Éclairs

Indulge in the irresistible allure of homemade éclairs with this delectable recipe that will transport your taste buds to a patisserie in the heart of Paris. With their delicate, golden shells and luscious cream-filled centres, eclairs are a quintessential French pastry that never fails to delight.

I’ve been making éclairs using this recipe for more than two decades and they’ve always been a huge hit. It’s one of the first desserts I learned how to make when I was in elementary school.

Ingredients (~ 35 éclairs)

For choux pastry:

300 g (2.4 cups) white all-purpose flour
200 g (0.9 cup) unsalted butter (or sunflower oil)
500 ml (2 cups) water
6 eggs
1 tsp salt

For filling:

Option 1 – Classic Vanilla Pastry Cream:

1 l (4 cups) milk
12 egg yolks
400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
80 grams (2/3 cup) cornstarch
2 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

Follow the instructions in this recipe to make Vanilla Pastry Cream.

Option 2 – Vanilla Cream:

1 l (4 cups) milk
300 g (1.5 cups) sugar
3 pouches vanilla sugar (27 g) or 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
120 g (1 cup) cornstarch
6 eggs

For glaze/topping:

Use a good-quality baking or couverture chocolate to make dark or white chocolate toppings. Check out this post to see in more detail how to make 7 Quick, Easy & Elegant Eclair Glazes.

Dark chocolate ganache:

240 g (1 1/2 cups) dark chocolate callets/chips
240 ml (1 cup) whipping cream, min. 32% fat content

Other variations: Use oil-based food colouring to make a black glaze. Sprinkle golden shaved chocolate on top. To make this, add shaved or grated chocolate to a plastic container with a lid, dip the tip of a brush in edible golden luster dust and add this little dust over the chocolate, close the plastic container and shake it until all the chocolate is coated in the the golden dust.

White chocolate ganache:

270 g (1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp) white chocolate callets/chips
180 ml (3/4 cup) whipping cream, min. 32% fat content

Note that adding white and blue oil-based food colouring to white chocolate ganache can help enhance its whiteness and give it a brighter appearance. By adding a small amount of white food coloring, you can lighten the color of the ganache, while the blue food coloring can help counteract any yellowish tones, making it appear whiter overall.

Other variations: Dip the eclairs in white chocolate, let the chocolate set for a minute and then pass them through shredded coconut. Use oil-based food colouring to colour your glaze in different shades. Sprinkle raspberry powder on top.

Directions

Combine the water, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Set aside to cool.

Then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring continuously to incorporate completely after each addition.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Prepare a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Place the dough into a pastry bag and pipe dough in 2.5 cm (1”) x 11 cm (4.5”) strips.

Bake them 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 175°C (350°F) and bake 20 more minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before filling.

For the 1st filling option, use the ingredients in this recipe and follow the instructions in this other recipe to make Vanilla Pastry Cream.

For the 2nd filling option, beat the eggs with an electric mixer. Add sugar and vanilla sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add milk and corn starch and continue mixing until all ingredients are well combined. Place the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously with a whisk to prevent lumping and scorching on the bottom. When the vanilla cream becomes thick and smooth remove from heat and let it cool.

To assemble the éclairs and fill them with cream, I turned the eclairs upside down and made 3 holes using a piping tip (Wilton #8). You can also just make a cross using a knife.

Place the cream in a piping bag and cut its tip just a bit. Fill it with vanilla pastry cream, insert the tip into each hole and pipe cream into each éclair. Another alternative is to slice the éclairs lengthwise, fill them with cream and place the tops back.

For the topping, make a simple chocolate ganache using your favourite chocolate. To make the ganache, heat the whipping cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water) until it almost comes to a boil. Pour this over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring it with a spoon or spatula. Then, stir slowly until all the chocolate is melted.

*White chocolate ganache without food colouring*

*White chocolate ganache with food colouring*

Place some plastic foil directly on the ganache so that there is no air trapped inside which will cause a skin to form on top. Let it cool to room temperature. It should still have a pouring consistency when you sue it.

Then, dip each éclair in the chocolate just to cover the top.

You can easily play with different colours and toppings to create amazing and elegant éclairs that will impress everyone.

Eclairs topped with swirled dark and black chocolate

Sprinkle golden shaved or grated chocolate on top. To make this, add shaved or grated chocolate to a plastic container with a lid, dip the tip of a brush in edible golden luster dust and add this little dust over the chocolate, close the plastic container and shake it until all the chocolate is coated in the the golden dust.

Eclairs topped with dark chocolate ganache and golden shredded chocolate

Dip your éclairs in white chocolate ganache. Let the chocolate set for 1 minute and then dip each éclair in shredded coconut.

Eclairs topped with white chocolate and coconut

Dip your éclairs in chocolate ganache. Sprinkle raspberry powder on top by placing the powder on a knife’s tip and spreading the powder on top of the éclair by blowing air into the raspberry powder with a squeeze bottle.