Gateaux Jos Louis (Joe Louis Cakes)

Jos Louis cakes are the iconic French Canadian snack cake: two small chocolate cake rounds sandwiched with a cloud-like marshmallow filling and then coated in chocolate icing. Named after the Canadian boxer brothers Joseph and Louis Vachon (whose family founded the Vachon bakery), these have been lunchbox staples across Quebec since 1932.

This homemade version captures everything the store-bought original does, just fresher. The cakes use buttermilk-style milk (regular milk curdled with vinegar) for tenderness, plus a small amount of cocoa powder for gentle chocolate flavor in the cake itself.

The filling is a classic Italian meringue: egg whites and sugar beaten over hot water until stiff and glossy. It tastes like sweetened whipped cream but holds its shape without melting down into the cake.

Split each small round horizontally, fill with the meringue, then coat the outside in chocolate icing for that signature Jos Louis look.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overfill the muffin tins. Half-full is correct; fuller means the cakes dome too much and become hard to slice flat.
• Make sure the egg-white filling is beaten over steadily boiling water. Under-heated and it won’t stiffen; overheated and the whites scramble.
• Assemble just before serving if possible. The meringue filling softens the cake over time and the icing loses its crispness.
• Dip the coated cakes in hot water (wiped dry) for a smooth, glassy icing finish.

Variations

• Dip the finished cakes in melted dark chocolate instead of icing for a Whippet-style snack.
• Add a layer of raspberry jam with the marshmallow filling for fruity contrast.
• Use a hazelnut or coffee extract in the cake batter for adult-version flavor notes.