Dreamy Chocolate Eclairs

Do you have a big event or a party coming up? Well I do. Eid is around the corner and I was thinking of a recipe to bake at home rather than going to the shops and buying it. So today I decided to do another recipe post just because I was running out of ideas.

Today I am going to give you guys chocolate eclairs.  This is a recipe which is fun to make and tasty to eat. I'm sure all the little ones must be up for a special treat don’t you think?

OK so lets get started

What you will need                                                 Makes: 12

1. 50g (1 ¾ oz) butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
2. 75g (2 ½ oz) plain flour
3. 2 large eggs, beaten
4. 300ml (10fl oz) double or whipping cream

For the icing

1. 100g (3 ½ oz) plain dark chocolate (about 40% cocoa solids) finely chopped
2. 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) double cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C/425°/Gas 7). Grease a large baking sheet. Make the eclairs mixture (choux pastry) as shown below.
2. Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½ in) plain nozzle. Sprinkle the baking sheet with water (a water spray with a fine nozzle is good for this). Pipe the mixture onto the baking sheet into 7.5cm (3in) lengths, leaving room between each eclair for them to spread a bit.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190°C (fan 170°C/375°F/Gas 5) and bake for a further 20 minutes. Split each eclair in half lengthways and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Make the icing: put the chocolate and double cream in a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth and shiny. Remove the bowl from the pan and leave the icing at room temperature for about 30-35 minutes, or until it is cool and thick enough to coat the eclairs without dripping off them.
5. Once the eclairs have cooled, whip the cream and spoon or pipe it into the bottom half of the eclairs. Dip the top half of each eclair in the icing, then place on top of the whipped cream.

Make lovely light choux pastry

1. Put the butter in a heavy-based pan with 150ml (5fl oz) water and heat until the butter melts. Bring to the boil, tip in the flour, then remove from the heat. Stir vigorously.
2. When a smooth paste develops, return the pan to the heat, stirring. The mixture will dry out a little and form a soft ball that comes away from the sides of the pan.
3. Remove the pan from the heat again, leave the mixture to cool slightly, then gradually add the eggs, beating really well between each addition until the mixture is smooth and glossy.