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Perfect Classic Chocolate Eclair Recipe

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4.9 from 82 reviews

This recipe guides you to create perfect classic chocolate eclairs with a crisp choux pastry shell filled with rich pastry cream and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache glaze. The process includes making the choux dough, baking it to golden perfection, preparing a velvety vanilla pastry cream, and finishing with a luscious chocolate coating, ideal for an impressive dessert or elegant treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Choux Pastry

  • 60 g Unsalted butter (82% European style butter, room temperature, in chunks)
  • 60 g Water
  • 60 g Whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar
  • 70 g Bread flour (high protein content flour, e.g., 13%)
  • 110 g Egg (Approx. 2 eggs at room temperature, may vary)

Pastry Cream Filling

  • 240 g Whole milk (3% fat)
  • 50 g Granulated sugar
  • 40 g Egg yolk (approx. yolk of 2 eggs)
  • 12 g Corn starch
  • 12 g All purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 28 g Unsalted butter (82% fat, room temperature)

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

  • 170 g Semi sweet chocolate (high quality, e.g., Callebaut or Lindt)
  • 77 g Heavy Cream (36% fat)
  • 15 g Unsalted butter (82% fat, room temperature)

Instructions

  1. Prepare Ingredients: Sift the bread flour and set aside to ensure no lumps for the choux pastry dough.
  2. Heat Liquid Ingredients: In a saucepan, combine butter chunks, water, milk, salt, and sugar. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer but avoid boiling.
  3. Make Dough: Remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Vigorously whisk with a rubber spatula until a smooth ball forms and no lumps remain.
  4. Cook Dough: Return the pan to medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes until the dough forms a thin skin on the pan bottom and some moisture evaporates.
  5. Cool and Add Eggs: Transfer dough to a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on low to cool slightly, then gradually add beaten eggs while mixing until dough is glossy and pipeable, falling slowly in a V shape.
  6. Pipe and Chill: Transfer dough to a pastry bag with a 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) French star nozzle. Pipe 14 equal-sized eclairs on a perforated air baking mat or parchment paper. Smooth tips with a wet finger. Dust with powdered sugar, then freeze for at least one hour.
  7. Preheat Oven: Heat oven to 200°C (392°F) without fan.
  8. Bake Eclairs: Place frozen tray in oven, reduce temperature to 170°C (338°F) and bake for 40 minutes without opening door for the first 30 minutes. Check for golden, puffed, and firm texture, with no raw center.
  9. Cool Eclairs: Remove from oven and cool on the perforated mat to room temperature before filling.
  10. Prepare Pastry Cream: Whisk sugar and egg yolks until fluffy. Add cornstarch, flour, and vanilla, stirring to smooth. Heat milk to simmer, then temper yolks by gradually whisking milk into yolk mixture.
  11. Cook Pastry Cream: Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and boiling for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and strain if lumpy.
  12. Add Butter: Gradually incorporate softened butter chunks until fully combined. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill until completely cool.
  13. Make Chocolate Ganache: Melt semi sweet chocolate partially in microwave. Heat cream to simmer and pour over chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in butter and cool to 30°C (86°F) until smooth but pipeable.
  14. Fill Eclairs: Create three small holes in the bottom or insert piping tip in the side of each eclair. Pipe pastry cream until fully filled.
  15. Glaze Eclairs: Dip tops of filled eclairs into cooled chocolate glaze, tap off excess for smooth finish, clean any drips with fingers if needed.
  16. Set Glaze and Serve: Refrigerate for 2-3 minutes to firm up glaze. Serve immediately for best crisp texture. Leftovers should be refrigerated and consumed within one day.

Notes

  • The amount of egg needed for choux dough may vary slightly; adjust until dough is glossy and pipeable.
  • Freezing piped dough helps prevent cracking and promotes even puffing.
  • Do not open the oven door within the first 30 minutes to avoid deflating the eclairs.
  • Pastry cream must be fully cooled before filling to avoid melting the pastry shell.
  • The chocolate ganache glaze should be cooled to the correct temperature to ensure the right consistency for dipping.
  • Enjoy eclairs fresh as they lose crispness over time; store leftovers refrigerated for up to one day.

Keywords: Chocolate eclair, classic dessert, choux pastry, pastry cream, chocolate ganache, French pastry

Find it online: https://tastewithamy.com/perfect-classic-chocolate-eclair-recipe/