Mont Blanc Cake (French Chestnut Cream Cake)

Quick Summary: Mont Blanc cake is a French chestnut dessert built from crisp meringue disks, whipped cream, and sweetened chestnut cream piped into thin vermicelli strands. It is named after the snow-capped Mont Blanc mountain. This recipe walks you through baking the meringue, whipping the cream, and piping the chestnut vermicelli for the classic look.

What is a Mont Blanc cake?

Mont Blanc cake is a chestnut puree dessert made with whipped cream and meringue that originated in Italy but became famous in France in the 17th century.

Mont Blanc cake, or Mont-Blanc gateau in French, has been a signature dessert served at the Parisian tea shop Angelina since 1903. Later, in the 2010s, many French chefs created different variations of this dessert.

It is the most popular French dessert in Japan, where pumpkin, squash, and other purees are used instead of chestnut.

It is named after the highest mountain in the Alps, Le Mont Blanc, meaning "white mountain" in French. Sprinkled with icing (powdered) sugar, it really resembles a snow-capped mountain.

What is chestnut cream?

Chestnut cream or crème de marrons in French has been a specialty of the French Ardèche since 1885. It is made from broken candied chestnuts, sugar, and vanilla. The French use it as a spread on morning toast or add it to yogurt and cottage cheese instead of white sugar.

Chestnut cream is also used to make the famous French Mont Blanc dessert, the French Saint-Honoré, or the Italian tiramisu. It pairs well with sweet red wine. According to Cuisine et Vins de France, "The chestnut cream goes with everything and brings out the best in the simplest preparations."

Why you'll love this recipe

1. It is gluten-free: the Mont Blanc recipe uses no flour, so it is perfect for serving to everyone.
2. It combines three textures: this classic French pastry pairs crunchy meringue with smooth whipped cream and sweet, nutty chestnut vermicelli.
3. It has the right balance of sweetness: none of the layers is too sugary on its own.
4. It is fun to make: the recipe is easy and enjoyable, especially with kids who love to help decorate.
5. It suits celebrations: the cake is a nice choice for a birthday party or a bridal shower.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Egg whites: Separate them from the yolks while the eggs are chilled, using an egg separator, then let them come to room temperature.

• Sugar: Use caster sugar or superfine baker's sugar. To make superfine sugar, process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds.

• Icing sugar: Make it at home in a coffee grinder, or use store-bought powdered sugar.

• Chestnut puree: Use unsweetened chestnut puree. It is one of the stars of the cake and cannot be replaced with another puree.

• Chestnut cream: This is a sweetened French chestnut spread (crème de marrons) used for the vermicelli topping.

• Dark rum: Replace it with cognac if you prefer.

• Whipping cream: Use your favorite brand with at least 30% fat content.

Equipment

To make this Mont Blanc cake, you will need a few tools:

• stand mixer or an electric mixer to whip the meringue and cream
• pastry bag with an Ateco plain pastry tip 806 to pipe the disks and cream
• a vermicelli tip (or a Wilton tip 3 / Ateco tip 2) to pipe the chestnut vermicelli
• parchment paper on baking sheets to bake the meringue disks
• rubber spatula and a bent spatula to spread and smooth the cream
• a fine-mesh sieve to pass the chestnut cream, and a cake board to assemble on

How to make Mont Blanc cake

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 185°F (85°C). Use a pencil and draw five circles (6-inch/16 cm, 5-inch (13 cm), 4-inch (10 cm), 3-inch (7 cm), and 2-inch (5 cm) in diameter) on two sheets of parchment paper. Turn them over and place them on two baking sheets.

Step 2. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites with an electric or stand mixer until stiff.

Step 3. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until glossy (photo 1). Finally, add icing (powdered) sugar and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 2).

Step 4. Place the meringue in a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 806. Pipe 4 meringue dots in the corners of a baking sheet and place parchment on top to hold them in place.

Step 5. Pipe five meringue disks as spirals over the drawn circles on parchment paper (photos 3 and 4). Bake for 2 hours and then let cool.

Step 6. To make whipped cream, whisk whipping cream with icing (powdered) sugar until firm (photo 5). Place ⅔ of the cream in a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 806.

Step 7. To assemble the cake, place the largest cooled meringue disk on a cake board or a serving plate.

Step 8. Push whipped cream in a spiral using a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 806 (photo 6).

Step 9. Place the second disk (5-inch/13 cm in diameter), and garnish it with whipped cream. Repeat for the last three disks (photo 7).

Step 10. Use the rubber spatula and cover the cake with the remaining whipped cream. With a bent spatula, smooth the cream from bottom to top.

Step 11. To make chestnut cream, use a mixer to combine chestnut puree, chestnut cream, and dark rum until homogeneous (photo 8). Pass the cream through a fine-mesh sieve.

Step 12. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a vermicelli tip or a bird nest pastry tip (photo 9).

Step 13. Pipe the chestnut vermicelli in overlapping circles to cover the cake's entire surface (photo 10).

Step 14. Decorate with gold sugar pearls. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Right before serving, sprinkle the cake with icing (powdered) sugar.

Expert tips

1. 100 g egg whites, approximately equal to 3 raw fresh egg whites from large-size chicken eggs.
2. Replace caster sugar with superfine sugar. Process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make it superfine.
3. Pipe meringue kisses with the remaining meringue, placing them around the meringue disks.
4. Use Wilton tip 3, Alteco tip 2, or even larger Alteco piping tips 4 to 8 instead of the vermicelli tip if you cannot find that special tip. Ideally, use a 2- to 3-mm plain round tip.
5. Do not over-pipe the cake with chestnut cream (you might not use all the cream) to prevent vermicelli from sliding down.
6. Decorate the top of the Mont Blanc cake with a candied chestnut if desired.
7. The Mont Blanc dessert is best served within a few hours, as the chestnut cream tends to dry out on top of the cake.
8. Serve the cake with sweet wines, such as French Rivesaltes or Banyuls.

Recipe FAQ

Can you make Mont Blanc cake in advance?
You can make the meringue disks up to 1 day ahead, but assemble the cake on the day you serve it. The chestnut cream piped as vermicelli tends to dry out over time.

Can you freeze Mont Blanc cake?
Yes. Once the cake is covered in whipped cream, wrap it (with the cake board) in plastic film and freeze overnight. The next day, unwrap it, let it sit about 5 minutes, pipe the chestnut vermicelli, and chill for 2 hours to thaw.

What is chestnut vermicelli?
Chestnut vermicelli is the thin, spaghetti-like strands of sweetened chestnut cream piped over the top of the cake. They give Mont Blanc its signature look.

How do you store Mont Blanc cake?
Keep it in the fridge and serve within a few hours of piping the chestnut cream, since the vermicelli dries out on top over time.

Is Mont Blanc cake gluten-free?
Yes. It is made with meringue, whipped cream, and chestnut cream, with no flour, making it naturally gluten-free.

How many calories are in a Mont Blanc cake?
One slice has about 469 calories, based on 6 servings. The exact amount depends on the cream and chestnut products you use.

What can you use instead of a vermicelli tip?
If you cannot find a vermicelli tip, use a Wilton tip 3, an Alteco tip 2, or a 2 to 3 mm plain round tip to pipe the chestnut strands.

Love meringue cakes? Try these next!

• Merveilleux Cake (French Meringue Cake)
• Concorde Cake (Gateau Concorde)
• Pavlova Roll (Meringue Roulade)
• Sans Rival Cake (Filipino Cashew Meringue Cake)
• Pistachio Sans Rival
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from http://www.marieclaire.fr and https://www.cuisineactuelle.fr. It was originally published on March 03, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.