The Chocolate Éclair Tower

The Chocolate Éclair Tower

When I made éclairs for the first time, it was heartbreaking to see them flatten in the oven and turn into cat’s tongue-like cookies. It took me several weeks to finally master the art of making choux pastry. But once I did, making éclairs became one of my favourite things. For this recipe, I was inspired by the famous French delicacy, Croquembouche; I tried to innovate a bit and finally ended up with a tower of éclairs. The result was quite nice although I probably should have waited for the éclairs to cool down and harden a bit before the assembling part. Turns out smashed éclairs are not that amazing :P.

This recipe consists of three main parts: baking the éclairs, making the crème pâtissière (pastry cream) and assembling. I usually make the pastry cream overnight as it takes a long time to cool.

Ingredients:

(makes 20 medium-sized éclairs)

For the choux pastry:

• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs

For the egg wash:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp water

For the chocolate crème pâtissière:

• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 100g dark chocolate (melted)
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

For the chocolate glaze:

• 200g sweetened dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Alternative

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp milk

For the caramel:

• 1 cup white sugar

Directions:

Crème pâtissière:

1. Beat the eggs with the sugar at high speed until pale and creamy.
2. Add the flour, chocolate and vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
4. Add the boiling milk to the egg mixture and stir quickly so as to prevent curds from forming.
5. Pour back the mixture into the saucepan and place it over low heat.
6. Stir until the mixture thickens (Usually takes about 5-7 minutes).
7. Let the mixture cool for 2-3 hours/overnight.
8. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
9. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula until well combined.
10. Leave the pastry cream in the refrigerator until needed.

Choux pastry:

1. Butter and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla essence.
3. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and immediately pour in the flour (all at once).
5. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture no longer sticks to the sides of the pan.
6. Transfer the the mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing sufficiently after each addition so that the mixture is just blended before adding the next egg.
8. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
9. Fill a pastry bag with the choux pastry and pipe onto the baking tray. (I usually pipe enough pastry such that each éclair is about 12 cm long, 2.5cm wide and 2 cm tall)
   NOTE (from personal experience :P): If the éclairs spread out once you pipe them onto the tray, it means your choux pastry is not stiff enough; in which case, they will continue to flatten in the oven and turn out like cookies.
10. For the egg wash, combine the egg with the water and use a pastry brush to spread the mixture evenly over the éclairs.
11. Dip a fork in a bowl of warm water and run it along the the éclairs to smoothen them a bit.
12. Bake the éclairs for 15 minutes.
13. After that, lower the temperature to 350˚F (180˚C) and bake for another 10 minutes.
14. Remove the éclairs from the oven and use a knife to slit them open on the sides.
15. Turn off the oven and put the éclairs back in for another 5 minutes, leaving the door slightly open.
16. Remove the éclairs and let them cool for an hour before proceeding to the next step.

Assembling the éclairs:

1. Fill a pastry bag with the crème pâtissière.
2. Fill the éclairs with the cream through the slits made during step 14 (in the choux pastry part).
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
4. Use a knife to spread the chocolate glaze on each éclair.
   ALTERNATIVE: To obtain a smoother texture, use the chocolate icing alternative. Combine the icing sugar, cocoa powder and milk in a small bowl. Use a bag/cake decorator to spread the icing on the éclairs.

Making the tower:

1. Leave the éclairs in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Assemble the éclairs on top of each other.
3. Melt the sugar in a small saucepan until golden brown.
4. Remove from heat and let the melted sugar cool until almost hardened.
5. Using a fork, work around the éclairs to surround them with caramel.
   NOTE: If the caramel hardens too much, melt the caramel again by placing the saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes.