mascarpone cream…

Vénus by Pierre Hermé : Breton shortbread cake, cake, glazed quince and rose apple, rose mascarpone cream.
Jean-Christophe Jeanson, Lenôtre, Paris
Where do you get your inspiration?
It depends on the ingredients I feel like working with: I prefer strawberries in the summer, exotic fruits or chocolate towards the end of the year. The click happens when I taste and test some combinations.
An inspired cake this year?
The Cabosse, a creation you’ll only find in our Bastille boutique and inspired from a trip to a Barry Cocoa plantation in Ghana (Africa) with the chef Guy Krenzer. A cocoa streusel, almond praline, chocolate crémeux and chocolate mousse.
The most beautiful cake?
The Cappuccino, a dessert the chef Guy Krenzer imagined in the spirit of a trompe l’oeil to share his passion of coffee!

The Cappuccino, Lenôtre House: hazelnut praline and Guatemala coffee crémeux and Guatemala coffee syrup cakes, coated with milk chocolate and almond chips with a coffee whipped white ganache.

The Chocolate-Rum Baba cake, Lenôtre House: rum Baba cake, dark chocolate mousse, flambé grapes and cocoa nib.
Sébastien Bouillet, Lyon
Where do you get your inspiration?
Throughout my travels, encounters, culinary experiences but also while I ride my motorbike!
An inspired cake this year?
The praline tart, revisited Lyons-Tokyo that joins two cities that I particularly like: Lyons for the praline side and Tokyo for the citrus!
The most beautiful cake?
The next one! 😉
The most out there?
The Angel Cream!

The Carrousel by Sébastien Bouillet: dark chocolate caramelized mousse, salted-butter caramel chocolate crémeux © Nicolas Villion

The “Ardéchois” by Sébastien Bouillet: chesnut mousse, candied chesnut chips, chesnut madeleine © Nicolas Villion
Frédéric Cassel, Fontainebleau
An inspired cake this year?
The Tulakalum cake, a cocoa nib streusel, chocolate moelleux, chocolate mousse and Namelaka chocolate 75% cocoa from Belize.
Maëlig Georgelin, Au Petit Prince, Étel
An inspired cake this year?
The Breizh St Ho, crunchy caramel and Breton buckwheat shortbread cake, caramel cake, roasted apples Tatin-style and apple whipped ganache. My Breton roots inspired me for this cake and it was realized for the finale show of “The Best Pastry Chef, Professionals”.

The Breizh St Ho by Maëlig Georgelin : crunchy caramel and Breton buckwheat shortbread cake, caramel cake, roasted apples Tatin-style and apple whipped ganache
Éric Vergne, Audincourt
An inspired cake this year?
The Chocolate Signature cake, which is the result of two quests, first the creation of a “homemade” chocolate, an exclusive recipe my wife Corinne and I elaborated. Then the search for the ideal “all chocolate” cake: a work on variations of textures and both on intensity and lightness of taste.

“Signature Chocolat” by Eric Vergne: chocolate shortbread pastry, chocolate macaron cookie, chocolate ganache and Bavarian, chocolate ganache and cocoa nougatine frosting.
Jeff Oberweis, Luxembourg
The most beautiful cake, the hot pick?
The Eden cake, a pecan nut cake, Gianduja chocolate crémeux, redcurrant-pear jelly and dark chocolate mousse.

Eden cake, Oberweis House.
Alban Guilmet, Caen
The most beautiful cake?
Among others, the Chloé Tart, which I created for my daughter and is composed of crunchy shortbread pastry, caramelized peanuts, crunchy hazelnut praline, hazelnut crème brûlée and light peanut cream.

Chloé Tart by Alban Guilmet
Roberto Rinaldini, Rimini (Italie)
The most beautiful cake… the hot pick?
The Big Fly, Gianduja chocolate croquant, chocolate shortbread cake and milk chocolate crémeux, with two frostings, one of them a milk frosting.

Big Fly by Roberto Rinaldini
Luc Guillet, Valence
An inspired cake this year?
The G Spot, originally created for Valentine’s Day. Visually it’s minimalist and refined, which contrasts with the sophisticated mix of textures, sometimes smooth, sometimes crunchy!

“Le Point G” (G Spot), Guillet House: Vercors walnut brownie, chocolate crémeux, cocoa and fleur de sel crunchy crumble, “Vercors” butterscotch and vanilla dairy whipped ganache.
Richard Sève, Lyon
An inspired cake this year?
The Shockwave entremets, imagined for New Year’s Eve this year and which represents the Malabar forest topography; it’s the Kerala’s cocoa farming region in India.

“Onde de choc” (Shockwave) by Richard Sève: cocoa ganache, Bergeron apricots, apples Tatin-style and moelleux cake © Philippe Jalin
Lionel Pellé, pâtisserie Cannelle (Beirut, Lebanon)