Name: Eclairs
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: Makes 20
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 170g lightly salted butter chopped into small cubes; 200g plain flour; 5 medium eggs beaten; 300ml milk; 150ml double cream; 3 egg yolks; 50g white caster sugar; 3 tbsp cornflour; One of the flavourings from our fillings recipes - find the link to the recipes in the method; disposable piping bags; 1.5cm round piping nozzle

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Eclairs

Eclairs

Cassie Best

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Makes 20

A challenge

Prep: 1 hr and 15 mins

Cook: 50 mins

plus 3 hours chilling

A star rating of 3.4 out of 5.17 ratingsRate

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A classic eclair recipe of light choux pastry filled with rich crème pâtissière. Make the basic buns, then fill with on-trend flavours and colourful glazes for a stunning afternoon tea treat

Vegetarian

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Spiced raspberry eclairs

A star rating of 5 out of 5.1 rating

Lemon & passion fruit eclairs

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Salted caramel & popcorn eclairs

A star rating of 4 out of 5.2 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the choux pastry

170g lightly salted butter

chopped into small cubes
200g plain flour
5 medium eggs

beaten

For the crème pâtissière

300ml milk
150ml double cream
3 egg yolks
50g white caster sugar
3 tbsp cornflour
One of the flavourings from our fillings recipes - find the link to the recipes in the method

You'll also need

disposable piping bags
1.5cm round piping nozzle

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: per eclair (unflavoured & uniced)

kcal306
fat26g
saturates15g
carbs13g
sugars4g
fibre0.4g
protein4g
salt0.3g

Method

step 1

First, make the choux pastry. Put the butter in a saucepan with 450ml water. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and set aside. Bring the butter and water to a fast boil, simmer until the butter has melted, then tip in the flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is lump-free. Tip into the bowl and spread the thick paste up the sides a little to help it cool quickly, then leave for 10 mins.
step 2

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and cut two pieces of baking parchment to fit two baking sheets. Using a ruler and pen, mark 10 lines about 12cm long over each piece, leaving plenty of space between the lines, then flip the parchment over. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle, about 1.5cm wide.
step 3

When the flour paste has cooled but is not cold, start adding the egg, bit by bit, beating well between each addition until you have a smooth batter which will reluctantly drop off the end of your spoon (you can do this in a freestanding mixer if you have one). You may not need to use all the egg, so add it slowly. Transfer to your piping bag and use a little of the mixture to stick the parchment to your trays.
step 4

Pipe the choux onto the baking sheet, using the lines as a guide. Pipe slowly so the eclairs aren’t too skinny – each one should be about 2.5cm wide x 12cm long. Bake for 35-40 mins, swapping the trays around for the final 10 mins. The choux should be puffed, golden and sound hollow when tapped. You may wish to sacrifice one eclair to make sure the inside is completely dried out – if it’s still moist, the eclair will sink when cooling. Once baked, leave to cool completely. (Can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container, reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins to crisp up before filling.) Split each eclair through the middle with a serrated knife.
step 5

Now, make the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat until just simmering, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, tip the egg yolks into a bowl and add the sugar and cornflour, whisking together until smooth. Pour over the milk mixture, mix, then pour back into the saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for 5-8 mins until the crème pâtissière thickens to a thick custard consistency. Sieve into a jug, cover the surface with cling film and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 3 days.
step 6

To fill and glaze your eclairs, choose one of our flavours - raspberry & cardamom, lemon & passion fruit, salted caramel & popcorn or elderflower & meringue.
For more help, see our how to make choux pastry and eclairs video.

RECIPE TIPS

TO SERVE

The eclairs will look best served as soon as possible after assembling, but will keep in the fridge for 2 days.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2016

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A star rating of 3.4 out of 5.17 ratings

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