Paris Cakes
Paris is mostly known for its haute cuisine and great food scene, but when it comes to yummy cakes, Paris also has something to say. The city boasts a wide selection of local sweet treats, many of which date back to the 17th century. Whether you visit a high-end pastry shop or dine in a modest Parisian bistro, you are sure to find a tempting array of pastries and cakes in Paris!
Below, we list the best Parisian cakes – Paris desserts born and perfected in the French capital – to satisfy even the sweetest of teeth. Learn the history behind their funny shapes and the best places to eat them!
TIP: This Pastry and Chocolate Walking Tour at Le Marais always has great reviews
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Best Cakes in Paris
1. Saint-Honoré
The Saint-Honoré is one of the most famous Paris cakes. This Parisian specialty was born in 1850 in Chiboust, the most famous pastry shop of that time located in . . . Rue Saint-Honoré.
In Chiboust’s kitchen, the young pastry chef Auguste Jullien created a cake made of puff pastry at its base with a ring of pâte à choux piped on the outer edge. Small baked cream puffs were dipped in caramelized sugar and attached side by side on top of the circle of the pâte à choux.
The author gave his new creation the name of the street where the pâtisserie was located. The name also honors Saint-Honoré, the eighth bishop of Amiens and saint-patron of bakers and pastry chefs.
Saint-Honoré day is celebrated on May 16. If you are in Paris around this day, don’t hesitate to celebrate it with this delicious Paris cake!
Where to find a good Saint-Honoré cake in Paris?
- Dalloyau – 63 Rue de Grenelle, Paris 7
- Pâtisserie des Rêves – 93 Rue des Bac, Paris 7
- Comptoir des pâtisseries (Mandarin Oriental) – 251 Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris 1
- Hotel Le Meurice – 228 Rue de Rivoli, Paris 1
- Stohrer – 51 Rue Montorgueil, Paris 2
2. Mille-feuille
A mille-feuille, or millefeuille, is a small Parisian cake made of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of pastry cream. Its name means ‘thousand sheets’ and refers to the many dough sheets that make up the cake.
The mille-feuille was born at 28 Rue du Bac, in Paris 7. At that time this address was occupied by the Pâtisserie Seugnot and it was in this pastry shop where François Pierre de La Varenne invented the mille-feuille around 1651.
For many people, the mille-feuille is the best cake in Paris but also one of the most difficult cakes to prepare. The top of the mille-feuille is iced with icing sugar or fondant. Also, it is possible to add jam or fruit, but the typical mille-feuille is just like in the picture.
The mille-feuille became a popular cake in Paris in the 19th century, especially among the local nobility. Today it is one of Parisians’ favorite cakes.
Where is the best Mille-Feuille in Paris?
- Carl Marletti – 51, Rue de Censier, Paris 5
- Gilles Marchal – 9 Rue Ravignan, Paris 18
- Carette – 25, Place des Vosges, Paris 3
- Landemaine – 26, Rue des Martyrs, Paris 9
3. Paris – Brest
The cake Paris-Brest is a dessert invented at the end of the 19th century by pastry chef Louis Durand.
M. Durand was asked to invent a cake in honor of the famous cycling race linking Paris to Brest. Inspired by the race itself, the cake is made of a round-shaped choux pastry (like a bicycle wheel), topped with praline cream, and sprinkled with flaked almonds and icing sugar. Such an original design needed an even more original name; that’s how the Paris-Brest was born!
The cake Paris-Brest became very popular among the race cyclists who appreciated its energizing high calorific value at the end of the race. Today, the Paris-Brest is one of the best desserts in Paris and a must of any pastry shop in Paris.
Where to find a good Paris – Brest cake in Paris?
- Bistrot Paul Bert – 18 rue Paul-Bert, Paris 11
- Chez Michel – 10 Rue de Belzunce, Paris 10
- L’Évasion – 7 Place Saint-Augustin, Paris 8
- Le Violon d’Ingres – 135 rue Saint-Dominique, Paris 7
GOOD TO KNOW: The Paris-Brest does not resist the hot temperatures well, so we recommend eating it from October to May.
4. Financiers
We find the origin of these Paris cakes made of beurre noisette with almond flour or ground almonds in the Middle Ages, invented by the nuns of a convent in Nancy.
During the 19th century, M. Lasne, a pastry chef installed near the Stock Exchange of Paris, took this old recipe and modernized it with the idea to offer his customers – mostly finance men or ‘financiers’ in French – quick bites to eat without dirtying the hands.
And voilà, that’s how the financiers were born! It is also in reference to this profession that the financiers have the form of gold ingots. Needless to say, these small Parisian pastries became the trend around the Stock Exchange.
Where to find good Financiers in Paris?
- Hugo & Victor – 40 Boulevard Raspail, Paris 7
- Le Moulin de la Vierge – 166 Avenue de Suffren, Paris 15
5. Opéra
If you are looking for the very best cakes in Paris, you must try the Opéra cake. The Opéra cake was invented in 1955 by Cyriaque Gavillon, pastry chef of Pâtisserie Dalloyau, still open at 101 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (Paris 8).
M. Gavillon wanted to create a cake with all the layers visible and with many different flavors in one bite. It was his wife Andrée who named the cake ‘Opéra’ because it reminded her of the scene of the Opéra Garnier. The cake also paid tribute to the dancers of the opera who were usual clients of the shop.
At the time, this Parisian cake was perceived as a very innovator because of its pure form, but also because of the ingredients used: sponge cake soaked in syrup, layered with ganache and coffee, and covered in chocolate glaze. M. Gavillon reduced sugar, removed alcohol, and gave it a rectangular shape, thus inventing a very Parisian cake.
Where to find a good Opéra cake in Paris?
- LeNôtre – 10 rue Saint Antoine, Paris 4 ; 36 Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris 7
- Dalloyau – 63 Rue de Grenelle, Paris 7; 101 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris 8 (the historical building).
TIP: This Saint-Germain-des-Près pastry and chocolate walking tour visits the neighborhood’s best upscale pastry shops featuring handmade cakes and sweets.
6. Religieuse
The Religieuse (it means “nun” in French) is one of the most inventive cakes in Paris. The Religieuse is a pastry made of two choux pastry cases, one larger than the other, filled with crème pâtissière, most commonly chocolate or mocha. Each pastry case is covered in a ganache of the same flavor as the filling and then joined and decorated with piped buttercream frosting.
The Religieuse was invented around 1856 at Frascati, a famous pastry shop located in Boulevard de Montmartre and run by a Napolitan ice-maker. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the Religieuse adopted its current appearance. It is probably the plump silhouette of the pastry that gave it its name or perhaps its brown color, which made it look like the dress of nuns.
The recipe is the same as for the famous éclairs, only the presentation changes.
Where to find a good Religieuse cake in Paris?
- Rollet Pradier – 6 rue de Bourgoge, Paris 7
- Sébastien Gaudard – 22, rue des Martyrs, Paris 9
- Dalloyau – 63 Rue de Grenelle, Paris 7
7. Baba au Rhum
Among all the Parisian desserts on this list, the Baba au Rhum is the only cake that is not 100% Parisian because the brioche is originally a Polish specialty. But it was in Paris where the pastry chef of King Louis XV, Nicolas Stohrer, had the brilliant idea of imbibing it with rum to make it more mellow.
Today, the Pâtisserie Stohrer is still open so you can taste the most delicious babas au rhum in the place where they were created for the first time! Pâtisserie Stohrer, set in Paris since 1730, is today the oldest pastry shop in the capital and it is a very beautiful store to see.
Where to find a good Baba au Rhum cake in Paris?
- Stohrer – 51 Rue Montorgueil, Paris 2
- Baba au Rhum is a popular dessert in many Parisian bistros
8. Chouquettes
Soft and incredibly light, these Parisian cakes (they are so good you cannot eat just one!) date back to the sixteenth century when Catherine de Medici’s pastry chef at the French court invented the choux pastry.
Chouquettes are light, fluffy, and sprinkled with crunchy pearl sugar. Cold or warm, they are a favorite coffee-time treat. Sometimes, you can find a chouquette as part of a café gourmand, yum!
Where to find good Chouquettes in Paris?
Chouquettes, like croissants or pains au chocolat, are sold in all bakeries.
9. Tarte Bourdaloue
The Bourdaloue tart, also known as Tarte Amandine, is an almond-based dessert created in the second half of the 19th century. This Paris cake takes its name from Rue Bourdaloue, in Paris 9, where its creator was established.
The inventor of this cake was the pastry chef Nicolas Bourgoin, working for the Maison Lesserteur at 7 Rue Bourdaloue. In its modern version, the Tarte Bourdaloue is composed of large pieces of poached pears placed on a shortbread dough, garnished beforehand with frangipane or almond cream.
Where to find a good Tarte Bourdaloue in Paris?
- Le Nôtre Bastille – 10 Rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris
- Sébastien Gaudard – 22, rue des Martyrs, 75009 Paris and 1, rue des Pyramides, 75001 Paris.
- Tapisserie – 65, rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
- CinqSens – 114, rue Saint-Charles, 75015 Paris.
- Bontemps – 57, rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
So there you have it, the list of best cakes in Paris to try next time you visit the French capital. Which of these Parisian desserts would you like to eat right now?
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