Chocolate cream puffs (choux à la crème)
Delicate choux pastry buns filled with custard and cream or dulce de leche and cream and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
Choux Pastry ingredients
- 125 grams cold salted butter, cubed approximately 1/2 cup
- 250 ml water approximately 1 cup
- 140 grams cake flour or fine sponge flour approximately 1 cup
- 1.25 ml salt approximately 1/4 tsp
- 4 large eggs
Custard cream ingredients
- 620 ml full fat milk approximately 2 1/2 cups
- 500 ml double thick cream approximately 2 cups
- 120 ml custard powder approximately 1/2 cup
- 120 ml granulated sugar approximately 1/2 cup
Chocolate glaze ingredients
- 200 gram milk chocolate
- 5 ml soft butter
Instructions
How to make choux pastry
- Bring the butter and water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Remove the pot off the heat and add all the flour, beating ituntil there are no lumps.
- Return the pot to the heat and stir until the pastry forms a balland comes away from the sides.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool for at least five minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200 C or 180 C Fan / 390 F / Gas Mark 6.
- Add the eggs to the pastry one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
- Ensure that the egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. The pastry should be glossy and spoonable.
- Place teaspoonfuls of the pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn down the heat and bake for 10 more minutes at 180 C or 160 C Fan / 350 F / Gas Mark 4.
- Prick holes in the sides to let the steam escape and leave to cool.
Custard cream
- Put the 500 ml milk and 500 ml cream in a medium sized non-stick pot on medium heat.
- In a jug or big mug mix the custard powder with the remaining 1/2 cup milk until all the custard powder is dissolved.
- Add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved.
- When the milk comes to the boil, remove it from the heat and add one cup of hot milk to the custard powder slurry and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the custard slurry back into the hot milk and cream mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Put the custard pot back on the stove and bring back up until the custard is thick and bubbling about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so that the custard doesn't burn at the bottom.
- When the custard is thick remove the pot from the heat and decant the custard into a heat proof bowl to cool completely.
- Cover the custard with cling-wrap or plastic wrap and ensure that you press it down onto the surface so that no skin forms while it cools. Refrigerate until required.
- When ready to use the custard remove the plastic from the top and give it a thorough whisk to ensure the custard cream filling is smooth and lump free.
- If you have a piping bag fill it with the custard cream and pipe into the side of the cream puffs until filled.
- If not, cut a slit into the side of the cream puff and spoon in the custard cream mixture.
Chocolate glaze
- Melt the chocolate with the butter and mix until smooth and glossy.
- Spread chocolate glaze over the top of every choux puff.
- Optional: Sprinkle with nuts if desired.
Notes
If you cannot be bothered to make custard cream, then fill the cream puffs with spoonful of caramelised condensed milk or dulce de leche and the whipped cream cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 89mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 527IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 0.4mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
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