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This stunning pile of chocolate-filled profiteroles makes the perfect festive centrepiece
To make the choux pastry, pour the flour and salt into a small bowl. Place the butter and 440ml water in in a medium heavy based pan and heat gently until the butter melts.
Then crank up the heat until it’s at a rolling boil. When it’s boiling furiously, take it off the heat and quickly tip in the flour and salt.
Immediately beat hard with a wooden spoon to get the mixture to form a ball. Once it has just come together, stop stirring. The less you stir now, the smoother your profiteroles will be.
Spread the paste onto a flat tray and let it cool. When the paste is at room temp, put it back into the pan and vigorously mix in the beaten eggs little by little.
Slow and steady is key so the mixture doesn’t split. You should end up with a smooth ‘dropping’ consistency.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Transfer the choux into a piping bag and cut a 50p size hole at the tip.
Pipe the choux into little balls about the size of a £2 coin and 3cm high. Make sure you smooth off the tops either while piping or you can gently dip your finger in water and smooth off at the end.
Bake the choux for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and use a skewer to make a hole the size of a pea in one end of the profiterole, then return to the oven for an extra 5 minutes to dry them out in the middle. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the crème pâtissière, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolk and sugar until they turn a pale gold colour. Whisk in the flour, cocoa and cornflour and set aside.
Place the milk and dark chocolate in a heavy based saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 seconds.
Slowly pour half of the hot milk on to the cold egg mixture, whisking all the time, then return the mixture to the remaining milk in the pan.
Doing it this way prevents the eggs from scrambling. Bring the mixture back to a slow rolling boil and simmer for one minute whisking continuously until smooth.
Pour the crème pâtissière into a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Cool, then refrigerate until needed.
To fill the profiteroles, prepare a disposable piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and fill with your chocolate crème pâtissière.
Holding the piping bag tightly with one hand and a profiterole with the other, pipe the mixture into the pea size hole until each eclair feels heavy and full. Count your profiteroles and divide into 3.
Next make the caramel. In a wide saucepan over a medium heat, slowly melt the caster sugar. Don’t stir it but give it an occasional shake. Continue to heat until the sugar until it has all melted and has turned a beautiful dark copper colour.
Turn off the heat but keep on the stove top so your caramel stays nice and thin.
Using ⅓ of your profiteroles, one by one dip half the profiterole into the caramel being very careful not to burn yourself. Let them cool and harden on a cooling rack. Keep some caramel aside for assembling the tower.
Do the exact same using ⅓ of your profiteroles for dipping into the melted white chocolate and ⅓ of your profiteroles into the melted dark chocolate. Leave to cool and set on a wire cooling rack.
Before assembling, lightly spray with the gold shimmer spray. On a beautiful cake stand or platter, spread a little of the melted dark chocolate.
Arrange a layer of profiteroles onto it. Using your hot caramel, dip a tiny end of each profiterole into the caramel and start layering each profiterole one by one using the caramel as ‘glue’.
Work quickly and carefully so your caramel doesn’t cool and harden before you have it in place. Finish off with some gold leafed raspberries to fill the gaps and some spun sugar if you like.
To make the choux pastry, pour the flour and salt into a small bowl. Place the butter and 440ml water in in a medium heavy based pan and heat gently until the butter melts.
Then crank up the heat until it’s at a rolling boil. When it’s boiling furiously, take it off the heat and quickly tip in the flour and salt.
Immediately beat hard with a wooden spoon to get the mixture to form a ball. Once it has just come together, stop stirring. The less you stir now, the smoother your profiteroles will be.
Spread the paste onto a flat tray and let it cool. When the paste is at room temp, put it back into the pan and vigorously mix in the beaten eggs little by little.
Slow and steady is key so the mixture doesn’t split. You should end up with a smooth ‘dropping’ consistency.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Transfer the choux into a piping bag and cut a 50p size hole at the tip.
Pipe the choux into little balls about the size of a £2 coin and 3cm high. Make sure you smooth off the tops either while piping or you can gently dip your finger in water and smooth off at the end.
Bake the choux for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and use a skewer to make a hole the size of a pea in one end of the profiterole, then return to the oven for an extra 5 minutes to dry them out in the middle. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the crème pâtissière, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolk and sugar until they turn a pale gold colour. Whisk in the flour, cocoa and cornflour and set aside.
Place the milk and dark chocolate in a heavy based saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 seconds.
Slowly pour half of the hot milk on to the cold egg mixture, whisking all the time, then return the mixture to the remaining milk in the pan.
Doing it this way prevents the eggs from scrambling. Bring the mixture back to a slow rolling boil and simmer for one minute whisking continuously until smooth.
Pour the crème pâtissière into a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Cool, then refrigerate until needed.
To fill the profiteroles, prepare a disposable piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and fill with your chocolate crème pâtissière.
Holding the piping bag tightly with one hand and a profiterole with the other, pipe the mixture into the pea size hole until each eclair feels heavy and full. Count your profiteroles and divide into 3.
Next make the caramel. In a wide saucepan over a medium heat, slowly melt the caster sugar. Don’t stir it but give it an occasional shake. Continue to heat until the sugar until it has all melted and has turned a beautiful dark copper colour.
Turn off the heat but keep on the stove top so your caramel stays nice and thin.
Using ⅓ of your profiteroles, one by one dip half the profiterole into the caramel being very careful not to burn yourself. Let them cool and harden on a cooling rack. Keep some caramel aside for assembling the tower.
Do the exact same using ⅓ of your profiteroles for dipping into the melted white chocolate and ⅓ of your profiteroles into the melted dark chocolate. Leave to cool and set on a wire cooling rack.
Before assembling, lightly spray with the gold shimmer spray. On a beautiful cake stand or platter, spread a little of the melted dark chocolate.
Arrange a layer of profiteroles onto it. Using your hot caramel, dip a tiny end of each profiterole into the caramel and start layering each profiterole one by one using the caramel as ‘glue’.
Work quickly and carefully so your caramel doesn’t cool and harden before you have it in place. Finish off with some gold leafed raspberries to fill the gaps and some spun sugar if you like.
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15 minutes
Serves 5
