Description
This recipe guides you through making delicious vanilla-filled choux pastry profiteroles drenched in rich, creamy chocolate sauce. The choux pastry shells are light and airy, filled with a smooth vanilla cream blended with whipped cream, and topped with a luscious chocolate cream, perfect for an elegant dessert or special occasion treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cream
- 60 g Corn starch (2.11 oz)
- 600 g Milk (20.30 fl.oz)
- 300 g Granulated sugar (10.60 oz)
- 100 g Cocoa powder (3.50 oz), sifted
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Vanilla powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g Butter (3.50 oz), cut into cubes
- 1 pinch Salt
Vanilla Cream – Filling
- 6 Egg yolks
- 200 g Granulated sugar (7 oz)
- 1 liter Milk (33.80 fl.oz)
- 100 g Corn starch (3.50 oz)
- 100 g Butter (3.50 oz)
- 1 tsp Vanilla powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 240 ml Whipped cream (1 cup)
- 1 tbsp Sugar (for whipped cream)
Choux Pastry
- 236 ml Water (8 fl.oz)
- 115 g Unsalted butter (4 oz), cubed and at room temperature
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 135 g All-purpose flour (4.7 oz), sifted
- 4–5 Medium eggs (lightly beaten)
Instructions
- Prepare Chocolate Cream: In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with about 1/3 of the milk until dissolved, then set aside.
- Boil the milk mixture: Pour remaining milk into a medium pot, add sugar, salt, and sifted cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly.
- Thicken cream: Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling milk, whisk vigorously to avoid lumps, and cook until thick and smooth.
- Finish chocolate cream: Remove from heat, add honey and butter cubes while stirring until fully combined.
- Blend if needed: Use a blender to beat the chocolate cream if any lumps remain for a smooth consistency.
- Cool and refrigerate: Transfer chocolate cream to a container, cover surface directly with plastic wrap to avoid skin formation, let cool, then refrigerate until completely cold. Mix well before use.
- Prepare Vanilla Cream Filling: Whisk egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add 2 tbsp milk and cornstarch; whisk to combine.
- Heat milk and sugar: Pour remaining milk and sugar into a non-stick pot; bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Temper eggs: When milk boils, add ½ cup (115 ml) of egg mixture to milk while whisking to warm eggs gently without cooking.
- Thicken cream: Gradually add remaining egg mixture to pot, whisk continuously over low heat until thickened and smooth, ensuring no film forms.
- Taste and finish: Taste to confirm no raw starch flavor. Remove from heat, then add butter, honey, and vanilla powder/extract, whisking until butter melts.
- Cool and refrigerate: Cover cream surface with plastic wrap touching it directly to prevent skin. Let cool, then refrigerate completely.
- Whip cream: In a separate bowl, whisk whipping cream with 1 tbsp sugar until soft peaks form.
- Combine creams: Gently fold whipped cream into the cold vanilla cream until smooth and creamy.
- Preheat oven: Set oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Make choux dough: In a pot, combine water, sugar, and butter; heat until butter melts and water boils.
- Mix flour: In a separate bowl, combine sifted flour and salt.
- Add flour to boiling mixture: Remove pot from heat; add flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously with a spatula until dough is fully combined.
- Cook dough: Return pot to medium heat; stir continuously for 1–3 minutes until dough forms a film on the pot bottom and pulls away from sides.
- Cool dough: Transfer dough to a bowl; cool slightly for a few minutes.
- Add eggs: Using a hand mixer, beat in eggs one at a time until dough is glossy, elastic, and pipe-able, stopping when proper consistency is reached.
- Pipe shells: Fill a piping bag with dough and pipe round balls onto a baking sheet; flatten any points with a damp finger.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until shells puff and turn golden brown. Do not open oven door for the first 20 minutes.
- Prick shells: In the last 5 minutes, prick each shell with a skewer to release steam and dry out.
- Cool shells: Remove from oven and cool completely in a draft-free area.
- Assemble profiteroles: Cut a small hole in each shell and pipe in the vanilla cream filling.
- Layer and serve: Place filled profiteroles in a bowl or serving dish, pour chocolate cream over them in layers, finishing with a top layer of chocolate cream. Optionally, decorate with whipped cream.
Notes
- Ensure the plastic wrap touches the surface of creams to prevent skin formation during cooling.
- Pricking choux shells near the end of baking helps them dry out fully and prevents sogginess.
- Use room temperature eggs for easier incorporation into the choux dough.
- Do not open the oven door during early baking to prevent shells from collapsing.
- Vanilla powder can be substituted with vanilla extract where specified.
- The dough consistency is crucial; stop adding eggs once it is glossy and pipe-able, not too runny or stiff.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: profiteroles, choux pastry, chocolate cream, vanilla cream filling, French dessert, pastry cream, baked pastry, chocolate sauce
