Chocolate cream eclairs

A delicious recipe for chocolate coated, cream filled eclairs.

Ingredients for the choux pastry:

2 cups water
3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups strong all-purpose flour, sifted
6 eggs

1. Place water and butter into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and throw in the flour in one go and beat well until dough comes away from the edges of the pan.

3. Allow to cool a little and then using and electric whisk beat in the eggs two at a time until you have a smooth and shiny mixture as in the photo below.

4. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a plain, wide tip. My bag has a plastic end on which to screw on metal tips so I just left it with no tip and piped like that.

5. Grease a cookie sheet and then sprinkle on a little water.

6. Pipe eclairs 2 inches long onto the cookie sheet as below.

7. Bake in an oven preheated to 375F for about 25 mins: until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling and icing.

8. For the filling you make a creme patissiere or simply whisk 300ml whipping cream with a little sugar. Spoon the whipped cream into the piping bag. Make a small slit in the side of each eclair and pipe in a little of the cream.

9. Now for the frosting:

4 tablespoons butter/margarine

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup icing/confectioners sugar

Melt the milk and butter together and then stir in the sifted sugar and cocoa and mix well. Allow to cool and then carefully spoon onto the top of each eclair. Refrigerate to allow the frosting to set and then let the kids loose!

If you want to make creme patissiere the recipe is as follows:

2 eggs

4 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons corn flour

1 1/4 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy, add the cornflour. Heat the milk until not quite boiling then pour over the egg mixture beating constantly. Transfer to saucepan and cook on gentle heat, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat. When cooled pipe into eclairs as above.