Chocolate Éclairs

Éclairs are a classic French pastry made with pâte à choux, the same delicate dough used for profiteroles and cream puffs.

Light, airy and hollow once baked, choux pastry is designed to be filled, traditionally with vanilla pastry cream and finished with a glossy chocolate glaze.

Elegant yet comforting, éclairs have been a staple of French pâtisserie since the nineteenth century and remain one of the most recognizable café treats to this day. 

While browsing through some of my older posts, I came across these éclairs I made many years ago, and it immediately struck me that they would make a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.

There’s something undeniably romantic about them, perhaps it’s their refined shape, the silky filling, or simply the fact that they feel a little indulgent.

For a long time, I was genuinely intimidated by éclairs.

I used to think that pâte à choux was complicated and unforgiving, one of those techniques best left to professional pastry chefs.

In reality, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Once you understand the process, choux pastry is surprisingly straightforward.

Watching a few videos helped demystify the technique, and from then on, everything fell into place.

The filling, on the other hand, was already familiar territory. I used my classic pastry cream, a recipe I’ve been making for years.

Valentine’s Day Variation

However, when I revisited the recipe recently, I decided to change things up.

If you would like to make these éclairs especially for Valentine’s Day, you can fill them with a strawberry cream instead of the classic pastry cream.

The strawberry cream used in my Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake works beautifully as a filling: light, smooth and delicately flavoured with fresh strawberries.
Its natural pink colour and fresh, fruity taste make the éclairs feel even more festive and perfectly suited to the occasion.

Update:  25 March, 2012

Éclairs happen to be my daughter’s favourite French dessert, so this time I filled them with an eggless chocolate mousse instead, lighter, intensely chocolatey, and perfect for anyone who prefers a creamier, less custard-like filling.

This eggless chocolate mousse is simple but luxurious.

The combination of good-quality couverture chocolate, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and a subtle twist of freshly ground black pepper gives it depth without overpowering the chocolate.

It pipes beautifully and holds its shape, making it ideal for filling éclairs. 

Eggless Chocolate Mousse:

• 500 gr. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 4 drops vanilla essence
• 125 gr. couverture chocolate
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of freshly grated black pepper

Directions:

•  Whip the cream with a hand mixer. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Refrigerate.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the salt and black pepper, then remove from the heat. Let the chocolate cool slightly, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer hot but still fluid.
• Rewhip the cream briefly on low speed, adding spoonfuls of the melted chocolate until fully incorporated. Keep the mousse refrigerated until ready to fill the éclairs.

To finish, I topped the éclairs with a simple chocolate icing — the classic final touch that ties everything together and gives them that unmistakable pâtisserie look.

Whether you make them for Valentine’s Day or simply as a special treat, éclairs are one of those desserts that look far more impressive than the effort they require. And once you’ve made them once, you’ll wonder why you ever found them intimidating in the first place.

Wishing you all a lovely Valentine’s Day, filled with sweetness, in every sense of the word. 💝

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,