Chocolate
Eclairs Recipe

This chocolate eclairs recipe is perfect for a mini afternoon tea pastry or for a reception dessert. The crisp little shells are filled with whipped cream and then iced with a chocolate glaze. Chocolate eclairs are an almost essential element of a traditional, English afternoon tea.

The eclair shells can be baked the day before and stored at room temperature in an air tight container.....then filled and iced just before serving.

Mini Chocolate Eclairs Recipe

For the choux pastry:
5fl oz (150ml) water
2oz (50g) butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 1/2oz (70g) strong plain flour, sifted
2 large eggs, beaten

For the filling:
10fl oz (285ml) heavy (whipping) cream, whipped

For the icing:
2oz (55g) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2oz (15g) unsalted butter
3oz (85g) icing sugar, sieved

METHOD

• Place the water, butter and caster sugar in a heavy based saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. As soon as the water starts to simmer and the butter has melted, turn off the heat.
  

• With a wooden spoon (or electric whisk) in one hand and the four in the other, tip in all of the flour at once and beat vigorously.
  

• Continue to beat for about a minute until you have a smooth ball of paste which has left the sides of the pan.
  

• Now add a little of the beaten eggs and continue to beat until the paste becomes smooth and glossy again. Continue adding the eggs this way a little at a time keeping the paste smooth and glossy between additions.
  

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F, gas mark 6. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
  

• Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2inch/1cm nozzle and pipe into about 20 eclairs, about 3inches/7.5cm long leaving space between them to spread.
  

• Bake on a high shelf in the preheated oven for 10 minutes and then increase the oven temperature to 220C/425F, gas mark 7 and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and golden.
  

• Immediately pierce the side of each eclair with a sharp knife to let out the steam and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

To save time on the day you intend to serve them, the above stages of this chocolate eclairs recipe can be completed the day before. Once completely cold, the shells can be stored in an air tight container with the layers separated by greaseproof paper.

• Fill a piping bag with a plain nozzle with the whipped cream, and fill each eclair.
  

• To make the chocolate icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water and the butter over a pan of hot water. Once melted, beat until smooth and remove from the heat.
  

• Blend in the icing sugar until a smooth and glossy finish is achieved. Dip each eclair into the icing to coat the top and leave to set. Serve immediately.

This chocolate eclair recipe is just one of my delicious homemade, tea-time suggestions. You may also like to check out my recipes for light
Victoria Sponge Sandwich traditional fruited Dundee Cake and
Madeira cake.

ENJOY!

	Web www.gourmet-food-revolution.com

To go from my irresistible chocolate eclairs recipe to
My Full Recipe Collection
CLICK HERE