Alright, who loves Chocolate and Pastries – I DO! I mean SERIOUSLY does it get any better??? The CORRECT answer (in case you were wondering) is NO, it doesn’t get any better. So today I have a treat for you – Chocolate pastry cream filled eclairs with a chocolate ganache glaze, I mean chocolate and chocolate held together with a pastry, DIVINE!

AND of course a recipe that’s considered difficult (totally not, you’ll see) deserves a video! How to make a pate a choux dough for cream puffs and eclairs along with this chocolate pastry cream! I hope you love it as much as I do! My kids DEVOURED these, like seriously they were gone the moment I let them try them.

Now if you don’t like the holes in the bottom (it does leave a mess on the plate) you can also poke holes at both ends instead and fill from there. BUT that can sometimes leave the center empty of filling. OR instead of poking holes in the bottom and filling from there you can poke holes in the TOP and fill from there covering the holes with the ganache. BUT it will leave the top not smooth, but with the ridges from the open star tip that wouldn’t matter with these.

Chocolate Eclairs

it's easier to make homemade eclairs than you think, with chocolate pastry cream and glaze

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 10

Servings:

Calories: 375kcal

Author: Ashlee Marie

Ingredients

Pate a Choux - Eclair

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
pinch salt
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 lrg eggs you may need an extra egg

Chocolate Pastry Cream

4 oz chocolate
1 ½ C whole milk
1/4 C all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
4 lrg egg yolks
1 lrg egg
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C Butter softened
1 tsp vanilla

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
1 Tbsp cold water
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C granulated sugar or less, taste as you go
1 tsp vanilla

Ganache Glaze

1/2 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C dark chocolate

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

pate a choux - Cream Puffs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In medium saucepan, combine milk, water, butter, sugar and pinch of salt.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat
Add the flour all at once. Stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool for three minutes.
pour into a mixer add while mixing on low add egg one at a time. Thoroughly mix between each addition. You may use more or less, your looking for a smooth glossy dough that when you plop some off the spatula it will leave a nice thin, smooth peak
Use a large round tip to pipe two to three inch lines onto parchment-covered baking sheets.
carefully brush with water or an egg wash to remove imperfections (water will eave the cream puffs normal looking, beaten egg will leave it glossy)
Bake in 425 degree oven for ten minutes.
Decrease heat to 350 degrees. Do not open the oven door. Bake for thirty minutes (depending on size check at 10 and 20).
In the last 5 mins of baking pierce the bottom with a skewer or chopstick to allow steam to escape and dry out the inside (I do 2-3).
Let cool.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

Bring the milk and chocolate to a simmer
Sift the flour and starch together, set aside.
whisk the the egg, yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and pale yellow.
Whisk in the flour and starch.
Pour in about half of the hot milk, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan (don’t stop stirring
Bring the pastry cream to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and stir constantly for about 3 minutes until very thick and smooth and the flour taste has been cooked out.
Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl (that’s in a bowl of ice to help cool it faster) and stir in ¼ cup of the butter and vanilla.
cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, a few hours

Stabilized Whipped Cream

stir the gelatin into the cold water and let bloom 5 mins
Microwave the gelatin until melted, about 15 seconds
set aside and let cool slightly
Beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until it reaches soft peaks
While beating slowly pour the gelatin into the cream
Beat until you get stiff peaks (don't over beat)

Ganache Glaze

Simmer the whipping cream and pour over chocolate
stir until smooth, to keep warm use a double broiler

Assembly

combine the pastry cream and whipping cream
Pipe the filling into the eclairs from the bottom
dip the eclairs into ganache glaze, let set and serve!

Video

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?Mention @ashleemariecakes or tag #makesomeawesome and I'll share your image in my Instagram stories!

Mmmmm ganache glaze. This is one part cream one part chocolate, so thinner than traditional ganache. Delicious but not too thick. You can use a spatula to “frost” the top for a smoother finish, but it’s easier to just dip, shake and flip.

For the filling you can use the chocolate pastry cream straight, but it’s super rich and thick, I like combining it with stabilized whipped cream to lighten it up a bit, add as much or as little as you want to get the filling that is perfect for YOU!

So we’re all done! PERFECTION! And much easier than you thought, am I right? SO when you rip the eclair open you should find it filled with wonderful chocolate pastry cream. I’d fill one, to get a feel for it, rip it open to see if you got it right then fill the rest (a “throw away” you get to eat! Doesn’t get much better!

Chocolate Eclairs Recipe and Video tutorial