Pastry Cream-Filled Profiteroles

Download a printable PDF version of the recipe.

Vegetarian

Ingredients

Makes approx 40

For choux pastry:

  • 240ml water
  • 80g butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 160g plain flour, sifted
  • 4 eggs 

For pastry cream:

  • 30g plain flour, sifted
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 300ml milk
  • half tsp of vanilla essence

Also:

  • 300g milk chocolate to top

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 215°c / 420°f / gas mark 5.
  2. Starting with the choux pastry, put the water, butter and salt into a pot and bring to the boil. Add the flour and mix together. Continue to cook the mixture for a minute or so until it leaves the sides of the pan, then remove from the heat.
  3. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then mix the eggs in one at a time and ensure they are fully incorporated. You should end up with a slightly sticky mixture.
  4. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a 10-12mm (half inch) plain piping nozzle. Lightly grease a baking tray and begin piping out balls of pastry that are slightly smaller than the size of ping pong balls. Leave a small amount of space between each piped ball to allow some expansion.
  5. Place the pastry balls into the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes until they have puffed up slightly and are golden brown in colour. Undercooking them will result in balls that will collapse when pulled out of the oven.
  6. While the pastry balls are cooking, prepare the pastry cream. Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks and 30mls of the milk into a mixing bowl and mix well. Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a pot and then add it to the mixture in the bowl. Add the vanilla essence, mix together well and then pour it all back into the pot.
  7. Put the pot back on the stove and bring it to the boil while stirring continuously. Cook it for a further two minutes while stirring, then remove from the heat. Pour it into a container and gently place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to help prevent a skin from forming. Put it into the fridge to chill.
  8. When the pastry balls are done, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool completely. When they and the cream are cool, fill a piping bag fitted with a small 5mm (0.2 inch) nozzle with the cream. Use the nozzle to poke a hole in the base of the pastry balls and squeeze the cream inside. Repeat until all the balls are filled.
  9. To finish the profiteroles, melt some chocolate and dip the tops of the balls into the chocolate. Set the chocolate by placing them in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes, then serve. Best eaten when fresh.

Download a printable PDF version of the recipe.

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Download a printable PDF version of the recipe.