Chocolate Éclairs with Whipped Cream Filling

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With its light, crisp shell giving way to a cloud-like whipped cream centre, topped in a velvety chocolate ganache, this Classic Chocolate Éclairs with Whipped Cream Filling Recipe is a family favourite.  

Don’t be fooled by their fancy French name; they’re simpler to make than you’d think!

So, roll up your sleeves and let’s get cracking on these delightful goodies. Here’s to sweet moments and delicious memories, one homemade éclair at a time!

Why you’ll love this recipe

I used to be scared of creating choux pastry, so it took me a while to come out of my comfort zone and finally tackle this.

But I didn’t know what I was worried about once I did. It is easier than you think, so this recipe is a great place to start, even if you are a beginner.

I will share a few tips for you to remember, but they are pretty straightforward and surprisingly quick.

Chocolate éclairs are a favourite, alongside Profiteroles and a few other pasty desserts I will share with you over time.

And the kids and other family members love these as well. When you are in the mood for an éclair, you don’t need to run down to the local bakery in hopes that they have some.

They’re great for an after-dinner dessert or for a special occasion, such as birthdays or even a family gathering. But one with a cuppa for afternoon tea can hit the spot.

How to make Chocolate Éclairs with Whipped Cream Filling at Home.

The ingredients needed for this recipe are very basic, and you would have most of it in your pantry already.

Choux Pastry

Place water, unsalted butter and salt into a small saucepan. Over medium-high heat, melt the butter until the water starts to boil.

Once boiling, add flour a little at a time while mixing. Mix over the heat once all the flour is in, stirring vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes.

Your dough should come together in a ball and be smooth and slightly shiny.

Take the pot off the stove and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes.

While your dough is cooling, set up your electric hand mixer or stand mixer.  

Note: if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. You can also use a balloon whisk to do it all by hand.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl or jug and whisk well. This allows you to add only what is needed, as too much egg can make the dough runny.

Preheat your fan-forced oven to 175°C or 350°F.

When the 10 minutes is up, place the dough into the mixing bowl and on a low speed, mix the dough for about a minute, this releases any heat that is still trapped inside and prepares the dough for you to add the eggs.

Turn the speed to medium and slowly pour the whisked eggs into the dough. Only add a little at a time and allow the egg to incorporate into the dough before adding more.

Pro Tip:  The dough will separate when adding the egg; this is normal, and it will all come together in the end.

Continue adding the eggs until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.

Test your dough to see if it is ready at various intervals to avoid putting too much egg into the dough.

Pro Tip: Remember too much egg will make it too runny to work with, so take your time and check the consistency regularly.

How To Test Your Choux Pastry.

To test if your dough is ready, stop the mixer, and lift the paddle out of the dough. It is ready if the dough slowly drops and leaves a V shape after the drop.  

If using a hand mixer or balloon whisk, you can test it with a spoon. Scoop up some dough and allow it to drop off the spoon.

Pro Tip: Monitor the consistency of your dough. It should be glossy, sticky and stretchy but needs to be pipable.

Pro Tip: Don’t worry if you have any egg left over in the jug. It really comes down to the size of the eggs that you use. You may also need to add an extra egg if they are too small.

Place some baking paper or parchment paper onto a baking tray

Tip: add a little melted butter or a little of the dough to each corner of the tray to help the baking paper stick to the tray.

Using a large round or open star piping tip and a large piping bag (45cm or larger). I use a Loyal Pastry Tube French Star No.17 (the tip is 17mm in diameter at the top).  But you can also use whatever large piping tip you have or can get.

Fill the piping bag with the dough and pipe 10 to 12 cm long logs.

I usually get about 6 per tray for the size of trays I use, so feel free if you need more than one tray. The choux pastry needs room to expand during cooking. 

Dip your fingers in a little cold water to smooth down the ends, and then place in the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Once the éclairs have finished baking, switch off the oven, but don’t remove them just yet. Crack open the oven door and let them rest in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. This gradual cooling process helps to prevent the éclairs from deflating once they’re taken out.

Once cooled, place them on a cooling rack and, using a chop stix or something similar, carefully create three holes at the bottom of each éclair. This is so you can pipe in the cream.

Whipped Cream Filling

• Thickened Cream/Heavy Cream/Whipping Cream
• Icing Sugar
• Vanilla Extract

Add the thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Whip the cream with an electric hand mixer until you have stiff peaks.

Place a filling or thin piping tip into a piping or ziplock bag. Fill the bag with the cream, and carefully fill each éclair using the three holes you created.

Then place them in the fridge until you are ready to dip them in the chocolate ganache.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze

This is pretty easy to make; however, if you don’t like ganache or don’t have cream, you can melt the chocolate and dip each éclair into that instead.

Add the cream to a small pot and bring to a slight simmer over medium heat; you only want the cream to be warm enough to melt the chocolate. Remove it from the heat once you see steam and bubbles forming around the edges of the pot. You do not want to boil the cream.

Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated with the cream.

Dip the top of each éclair into the ganache, then allow any excess to drip off before placing them on a tray.

Once they are all coated, put them back in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

1. Patience and practice are key; if this is your first time making choux pastry, don’t be afraid to fail, mess up or even have messy piping. You don’t need to rush through the steps; unless you serve them to royalty, they don’t need to look perfect. The more you make them, the quicker you will become and the more neater they will look.
2. Chill your mixing bowl before whipping the cream. A cold mixing bowl, helps the cream to whip better. The longer the cream is out of the fridge, the more the fat content in the cream starts to melt. Having a chilled bowl, even chilled beaters, helps slow this process down, allowing air to get trapped in the cream better.
3. How to avoid deflated eclairs. Sudden heat change will deflate your eclairs; when you turn off your oven, open the door a little and allow the eclairs to stay in the oven to cool gradually with the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then, you can remove them to cool further on a rack.
   You can also refer to the FAQs below for more tips on what can cause your choux pastry to deflate.

Substitutions

• Butter: you can use margarine:

Margarine, crafted from vegetable oils, has a butter-like texture, making it a viable alternative for baking applications such as puff and choux pastries. Its unique composition, inclusive of water content, contributes to its performance in these culinary tasks. However, for best results, aim to use a margarine variant with a fat content of around 80%, mirroring that of traditional butter.

• Flour: While all-purpose flour is standard, you can use bread flour for a potentially higher rise.
• Dark Chocolate: Milk or semi-sweet chocolate can be used but will result in a sweeter ganache.
• Icing Sugar: Granulated or White sugar (Australia) can be used instead, but if you find you do not want sweet, cornflour/cornstarch can be used instead.

Storing

Uncooked choux pastry

Suppose you’ve prepared choux pastry dough but are not ready to bake it immediately. In that case, you can store it effectively with a few simple steps:

Refrigerating: You can place the uncooked choux pastry dough in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. It should ideally be used within 24 hours. Before baking, let the dough come to room temperature.

Freezing: Choux pastry dough can also be frozen for longer storage. To freeze, you can pipe the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, just as if you were preparing to bake them, and then freeze the dough shapes on the tray. Once they’re frozen solid, you can transfer them to a freezer bag or container. They can be stored this way for up to a month.

When you’re ready to bake, you can bake the frozen choux pastry dough directly from the freezer, with no thawing required. Start at 200°C to 220°C preheated oven for 5 minutes; as the shells defrost, gradually drop the temperature to 160°C until cooked through. This should give you a nice, crisp shell. And remember to check the inside with a toothpick.

These storage methods allow for flexibility in your baking schedule and help reduce waste. Always remember, the fresher the dough, the better the final product will be

Cooked:

Storing your cooked éclairs properly is essential for maintaining their taste and texture. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to keep them:

Before Filling:

If you have unfilled choux pastry shells (éclair shells), you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze the shells. To freeze, place the cooled unfilled shells in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating:

If you’ve stored unfilled shells and want to use them, thaw them at room temperature; if frozen, then crisp them up in a 175°C (350°F) oven for about 5-10 minutes. Cool before filling.

After Filling:

Once you’ve filled your éclairs with cream and topped them with ganache, they must be stored in the refrigerator. Please place them in an airtight container and refrigerate. Because of the fresh cream filling, they’re best eaten within 24 hours but can technically be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge.

However, note that the pastry may start to soften over time due to the moisture from the cream. So, for the best texture, it is recommended that you fill éclairs only a few hours before you plan to serve them.

Remember, freshness is key with éclairs. Enjoy!

Other dessert options to serve alongside Chocolate Éclairs with Whipped Cream Filling.

You can easily create a mouth-watering spread with an array of desserts for any special occasion.

• No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Rum Balls
• Divine Black Forest Slice With A Cheesecake Filling
• Pink Rosé Wine Cupcakes
• Cream and Jam Long John Doughnut Recipe

Choux pastry is incredibly versatile and can be used to make a variety of sweet and savoury dishes. Here are a few more choux pastry recipes you might enjoy:

1. Profiteroles: These are small cream puffs usually filled with whipped cream, custard, or even ice cream. Drizzled with a chocolate ganache, they make a delightful dessert.
2. Gougères: Gougères are savoury cheese puffs, usually made with Gruyère cheese. They are light and cheesy and make a great appetizer or snack.
3. Paris-Brest: This large ring-shaped pastry was created to celebrate a bicycle race between Paris and Brest. It is traditionally filled with a praline-flavoured cream and topped with sliced almonds and powdered sugar.
4. Saint Honoré: Named after the patron saint of bakers, this is an elegant pastry that combines cream puffs, caramel, and whipped cream or Chiboust cream (a crème pâtissière lightened with Italian meringue).
5. Croquembouche: A croquembouche is a tower of caramel-dipped cream puffs, often served at weddings or other large celebrations in France. It’s a spectacular centrepiece for any dessert table.
6. Churros: Although not traditionally associated with choux pastry, churros are essentially a fried version of choux dough. They’re typically dusted with sugar and served with a side of chocolate sauce for dipping.

Remember, choux pastry might seem daunting, but with a little practice, you can create a wide array of delightful dishes! Happy baking!

Recipe FAQ