Choux pastry – Feasting Is Fun

Every so often I create a recipe, that is not only delicious, also it can be used in many different ways. And these Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles are a great example. Light choux buns, filled with sweetened, whipped, chantilly cream and draped in dreamy, hot, chocolate fudge sauce. Which also has a hidden ingredient, the sauce raises the game of whatever dessert it adorns.

FF Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles — Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles

Choux Pastry – The Easiest Pastry You’ve Ever Made

Choux pastry is incredibly easy to work with. Fear not, I will walk you step by step through the making and baking process. First of all the dough is cooked in a saucepan and then, after the addition of beaten eggs Piped into small buns. Hot water, present in the recipe, creates steam during the baking process, causing each choux bun to puff up. Creating a hollow centre that is perfect for filling.

A Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce That Takes This Desser To Another Level

Although choux pastry on its own is rather bland it is a brilliant carrier of flavours. While each bun is filled first of all with sweetened, whipped cream, the draping and drizzling of hot chocolate fudge sauce gives each bun a perfect flavour hit. Resulting in a finger licking dessert that will keep you coming back for more.

While the profiteroles can be made a few hours ahead, as can the sauce. assembly should take place as close as possible to serving. Doing so keeps the profiteroles light and crisp. Because if left for a while they can become soggy. Also the hot sauce should ideally be poured over as they are served. However, left over, sauce covered profiteroles taste incredible when sneaked from the fridge the day after making! A post party fridge raiding feast!

Ideally served with a spoon and fork, there will always be occasions when cutlery is not needed. Like here, during my photo shoot.

Recipe: Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles – makes 26-30 serves 6-8

For The Profiteroles

350ml Water

125g/4.5oz Unsalted Butter

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

200g/7oz Plain White Flour

4 Large Free Range Eggs – 222g out of shell

Chantilly Cream Filling

300ml Double Cream

1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste – I use Nielsen-Massey

1tbsp Caster Sugar

Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce

100g/4oz Milk Chocolate – I use Waitrose own label milk chocolate

150g/5oz Dark Chocolate – min cocoa content 70%

3 Tubes Rolo’s 52g each (156g total)

300ml Double Cream

Method: Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan, 400F, gas mark 6, 400F.

Making And Piping The Choux Pastry

First of all line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
Into a large, heavy bottomed pan add water, butter and salt. Place over a medium heat until the butter is completely melted into the hot water.
Keeping the saucepan over a low heat, dump the flour straight into the hot, buttery water and immediately beat with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until all lumps have disappeared.

While the flour is being beaten it also cooks slightly.
As soon as the dough is lump free remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
While cooling, crack the eggs into a jug and weigh them. Make a note of the weight. If it is more than 5% or 233g, than the weight of eggs stated you may not need all of the eggs. Beat the eggs together and pour any excess egg into a separate container.
As soon as the flour dough has cooled slightly pour in half of the beaten eggs and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. When the eggs begin to incorporate into the mix add the remaining eggs from the jug.
Keep beating with the wooden spoon until you have a smooth, sticky paste.
Spoon the choux pastry dough into a piping bag, fitted with a 1cm round nozzle.

Pipe 2.5cm/1 inch rounds on to the baking parchment. Using a clean, damp finger press down any peaked tops on the piped profiteroles. Allow space between each profiterole as they will expand while baking.

Baking The Profiteroles

Place the baking trays into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Check after the initial baking time. Each profiterole should be golden, with a firm outer. Bake for a further 5-10 minutes if necessary.

Once fully baked remove from the oven. Taking care, as they will be very hot, cut or snip a 1cm hole on the side of each profiterole. Doing so allows any steam to escape.
Place the baking trays back into the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Remove the crisp, dried profiteroles from the oven and immediately place them on to a cooling rack.

Allow the profiteroles to fully cool before filling.

Whipping Up The Chantilly Cream And Filling The Profiteroles

To make the sweetened whipped cream, pour the cream, vanilla bean paste and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk until the cream has thickened but not become dry and stiff.
Fit a piping bag with a 1cm round nozzle and fill with the sweetened, whipped cream.
Pushing through the slit made earlier, fill each profiterole with cream.

Making the Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Fill a small saucepan with 2.5cm/1 inch of water. Put a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, taking care to ensure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Place over a medium heat.
Place the cream and broken up milk and dark chocolate into the bowl. Do not add the Rolo’s at this stage.
Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and combined into the cream.
Now add the Rolo’s and stir continuously until it becomes a slightly thicker, smooth sauce.

To keep the sauce warm, for example to serve dessert after dinner, turn the heat down to very low, add extra water to the saucepan as needed. Keep the bowl on top of the saucepan and stir thoroughly when ready to serve.
When ready to serve, either portion the profiteroles, as in the photos above and spoon a generous amount of sauce over them.

Alternatively, place each of the cream filled profiteroles into a deep bowl and pour over the Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Ideal for buffets or serve yourself occasions.

Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles are the ultimate sharing food. Eating as soon as possible after making should not be a problem.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Covered Profiteroles then you may also like these:

Caramac Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes

Multi Millionaires Shortbread Squares

Chocolate Peanut Butter Drip Cake

Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce, is so versatile; pour over profiteroles, spoon it on to ice cream, use to cover as cake such as this Dreamy Chocolate Fudge Cake. One incredible tasting, easy to make Sauce that can be used in a variety of ways. Recipes such as this create the backbone of our cooking repertoire. What would you create using this recipe?

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing your feast.

Sammie xx

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Chocolate Share Eclair Flower individual choux pastry petals, filled with chantily cream and covered in chocolate, surround a filled chocolate profiterole.

During the nine weeks that the Great British Bake Off is aired, Renshaw Baking have been holding various competitions, to encourage bakers to get baking. For my part, as a blogger, I chose to take part in the blind, technical challenge. The result being my Chocolate Share Eclair Flower.

FF Chocolate Share Eclair Flower — **Chocolate Share Eclair Flower** perfect for sharing.

True to the ‘technical challenge’ on the programme, I was given a list of ingredients and vague instructions on what to do with said ingredients!

I immediately recognised the recipe as being that for choux pastry, however, when making choux pastry you add water or milk and Renshaw had kindly left that part out!

Fortunately I have baked quite a few profiteroles and eclairs over the years and remembered the 2:1:1:2 rule – that is double liquid and egg to flour and butter. All good except the recipe called for differing amounts of flour and butter.

Aargh. Stay calm Sammie.

It does me good to have a good talking to myself and remember to relax and enjoy the process.

After a couple of trial bakes, both of which produced 8 even, straight eclairs, I knew I wanted to play.

I came up with the idea of creating flower petals, of two different sizes. The larger petals sitting on the base surrounding the central, single profiterole, whilst the five smaller petals sit on top and between the lower petals, creating a 3D flower, made from choux pastry.

Whilst making and baking my Chocolate Share Eclair Flower I stuck rigidly to the recipe, as they would have to do on the television programme. It was so hard not to add sprinkles, glitter, piped contrasting chocolate, but I didn’t. The instructions asked for our inventive interpretations of the recipe – I took that to mean design!

Below is the recipe and method. Written in bold is where I had to fill the gaps!

Recipe: Chocolate Share Eclair Flower

65g/2.5oz Plain White Flour sifted

Pinch of Salt – I use Maldon

50g/2oz Unsalted Butter – cut into cubes

2 Large Free Range Eggs – beaten and weighed = 110g

110g Water

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

5tsp Icing Sugar sifted

200mls/7fl oz Whipping Cream

100g/4oz Milk Chocolate chopped

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6

Note: This recipe will yield 8 straight chocolate eclairs. Baking time is the same, simply pipe 8 even straight lines.

Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment, set to one side.
In a large saucepan add the butter, salt and water. Place over a high heat.
When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium and add all of the flour.
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes, keeping the pan on the heat. The mixture should be completely lump free and the flour will have had a chance to cook slightly – this needs to happen to ensure a good structure for the eclair.
Pull the saucepan off the heat and keep stirring to cool down the mixture.
Add 1/2tsp vanilla extract to the beaten eggs.
Add the eggs to the flour mixture and beat thoroughly to incorporate them into the mix, it can take a little time, just keep stirring with the wooden spoon and eventually everything will come together to form a thick, sticky choux pastry.

Spoon the choux pastry into a large disposable piping bag.
Cut approx 1cm off the end of the bag.
On one baking sheet pipe 5 tear drop shapes, approximately 10cm/4″ in length.
On a separate baking sheet pipe 5 more tear drop shapes, approximately half the size of the larger ones. Pipe one single profiterole, using a damp finger to press down any tip.
Place both trays, evenly spaced in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Do not open the oven during the first 25 minutes of baking as this could cause your piped choux petals to collapse!
After 30 minutes remove the trays from the oven and place the choux pastry petals and the profiterole on to a cooling rack.
Leave until cold.
Piping, baking, cutting and preparing the choux petals to be filled with cream.
Whilst the pastry is cooling pour the whipping cream, 1/2tsp vanilla extract and 4tsp icing sugar into a medium bowl.
Whisk until the cream holds a stiff peak.
Spoon the cream into a large disposable piping bag.
Starting with the largest petals, using a serrated knife cut the petal in half, so that the cream can be piped onto the bottom half. Lay each petal down so that the bottom is cut side up and the top is cut side down.
Do the same for the smaller petals and make a small incision in the side of the profiterole.
Cut approx 0.5cm off of the piping bag and proceed to pipe cream, following the shape of the petal. As each petal is filled replace the top. When all the petals have been piped with cream, push the piping bag into the incision in the profiterole and fill with cream.

Place the chopped milk chocolate into a heatproof, microwaveable bowl and zap on medium, in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring after each zap. When the chocolate is fully melted pour into a disposable piping bag (or alternately you could dunk the petals in the chocolate).
Pipe chocolate around the choux petals and cover the top half of the profiterole in chocolate.
Use a butter knife to spread the molten chocolate on the choux petals.
Whilst the chocolate is still warm assemble your Chocolate Share Eclair Flower.
On a large flat plate or board place the profiterole in the centre. Evenly space the 5 larger petals around the profiterole. Carefully place the smaller petals inbetween and on top of the larger petals.

Dust the centre of the choux flower with the remaining icing sugar and your Chocolate Share Eclair Flower is complete.

Place in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set.

Serve with friends and family, who will no doubt be impressed with your artistic flair. As the flower has now been submitted I have embellished it a little using some sparkles.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like profiteroles or eclairs, so this is the perfect way to make them into something different, that can then be shared and enjoyed.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Chocolate Share Eclair Flower then you may like these:

Sticky Pecan Sultana Buns

Homemade Chelsea Buns

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

I hope I’ve shown you how easy it is to make and bake choux pastry?

It really is one of the easiest pastries to master and as you have seen can be piped into regular profiteroles, eclairs, or be more adventurous, it really makes beautiful hearts.

Whatever you are making, have fun. Let your creativeness flow and if you make a mistake, well bake it, eat it and try, try, try again. For me the fun is in the learning!

Sammie xx