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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Just listen to the word ‘eclair,’ go on, say it out loud. It sounds delicious, right? You can even savor the crusty, chewy, and creamy two-biters just by thinking of them. Together with another one of my passions — coffee, you have a winning dessert perfect for coffee time, get-togethers, and housewarming parties.
I won’t lie, making eclairs is tricky, but today we’re following an as-easy-as-it-gets recipe. We’re ditching the time-intensive crème pâtissière and substituting it with an equally decadent sweetened whipping cream.
As for the coffee, we’ll add it to the creamy filling with half a shot of espresso and the glazing with high-quality instant espresso powder for the most authentic coffee-shop experience.
Breathe and be patient, tackle this recipe with Zen-like serenity, because eclairs never behave as expected. The upside is that once you master these fancy treats, you’ll definitely earn bragging rights.
For the Choux Pastry
For the Whipped cream filling
For the Coffee glazing
For the Choux pastry, combine the flour, 1.5 tsp powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Heat the butter and water in a saucepan over low heat until melted, increase to high heat and boil.
Remove from heat and add the flour mixture while stirring until you form a dough. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 390°F.
Mix the eggs with the cold dough one at a time while beating until smooth.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough into a piping bag, and pipe ten eclairs the length of your index finger with a proper distance between them.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350°F. Bake for 15 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and carefully poke two small holes in the bottom of each eclair. Reserve.
For the whipped cream filling, beat the whipped cream until soft peaks and gradually add the powdered sugar, and finally, the espresso. Beat until stiff peaks.
Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag with a nozzle and fill each eclair through the bottom holes; try not to over-feel.
For the glazing, add 3 tbsp of water to the coffee and dissolve.
In a bowl, gradually sieve the icing sugar while adding the coffee mixture. Incorporate until smooth and glossy.
Bathe your eclairs with the coffee glazing using a spoon and serve.
