These Chocolate Éclairs are simply the perfect treat. They’re indulgent and sheer luxury in your mouth.
Éclairs are very easy to make too, don’t be put off by the choux pastry. Making éclairs might sound fiddly but each component is rather straightforward.
The most important trick for getting the best Eclairs is to never attempt to open the oven while they are baking. I have made this mistake so many times and was always devastated that I wasn’t patient enough to wait until they have baked all the way through. As soon as you open the oven, the Eclairs will immediately shrink and stay completely flat. If you are unsure whether they are baked, shine a light in the oven and see how dark brown they are. Eclairs should have a golden brown colour and that does take at least 30 minutes.
These Éclairs have been entered into Renshaw’s Blogger Challenge so if you think they are worth a vote please follow the link! Thank you 🙂
https://www.renshawbaking.com/gb/renshawbakeoff/blogger-challenge
These sinfully delicious Chocolate Éclairs with Vanilla Bean Cream, a Chocolate Shard and sweet raspberry are sure to win the heart of any chocolate lover.
- 65g plain flour
- 50g unsalted butter, diced
- 2 free range eggs beaten
- 200ml whipping cream
- 5 tsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g chocolate, chopped
- 12 raspberries
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a baking tray with butter.
- Sift the flour onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Put 120ml water into a pan with the butter and heat gently until the butter has melted.
- Quickly bring the mixture to the boil and tip in all the flour in one go. Remove the pan from the heat and beat furiously with a wooden spoon – don’t worry, the mixture will look messy at first but will soon come together to make a smooth heavy dough.
- Put the pan back on a low heat and beat the dough for about a minute to slightly cook the dough. Tip the dough into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool until tepid.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl until combined, then gradually beat them into the dough with an electric whisk or mixer, or a wooden spoon, beating well after each addition.
- Spoon the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle and pipe 12 x 10cm/4in lengths onto the greased baking tray.
- Sprinkle the tray, not the pastry, with a few drops of water, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Then, without opening the door, reduce the oven temperature to 170C and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.
- Remove the tray from the oven. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until stiff. Put into a piping bag fitted with a star piping nozzle. Slowly pipe the whipped cream on top the the eclair in a circular motion.
- To make the chocolate topping melt the chocolate in the microwave
- using 30 second intervals. Once all the chocolate is melted smooth it on greaseproof paper and put to the side. Just before the chocolate is about to set using shape knife cut triangular shapes using a ruler. Now place the chocolate into the fridge to fully set.
- Place your chocolate pieces on top of your piped cream and add a raspberry too. I used a little gold dust to give the eclairs a touch of finesse.
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