These scrumptious Homemade Classic Eclair recipe with cream and chocolate glazed top are so easy to make. They’re airy, soft, perfectly textured, and are filled with a delectable cream!
We’re making eclairs today and I’m so happy I get to share this recipe with you. Whenever I make eclairs, my entire family is elated. We’re all fans of eclairs here, and with this easy classic homemade version you can create, you’ll become one too!
What Are Eclairs?
We can thank French cuisine for blessing our palettes with this incredibly tasty dessert. An eclair is made from choux pastry and is traditionally oblong in shape. It is filled with a custard or cream filling and topped with chocolate icing or ganache. Pastry, chocolate, and custard – what’s there not to like, right?
You’ll notice these eclairs aren’t oblong like they usually are. Nope.
I like making mine in a mini, round version. They’re perfect for parties with a large crowd and are great to just pop in your mouth. I find these mini eclairs easier to eat and way less messy.
Tips On How To Make This Bakery-Favorite At Home
- Getting the pastry correct is really important. It should be soft and airy. No hard pastry here. The pastry isn’t made like most other pastries – in a mixer and rolled out on the counter. This pastry is actually cooked in a pot. You have to be quick so the pastry doesn’t burn or harden.
- Use a pastry bag to make the shapes onto your lined cookie sheet.
- Beat your cream ingredients until there are no clumps left. You want to bite into an eclair that has a smooth, consistent filling.
- Pierce your eclairs with your pastry tip when filling.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have delicious eclairs at home. No having to drive to the bakery for these!
What Kind of Cream is Used in Eclairs?
Traditionally, eclair cream is a custard pastry cream made from milk, sugar, yolks, butter and starch. The cream here is made from just 3 Ingredients, but you will find many different varieties of cream recipes that is used in eclairs, I like this one because it has a great taste and doesn’t drip.
For the Eclair Cream you will need cream cheese, whipped cream and powdered sugar.
What do I need to make a Classic Eclair?
Eclairs are made with well known ingredients. The trick is to get the batter into the right consistency.
Dairy: Milk (I use whole milk) and Eggs (large)
Water: Room temperature.
Butter: Unsalted.
Flour: Unbleached
pinch of salt
Steps
For the eclairs:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium-sized pot, place ½ cup unsalted butter and turn heat on medium low until butter is melted.
Add in ½ cup water and ½ cup milk. Stir to combine, about 1 minute.
Add a pinch of salt.
Turn off heat and add a cup of flour, stirring quickly.
Add in the eggs, one by one, quickly stirring after each egg (you can also use a hand mixer for this step). The dough should start becoming sticky.
Transfer into a pastry bag with piping tip.
Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Pipe out rounds or oval shapes of dough onto the cookie sheet. Leave room between each eclair to puff up in the oven.
Transfer to the oven. Keep checking on them a few times through the oven window, as soon as they puff up and get a brownish bottom, take them out (about 20-25 minutes). Cool down.
How to Make Eclair Cream
Beat softened cream cheese until smooth and no clumps.
Add in ¾ cup powdered sugar, beat until well incorporated.
Add in whipped cream and beat for a minute (should not be runny).
Transfer the cream to a pastry bag with a tip and fill the eclairs, by slicing each one and pipping the cream in.
For the Chocolate Glaze:
Melt 3 Tbsp unsalted butter in the microwave then quickly stir in ½ cup chocolate chips.
Brush each eclair with chocolate or just dip the tops in.
Cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Homemade Classic Eclair Recipe with Cream and Chocolate Glazed Top Yum
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 pinch salt, optional
- 12 oz whipped cream
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium-sized pot, place ½ cup unsalted butter and turn heat on medium low until butter is melted.
Add in ½ cup water and ½ cup milk. Stir to combine, about 1 minute.
Add a pinch of salt.
Turn off heat and add a cup of flour, stirring quickly.
Add in the eggs, one by one, quickly stirring after each egg (you can also use a hand mixer for this step). The dough should start becoming sticky.
Transfer into a pastry bag with piping tip.
Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Pipe out rounds or oval shapes of dough onto the cookie sheet. Leave room between each eclair to puff up in the oven.
Transfer to the oven. Keep checking on them a few times through the oven window, as soon as they puff up and get a brownish bottom, take them out (about 20-25 minutes). Cool down.
Beat softened cream cheese until smooth and no clumps.
Add in ¾ cup powdered sugar, beat until well incorporated.
Add in whipped cream and beat for a minute (should not be runny).
Transfer the cream to a pastry bag with a tip and fill the eclairs, by slicing each one and pipping the cream in.
Melt 3 Tbsp unsalted butter in the microwave then quickly stir in ½ cup chocolate chips.
Brush each eclair with chocolate or just dip the tops in.
Cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Equipment Used
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