Mad about A Macaron Croquembouche
The Occasion
H’s birthday was this past weekend, but he didn’t want me slaving away in the kitchen to make him a birthday cake, insisting that I get some much needed rest during the New Year weekend because I’d been sleeping poorly the past 2 weeks.
Fortunately, I’d made a batch of macaron on New Year’s eve on a whim and decided to assemble a macaron tower for him instead! It would be experimental, but at least he would have some sort of a birthday dessert. Plus it would be way grander than any birthday cake if it worked out. 
The Experiment
I’d always wanted to make a macaron croquembouche, but was concerned about a few things.
1. What to use for the cone base
2. How to attach the macarons to the cone
3. Whether the macarons would stay in place, given the weight of the fillings
4. Whether the macaron fillings would turn soft and melt before all the macarons had been attached
The Results
Concern #1 was easily resolved with a homemade cardboard cone covered with baking parchment paper. I’d originally considered using a styrofoam cone, but had no idea where to buy one.
I decided to go with caramel as the “glue” since traditional cream puff croquembouches are so constructed. I started attaching the macarons at the bottom and was really delighted when the 1st layer appeared to stick on to the cone really well. What I hadn’t counted on was the caramel not hardening well.
As it turned out, concern #3 was also a valid one, especially since the macarons in the upper layers began to slide downwards, resting on the bottom layers when the caramel started to soften, possibly from the condensation from the macarons, which had been refridgerated prior to being attached to the cone, or perhaps from a poorly made caramel.
Despite the air-conditioning being turned on, the macaron fillings also started to melt somewhat. This was particularly true of the buttercream fillings. I had originally contemplated filling the macarons with a simple jam filling to overcome the melting issue, but didn’t want to spend hours making the shells, only to end up with overly-sweet macarons that would then be unpleasant to eat.
And so it was that H’s birthday croquembouche stayed intact for a grand total of 10 minutes before I decided to take everything down, mainly because the assembled croquembouche was too tall to fit into my fridge and the bottom layers were getting squashed from the weight of the other layers sliding down and resting on them. I was miffed that many of my painstakingly-made macarons were now either somewhat squashed, smeared with sticky, non-hardened caramel on one side or had part of their delicate outer shells left hanging on the cone when I attempted to remove them. Fortunately, they still tasted good and H didn’t mind in the tiniest bit, especially since his favourite chocolate ones had remained intact.
Experiments to come
I’m determined to try this again some other time and I’ve got some other ideas on how to better attach the macarons to the cone (reducing the amount of macaron filling being one of them and possibly using only ganache), but I’d love to hear from you if you’ve got any suggestions on how to solve the problems I encountered!
January 4th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
hi karen, despite the problems you encountered, its a beautiful croquembouche nonetheless! and i’ve always loved yr macarons since day 1.
i made a failed one sometime back and i got the styrofoam cone from artfriend, ngee ann city. like you, i used parchment paper to line the cone but i don’t think its a very good idea coz its waxy. i also tried using caramel but it hardened too quickly therefore i keep having to reheat it and i ended up having burnt caramel instead so i probably wouldn’t use caramel again. what about using melted/tempered chocolate? that might work. basically my biggest problem is not being able to get macarons in the same size despite using templates. i guess it might be the pressure i’m piping those rounds. and when i don’t get macarons in the same size, i ended up with ugly gaps on the croquembouche. so many problems, but like you i’m determined to try again. except that if i can’t make macarons in similar sizes i may hv to make alot just to choose the uniformed looking ones out of so many.
i’m sure yr next attempt will be better, keep trying
January 5th, 2010 at 12:10 am
hi there,
ur macaron was so tempting!!
i was in love when i 1st look at it.
omg,
the pastry u done seems like a full time baker.
can u teach mii how to do macaron?
or can u e-mail mii the recipe?
cause i’m a person who love eating pastry [love macaron lots] and love baking.
pls.
ur regard,
Josephine =p
January 5th, 2010 at 5:47 am
Oh I hear your frustration! I read on a French blog that you can use toothpicks to hold the macarons in place. Of course this was on a styrofoam cone.
Good luck with your next attempt!
January 5th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Evan: Thank you for your compliment!
Thanks for the tip on where to get a styrofoam cone. I had the same sentiment about the baking parchment, but I also think it was because of the caramel, which hardened quickly in the pot. I added a tiny amount of water to the hardened caramel before reheating, so that might have affected it.
Yes, it’s not easy to make uniformly sized macarons. I think if the cone is large enough, the gaps are not as obvious. =)
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing your next croquembouche attempt. =)
Josephine: Thanks! I can give you some tips on macaron making if you like.
Astrid: Thank you very much for the suggestion to use toothpicks. I only read about it after I’d made this croquembouche. It’s one of the ideas that I’m planning to try next. =)
January 8th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
excellent work Karen…how about using a dab of royal icing to secure macarons on?
it does harden rather quickly!
January 11th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Thanks, Stef! I did actually consider royal icing, but was not sure if the condensation from the macarons would be a problem. I guess I’ll just have to try it out some time.
January 14th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Wow! I would be glad, if I’d managed to make such wonderful macaron croquembouche once in my entire life
January 19th, 2010 at 5:27 am
Just started a little cookie company a year ago….named after my grandmother Cora…she taught me how to bake…do you share recipes ? I have been searching for the macaroons..my grandmother did not make those…I love your style…thanking you in advance if you do…..and forever grateful Judi D
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:53 am
hi! such a lovely macaron tower… i think it turned out beautiful and delicious looking despite the frustrating bits. good on you for experimenting! i was going to suggest the toothpick thing, just as a comment above did. i can’t wait to try making one of these too. they are just SO CUTE!
thanks for sharing!
lyndsay
January 24th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Wow!! That’s simply amazing.. So sorry it didn’t work out.. Waiting to see how you perfect this! Because the tower is simply breath-taking, it must be done
January 26th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Hi! Wow the macarons look fantastic! Do you by any chance cater for events? Please could you contact me?Where are you based?
Thanks,
Jennie
January 27th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Your work is absolutely spectacular. I would love it if you would make some creations for my upcoming June wedding. Please let me know if you are interested. Thanks.
~Sharayah~
January 31st, 2010 at 6:12 am
This would be amazing for a wedding, well done! Its so beautiful, I’ve never seen a macaron croquembouche. I spent an incredibly frustrating day making a nativity scene from gingerbread this christmas, i was so thrilled when it was finished though. I had an unbelievable amount of icing sticking the whole thing together. I feel your pain!x