Eclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest, cream puffs… whatever you like to call them and whatever shape, they are a go-to indulgence. Not too sweet and with opulent waves of fresh, whipped coffee cream in the middle and a chocolate ganache glaze on top.
By Martyna Candrick
Eclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest, cream puffs… whatever you like to call them and whatever shape, they are my go-to indulgence every time. Not too sweet and with opulent waves of fresh, whipped coffee cream in the middle and a chocolate ganache glaze on top. 
The secret to this choux lies in simplicity. All that’s needed is water, butter, flour and eggs. No embellishments. No sugar. No anything else. I just have to remind myself from time to time that when an indulgent treat like this forms part of a fail-proof cooking repertoire, it must remain an occasional indulgence instead of daily dessert. The word occasional demystifies the French Paradox, doesn’t it? Best shared with friends.
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Coffee Cream Eclairs
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Okay. So it might look like a bit of a long recipe but it’s quite simple. It’s my go-to recipe when unexpected guests pop in because it’s so quick. Since the pastry is savoury, you can use the pastry with savoury fillings or to make mini croutons for soups or fill the shells with savoury toppings. The ratio is also easy to make 3-4 eclairs with half the ingredients. For an even lower sugar version and If you don’t want to glaze these with chocolate, you can simply dust them with cacao powder and add extra sweetener to the cream.
Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry:
- ½ cup water
- 40g butter, chopped
- ½ cup plain flour
- 2 eggs
For the Coffee Cream Filling:
- 1 cup fresh cream
- 2 tbsp unrefined icing sugar (10 stevia drops or 2 tablespoons Natvia)
- ¼ tsp vanilla powder or essence
- 1 tsp finely ground coffee (I used Nespresso’s new Fortissio Lungo blend)
For the chocolate glaze icing:
- 3 tbsp milk
- 40g 85% cocoa dark chocolate, chopped finely
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C (425F, gas mark 7).
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides and forms a ball. This should only take a few seconds.Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and flatten to cool slightly. Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until glossy and smooth (I use my Braun stick blender with a whisk attachment for single egg quantity like this).
- Using a 2cm round piping tip or a zip lock bag with a 1.5cm hole cut in it pipe dough into 4 inch long logs about 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 220C (425F, gas mark 7) for 8 minutes, 180C (350F, gas mark 4) for 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes standing with the oven off and door slightly ajar. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling,
In the meantime prepare the glaze and cream filling.
- For the glaze, place milk and chocolate in a small bowl and heat on medium high setting in the microwave for 20 seconds. Mix gently to melt and form a ganache.
- For the filling, beat cream with sugar (stevia or Natvia), vanilla and freshly ground coffee until firm peaks form. Store in the fridge until needed.
- Cut cooled eclairs in half horizontally. Fill each half with whipped cream, sandwich together and spread the top in chocolate icing. Place on a cool cookie tray and chill in the fridge for the icing to set. The eclairs should keep in the fridge for 2-3 days un-iced, or a day when iced.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Awesome recipe, I made them and they were so good!