Chocolate Eclairs Recipe (small batch recipe) - Dessert for Two (2024)

FAQs

Why do my chocolate eclairs go flat? ›

Answer: This can happen if your choux pastry wasn't thick enough, and too runny. It's important to make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. It is also important not to open your oven and peak. This releases steam and can result in a soggy and flat éclair.

Best way to make ahead – Unfilled whole choux pastry can be kept in an airtight container for 3 days. Re-crisp in a 180°C (160°C fan-forced) oven for 5 minutes. Glaze then fill per recipe. Filled éclairs will keep for 2 to 3 days but the choux pastry loses its crispness as I've said many times.

Ingredients: Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Whole Milk Powder, Palm Oil, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Permeate Powder (from Milk), Milk Fat, Emulsifiers (E471, E442, Sunflower Lecithin), Salt, Flavourings, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Carbonates).

We found that the popular method of baking the choux logs at a higher temperature, then reducing it, often led to cracked éclairs (the initial high blast of heat causes their delicate structure to expand too rapidly).

Another reason your eclairs may not have risen is because there is too much moisture in the dough. Once you have melted the butter, remove the pan from heat, add all the flour at once and stir, then place the pan back on the heat and mix quickly until the mixture forms a dry ball that comes away from the pan.

If the puffs collapse it means there was too much moisture in them. So either you did not dry the dough enough, or they were not cooked enough. To avoid this I recommend drying the dough really well (see below) and cracking the door of the oven open when the choux are baked.

This difference is a good thing to keep in mind if you want to reduce food waste. Food that's past its best before doesn't have to be destined for the bin. Knowing this, we can see that chocolate is safe to eat after its best before date — no need to write off your out of date chocolate just yet!

Make-Ahead Eclairs

The eclair shells can be made several days ahead, or even kept frozen for several months. Likewise, the pastry cream will keep for several days in the fridge. When you're ready to assemble your eclairs, make the chocolate glaze, put everything together, and serve.

Eclairs are best when served within a few hours of assembly. If you have to they are still delicious the next day. Make sure to refrigerate them in a sealed or covered container.

Cadbury Eclairs are a confectionery currently manufactured by Cadbury.

What pastry is chocolate Eclairs made from? ›

Choux pastry is used as a base for many desserts, such as eclairs, churros, cream puffs, profiteroles, Paris-brests, gougeres and croquembouches.

Chocolate Eclair Ingredients

You just need water, eggs, butter, fine salt, granulated sugar, and flour.

As Serious Eats reported, luxury eclairs are the result of French chefs facing competition, and putting their skills to the test, which explains the high-end fillings and intricate decoration. For now, the Maitre Choux versions are made in the tiny kitchen beneath the shop.

Using too little or too much egg in your éclairs can ruin the entire batch. Éclairs with too little egg in the batter will come out dense and over-inflated. Meanwhile, too much egg will create a flattened dough that won't hold the éclair together well.

Frozen profiteroles and mini eclairs sold in grocery stores are the apparent sources of two deaths among at least 73 lab-confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis infections in Canada as of April 27, 2019, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

There are multiple reasons why cream puffs may deflate. The first cause is undercooking. When preparing dough on the stovetop, be sure to keep cooking and stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan. Another cause of flat cream puffs is lowering the temperature during baking.

Troubleshooting Cream Puffs and other Pastries

There's still steam inside, and when you let it all escape before the pastry has cooled your dough might deflate. Boiled the water, butter, and sugar for too long. If there is too little water in your choux, there won't be enough steam to help the puffs inflate.

Choux pastry also may not rise if the flour hasn't been cooked enough, as this prevents the formation of gluten. Make sure your water, milk and butter mixture is boiling before adding the flour.