How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Today let me show you How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream which is one of my favorite things to eat, not to make though because it requires lots of effort. A short story before we begin, I used to love eclairs. When I was a kid , I’d go every single day to my local bakery and buy one of these. As soon as I started learning how to cook I was like I definitely have to try to make these, because they look pretty easy right?

Nope, I was completely wrong! I failed so many times! I tried so many times but after a while I got the hang of it. In today’s recipe I’ll show you guys all the secrets and all the tips and tricks you have to do so that you can make the perfect Eclairs. Which have the perfect puff and the perfect filling on the inside.

And if you like videos better, here is my video recipe:

Ingredients

To make the dough we are going to need: 

• 1 cup of water 
• 1/2 a cup of butter 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt 
• 1 cup of flour and 
• 4 eggs 

Preparing the dough for Eclairs

Add the water into the boiling pan together with the salt, the sugar and the butter. As soon as the water starts boiling, we are going to add the flour. Lower the heat all the way down to medium so that the dough itself doesn’t burn. Stir the mixture continuously until the dough comes all together. This is going to take about two to three minutes. Here is a fun fact: the name of the dough itself is called Pate a Choux. Which comes from French and it’s exactly how we call the Eclairs in Albania. 

As soon as the dough is ready, we are going to transfer it in a glass bowl. Let it cool down for a few minutes before we add the eggs. Do not add the eggs right away because the heat of the dough is going to cook the eggs which will pretty much ruin your recipe. After the dough cools down a little bit, which is going to take about three to five minutes, we are going to start adding the eggs. 

Adding the Eggs: How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream

We are going to add one egg, mix it until it’s fully incorporated, and then add the  next one. At the beginning, it will look like the mixture will never come together but keep on mixing because eventually it will. After you add the last egg, you’ll be able to tell if the dough is ready or not. The dough should be a little bit sticky so if you put your finger in the dough you lift it right up, it should hold a stiff peak. Next on How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream:

Shaping the Eclairs

Once the dough is ready, put it in a piping bag and let’s grab the baking pan. This is one of the techniques that I use to hold the parchment paper in place. Using your piping bag squeeze just a little bit of the Pate a Choux dough on all the four corners of the baking pan. Then place the parchment paper on top. This will hold the parchment paper in place which is going to make our job easier. 

When it comes to shaping the eclairs when you pipe the Pate a Choux dough, try to do a spiral shape because that way you create more lift on the Eclairs. After you’re done piping the Pate a Choux dough, if there are any stiff peaks make sure to gently press it down with your finger so that it doesn’t burn in the oven. 

Baking the Eclairs: How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Make sure to preheat the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the eclairs for about 25 minutes. While the eclairs are baking, let’s prepare the filling which is a very simple vanilla pastry cream. For the pastry cream, we will need:

• 600 milliliters of milk 
• 1 vanilla bean 
• 6 egg yolks 
• 1/2 a cup of sugar 
• a pinch of salt 
• 2 tablespoons of flour and 
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch 

In a saucepan, add the milk and a vanilla bean, cut in half vertically. It is a must to use a real vanilla bean when making this recipe because that is what gives the flavor to the pastry cream. While the milk is warming up, don’t forget to check my Instagram page @xhuliocooks where I post other recipes and restaurant reviews. 

Preparing the Filling for Eclairs

In a glass bowl, mix together the egg yolks with the flour, the cornstarch and the pinch of salt. Once the mixture is all combined, add in the sugar and mix it until you get a very foamy consistency. You will notice that the color will switch from yellow to light yellow. Now it’s time to pour in the vanilla milk little by little. If your milk came up to a boiling point, make sure to cool it off a little bit before you add it to the mixture because that can cook the egg yolks. Once the milk is fully incorporated, scrape off all the seeds from the vanilla bean and put them back in the mixture. 

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, put it on medium heat and stir it constantly until you get a very thick consistency. Take it off the heat, cover it with plastic wrap and let it cool completely down before we can use it to fill in our eclairs. If you’d like to fasten the process of cooling it down, you can put it in your freezer for up to 30 minutes, but make sure not to forget it there. 

How to make Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream

After 25 minutes in the oven, our eclairs should be ready. Now that we have the pastry cream and the puffs ready, let’s prepare the chocolate icing. Using a Bain Marie technique, melt a cup of chocolate, a tablespoon of butter, and a tablespoon of milk altogether. As soon as the chocolate becomes creamy, it’s now time to finalize the eclairs. Using a piping bag, fill in the eclairs with the pastry cream. If you want you can use a knife to cut a hole to make your job easier but I was too lazy to do that so I want the hard way. 

Once the Pate a Choux is filled, dip it in the chocolate and then put it in the fridge for about two hours. And this is how you make eclairs. If you do make this recipe, make sure to send it to me on my Instagram page so I can feature it. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and I’ll see you in the next Recipe.

Here is another recipe you will love: How to make Flourless Chocolate Souffle