petit gâteau /pəˈtiːt ɡæˈtoʊ/ noun1 •A French chocolate dessert, consisting of a small cake with a crunchy shell and a creamy filling.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 formspetits gateaux · petits gâteaux