Nougatine Cake Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Quick Summary: This French nougatine cake, also called Saint-Louis or Succès, is a gluten-free cake made of two almond dacquoise layers filled with French buttercream and topped with crushed almond nougatine. Nougatine is caramelized sugar mixed with almonds. The cake uses just 6 ingredients and comes together in about an hour.

What is a nougatine cake?

This cake recipe is a twist on French nougatine cake Saint-Louis (Le Saint-Louis in French). Pastry chef Xavier Dalisson created it to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica Saint-Epvre in Nancy, France.

In 1907, the cake "Saint-Epvre®" became a registered trademark and was named after a pastry shop of the same name, "Saint-Louis." The cake recipe was kept secret for many generations of pastry chefs.

In the 1960s, French chef Gaston Lenôtre created his own version of the nougatine cake and called it "Succès," meaning "success" in English.

What is nougatine?

Nougatine is a French confection made by melting sugar into caramel, stirring in chopped or slivered almonds, then rolling the mixture into thin sheets and letting it set hard. Once cooled, it is crushed or cut into pieces.

In pastry, nougatine adds a crunchy, caramel-almond layer to cakes and desserts. The word comes from nougat, and nougatine refers to the thin, crisp, caramelized-nut version used for decoration and texture.

Why you'll love this recipe

1. Quick and simple: This nougatine cake recipe uses only 6 ingredients.
2. Naturally gluten-free: The dacquoise, buttercream, and nougatine contain no flour, making it suitable for guests with gluten intolerance.
3. Soft meets crunchy: Tender almond dacquoise and smooth buttercream contrast with the crisp caramel-almond nougatine.
4. A French classic: It is based on the famous Saint-Louis / Saint-Épvre cake, so you get a patisserie-style dessert at home.

Ingredients

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

• Eggs: Use an egg separator to facilitate the separation of egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are still chilled. Then bring whole eggs and egg whites to room temperature.

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

• Almond flour: The recipe calls for blanched, finely ground almond flour, not coarse almond meal. Spoon it from a container to measure almond flour. Do not pack/press it down into a measuring cup.

• Butter: The recipe calls for unsalted, softened butter. Use top-quality butter if possible.

• Slivered almonds: Use store-bought toasted slivered almonds, or toast them yourself by placing almonds in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes. You can replace slivered almonds with sliced almonds if desired.

• Water is used to make sugar syrup when making buttercream.

Equipment

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

• food processor to grind the almond flour and sugar
• stand mixer or an electric mixer to whip the meringue and beat the buttercream
• two cake rings (8 inches, 20 cm) to shape the dacquoise disks
• pastry bag with an Ateco plain pastry tip 809 for the dacquoise and a piping tip Wilton 6B for the buttercream rosettes
• baking sheets lined with parchment paper to bake and to set the nougatine
• saucepan to make the caramel and sugar syrup, and a rubber spatula to fold the batter
• rolling pin to roll out and crush the nougatine

How to make nougatine cake

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 335°F (180°C). To make the dacquoise, place almond flour and half of the caster sugar in a food processor and process for a few minutes.

Step 2. Place egg whites and the remaining half of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the meringue becomes glossy (photo 1).

Step 3. Add the almond flour/sugar mixture to the meringue in two to three batches and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 2).

Step 4. Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place two 8-inch (20 cm) cake ring/s on parchment.

Step 5. Transfer the meringue mixture to a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe two spiral dacquoise disks within cake rings (photo 3).

Step 6. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until slightly golden. Remove dacquoise disks from the oven and let cool (photo 4).

Step 7. Gently run a knife around the edges of the cake ring to help release dacquoise from the mold.

Step 8. To make nougatine, place the sugar in a saucepan and heat it over medium heat until melted.

Step 9. Rotate the saucepan to stir the sugar. When the caramel turns amber, remove it from the heat and add lightly toasted slivered almonds.

Step 10. Mix them quickly, then pour the mixture on parchment paper (photo 5).

Step 11. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll it out with a rolling pin (photo 6). Let it cool completely.

Step 12. Crush the nougatine between sheets of parchment paper with a rolling pin (photo 7).

Step 13. To make the buttercream, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat the mixture to 250°F (121°C).

Step 14. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer while pouring the syrup along the inside of the bowl. Whisk until the mixture becomes whitish and cools down (photo 8).

Step 15. Gradually add the softened butter, cut into cubes, and mix until smooth and shiny (photo 9).

Step 16. To assemble the cake, place the buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 6B piping tip and pipe rosettes on the first dacquoise disk (photo 10).

Step 17. Distribute the crushed nougatine pieces (photo 11). Cover with the second dacquoise disk.

Step 18. Sprinkle the cake with icing (powdered) sugar. Decorate with a few rosettes of the cream and some pieces of nougatine (photo 12).

Expert tips

1. If you do not have cake rings, draw two 8-inch (20 cm) circles on parchment and flip the paper. Pipe dacquoise disks into a spiral within the circle's marks, then bake.
2. Refrigerate the nougatine cake for several hours before tasting. Serve the cake at room temperature, taking it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe variations

• Hazelnut nougatine cake: Replace the almonds with hazelnuts in both the dacquoise and the nougatine for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
• Other nuts: Try pistachios, pecans, or a mix, keeping the same weights.
• Coffee buttercream: Add a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder to the buttercream for a mocha note.
• Chocolate touch: Fold a little cocoa into the buttercream or drizzle melted dark chocolate between the layers.

Storing and freezing

Store nougatine cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens. Keep in mind that the crunchy nougatine topping absorbs moisture and softens over time, so it is best to add the crushed nougatine shortly before serving.

You can freeze the assembled dacquoise and buttercream layers, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Freeze the nougatine separately in an airtight container, as freezing and refrigeration cause it to lose its crunch.

Recipe FAQ

What does nougatine mean?
Nougatine means a thin, crisp confection of caramelized sugar mixed with almonds. It comes from the word nougat, and in French pastry, it refers to the hard, glossy caramel-nut sheet that is crushed over cakes and desserts.

What is the difference between nougat and nougatine?
Nougat is a soft or chewy candy made with whipped egg whites, sugar or honey, and nuts. Nougatine is the hard, caramelized version, made by melting sugar to the caramel stage, stirring in nuts, then rolling it thin and letting it set crisp.

What is almond nougatine?
Almond nougatine is nougatine made specifically with almonds, either slivered or chopped. It is the crunchy topping used in this French nougatine cake.

What is a Saint-Épvre or Saint-Louis cake?
It is the classic French nougatine cake this recipe is based on. Created in Nancy, France, it pairs almond dacquoise with buttercream and nougatine. Gaston Lenotre later made a version he called Succes.

Is nougatine cake gluten-free?
Yes. This cake is made with almond dacquoise, French buttercream, and almond nougatine, with no wheat flour, so it is naturally gluten-free.

Can you make nougatine cake in advance?
Yes. It is well-suited to making one day ahead. It tastes best after resting several hours in the fridge, so make it ahead and bring it to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.

How many calories are in nougatine cake?
One slice has about 634 calories, based on the nutrition estimate for this recipe.

Love dacquoise cakes? Try these next!

• Torta Elvezia (Almond Dacquoise Cake)
• Pistachio Dacquoise (Montebello Cake)
• Coconut Dacquoise (Dacquoise De Coco)
• Sans Rival Cake (Filipino Cashew Dacquoise 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 https://www.femmeactuelle.fr. It was originally published on March 08, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.