petit gâteau

/pəˈtiːt ɡæˈtoʊ/

noun

A French chocolate dessert, consisting of a small cake with a crunchy shell and a creamy filling.

Meanings

nounpetit gâteau (countable and uncountable, plural petits gâteaux)

plural petits gâteaux · alternative petit gateau

  1. countableuncountableA French chocolate dessert, consisting of a small cake with a crunchy shell and a creamy filling.

    If I had the money, I’d bring him to Paris. Stuff his face full of petit gâteau.

    2008, Chris Knopf, chapter 19, in Head Wounds (A Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery; 3), large print edition, Detroit, Mich.: Wheeler Publishing, published 2009, →ISBN, page 366
    3 more examples

    The next recipe is for one of the best of all petits gâteaux; little cups of choux paste are filled with crème patissière^([sic]) and finished on top with burnt icing sugar.

    1956, Constance Spry, Rosemary Hume, “Pâtisserie, Petits Fours, Petits Gâteaux, and Gros Gâteaux”, in The Constance Spry Cookery Book, London: J. M. Dent and Sons, published 1964, →ISBN, page 867

    From croissants to intricately layered slices and petits gâteaux, each mouth-watering recipe is accompanied by expert advice on how to achieve a truly professional finish.

    2016, Martin Chiffers, Emma Marsden, Bake Off: Crème de la Crème: A Masterclass in Patisserie for the Home Cook, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, front flap

    Glass display cases show off rows of colorful, picture-perfect petits gâteaux, and croissants with so many layers that they’re almost reminiscent of the rings of a tree.

    2022 January 11, Brett Anderson, Christina Morales, “Discover Miami’s Eclectic Bakery Scene”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Jan 2022

Origin

  1. ['fr',
  2. Frenchpetit gâteau
  3. Englishpetit gâteau

Borrowed from French petit gâteau (“small cake”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Petit Gâteau
  • Petit Gâteauchocolate dessert
Portuguese petit gâteau
  • petit gâteauchocolate dessert
Cite this entry
APA

petit gâteau. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit%20g%C3%A2teau

MLA

“petit gâteau.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit%20g%C3%A2teau. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petit gâteau,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit%20g%C3%A2teau.

Source: petit gâteau on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.