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Limousin
Le Creusois
A moist hazelnut cake, born in Creuse from a recipe said to be drawn from a 15th-century parchment.
Pastry or bakery speciality from Limousin.
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Limousin
A moist hazelnut cake, born in Creuse from a recipe said to be drawn from a 15th-century parchment.
Pastry or bakery speciality from Limousin.
AI-generated illustration
Le Creusois is a cake originating from Creuse. According to legend, its recipe was translated from a 15th-century parchment discovered in an ancient monastery in the canton of Crocq, in the north of the department; the cake of the era was said to be 'baked in a hollow tile'. The website of the commune of Crocq dates the discovery to 1969, during building work, at La Mazière-aux-Bons-Hommes.
The trade press recounts the same story in the form of a legend: the text, written in Old French, reportedly took several days to decipher before a parish priest translated it and recognised a cake recipe. A pastry competition was then allegedly organised in Crocq to choose the best cake drawn from this text.
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In the version given by the commune of Crocq, it was André Lacombe, then president of the pastry chefs of Creuse, who brought the cake out of obscurity: he wanted to launch a speciality for the department, made in the same way by everyone and that would keep. The cake chosen was that of the Crocq pastry chef, M. Langlade, who drew inspiration from the ancient recipe to create a hazelnut cake, subsequently named 'Le Creusois'. The Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional products portal summarises: in 1969, the recipe inspired a pastry chef who revived Le Creusois.
Today, the recipe is kept secret by around twenty pastry chefs belonging to the Association Le Creusois, the only ones authorised to make this cake. According to the association's president, there are 24 of them, and admission is via an application to the association; a set of specifications guarantees the cake's consistency, while each pastry chef retains their own savoir-faire, ovens and roasting method. The annual production of these cakes reportedly requires four tonnes of hazelnuts.
Appearance
a round cake.
Aroma
subtle aromas of roasted hazelnut and butter.
Taste
intensely hazelnut, likened to a financier by the association's president.
Texture
moist, melt-in-the-mouth and tender.
the hazelnut is finely roasted, with each pastry chef having their own roast.
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Le Creusois can be enjoyed on its own, or with crème anglaise. It pairs well with tea, coffee or all kinds of desserts. It can be found at bakeries and pastry shops across Creuse and Limousin, all year round. Once the bag is opened, it is best eaten within five days.
No official quality sign (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge) protects Le Creusois. Its name and secret recipe are reserved for member pastry chefs of the Association Le Creusois, who are the only ones to make it.
No producer is listed for this product yet.