Profiteroles With Chocolate Sauce
Classic choux pastry profiteroles served with a rich, homemade chocolate sauce. There's 2 choices of filling to use for these; a creamy vanilla pastry cream or fluffy vanilla whipped cream.
Servings: 24 Profiteroles
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Food Probe
- Piping Bag
- ½ Inch Piping Nozzle
- Large Baking Tray
- Silicone Baking Mat
Ingredients
Profiteroles
- 120 g Strong White Bread Flour (See Notes)
- 140 g Water
- 70 g Whole Milk
- 85 g Unsalted Butter (Chopped Into Small Pieces)
- 10 g Caster Sugar
- 3 g Fine Sea Salt
- 3 Large Eggs
- Icing Sugar (For Dusting)
Fillings (Choose 1 - Either Pastry Cream Or Whipped Cream)
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 400 g Whole Milk
- 60 g Caster Sugar
- ½ A Vanilla Pod
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 50 g Egg Yolks
- 30 g Cornflour
- 25 g Unsalted Butter
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- 300 g Double Cream
- 40 g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
Chocolate Sauce
- 200 g Double Cream
- 100 g Whole Milk
- 50 g Golden Syrup
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 180 g Dark Chocolate (See Notes)
- 25 g Unsalted Butter
Instructions
Profiteroles
- Sift the bread flour into a bowl then set to one side.
- Add the water, milk, butter, sugar & salt into a medium saucepan then set over a low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the butter has melted.
- Once the butter has melted, turn the heat up to medium-high & bring the mix to the boil.
- As soon as the mix is boiling, take the pan off the heat then add in the flour all in one go. Use a wooden spoon to immediately stir the flour into the liquid until a rough dough forms then set the pan back over a low heat.
- Next, cook the dough, stirring constantly until it comes away from the sides of the pan & has formed one cohesive mass (a smooth ball of dough). There should also be a thin film layer in the bottom of the pan. This step will only take around 1-2 minutes.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a bowl then leave to cool, until slightly warm. If you take the temperature of the dough with a food probe, it should be around 55°c/131°f when cooled enough.The choux will take around 20 minutes to cool. If you press it into a slightly thinner layer (not a ball), it will cool more evenly.
- Whilst your dough is cooling, preheat an oven to 210°c/190°c fan (410°f/374°f). At the same time, line a large baking tray with a silicone mat then set to one side.It's important that you let your oven preheat thoroughly otherwise the choux won't bake properly! If needed you should preheat it earlier. Using a silicone mat is best but using baking parchment will work as well.
- Next, crack the eggs into a jug, beat lightly with a fork then set to one side.
- Once the dough is cool, transfer it into the bowl of a stand mixer then mix with the paddle attachment on a medium low speed for 30 seconds or so. This ensures that the dough is an even temperature throughout.
- Next, gradually add enough of the beaten egg into the dough (whilst mixing on a medium-low speed) until it reaches "dropping consistency" & is smooth and glossy. Make sure to give the bowl a scrape down regularly!Dropping consistency is reached when the choux falls slowly off the paddle when it's lifted out of the mix. It should form a V shape on the end of the paddle when held upside down. There's a visual guide to this in the post above.
- Transfer the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch piping nozzle then pipe 24 x 1 inch wide rounds onto the prepared baking tray. Make sure to leave a few centimetres between each profiterole. They'll rise as they bake!
- Use a finger dipped in cold water to gently press down the peak that is on top of each profiterole (from where we piped them) then lightly dust the top of each profiterole with icing sugar The top of each profiterole should be smooth. The icing sugar gives the profiterole a crisp texture & helps them rise more evenly. Make sure to sift the icing sugar when dusting.
- Bake the profiteroles for 15 minutes, until they've risen & are starting to turn golden brown then turn the oven down to 175°c/375°f & bake for another 20-25 minutes until the pastry is crisp & a deep golden brown.Once baked, the profiteroles should a deep golden brown with a crisp texture. Make sure not to open the oven door during the first 30 minutes otherwise the profiteroles will sink.
- Next, take the profiteroles out of the oven & use a the tip of a small knife to poke a small hole in the bottom of each one (in the middle). Place the profiteroles back onto the tray so that they're facing bottom side up.
- Return the profiteroles to the oven, bake for a final 10 minutes then take out of the oven & leave to cool completely.This step dries the insides out fully & prevents the profiteroles from sinking as they cool.
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Add the milk, vanilla, salt & half of the caster sugar into a medium saucepan then set over a low heat. Warm gently, stirring occasionally until steaming hot.If you're using a vanilla pod, scrape the seeds out then add both the pod & seeds to the milk.
- Whilst your milk is warming up, place the yolks, cornflour & remaining sugar into a mixing bowl & whisk by hand until pale, smooth & combined. This will take a minute or so.
- Once the milk is steaming hot, pour half of it into the yolks, whisking as you do so. Pour the now tempered yolks into the pan of milk.
- Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly until the custard is thick & starting to boil. If you take the temperature of the custard with a food probe, it should be around 85°c/185°f once cooked.To check if the custard is ready, stop whisking every 20-30 seconds once it has thickened. If a few bubbles appear & pop, the custard is ready. Be careful not to overcook it though!
- Once the custard is cooked, take the pan off the heat, whisk in the butter then pass through a sieve, into a bowl. Place a piece of baking parchment onto the custard's surface, leave to cool slightly then refrigerate until completely cold. This will take at least 2 hours.
- Just before using, give the custard a quick whisk by hand, to loosen it off then transfer to a piping bag. The pastry cream should be nice & smooth. If there's any tiny lumps, pass the custard through a sieve.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- Add the cream, sugar & vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer then whisk on a medium speed until firm peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag before using.Be careful not to over whip the cream! You can also use a handheld electric mixer or whisk the cream by hand instead. I'd recommend making the whipped cream just before you need it.
Chocolate Sauce
- Add the cream, milk, golden syrup & salt into a medium saucepan then warm over a low heat until steaming hot.Don't let the cream boil!
- Whilst your cream is heating up, chop the dark chocolate & butter into small pieces.
- Once the cream is hot, add in the chocolate & butter then continue cooking, whisking frequently until the chocolate has fully melted & you've got a thick & smooth chocolate sauce.This sauce is designed to be served warm, so you can make it just before serving or reheat it on the stove/in a microwave before using.
To Serve
- Use a small knife to make a hole in the bottom of each profiterole. The hole needs to be big enough to fit the tip of a piping bag in!
- Pipe a good amount of filling (either pastry cream or whipped cream) inside of each profiterole then place into bowls. Only cut a small hole in the end of your piping bag, as this will make it easier to pipe the filling inside the profiteroles.
- Drizzle a generous amount of warm chocolate sauce over the profiteroles then serve immediately.
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Notes
1. To Cook In An Aga - Melt the butter for the choux on the simmering plate then move over to the boiling plate to bring to the boil. Cook the choux out on the simmering plate. To bake the profiteroles, cook on the bottom set of runners in the roasting oven for 20 minutes, turning the tray around after 15 minutes then poke a hole in the bottom of each profiterole. Leave the profiteroles facing cut side up then place the tray onto the floor of the simmering oven & cook for 15 minutes, to dry out the insides.
2. Flour For Profiteroles - I like to use a strong white bread flour for choux pastry, with a protein content between 12-15% as it makes a sturdier, more robust batch of pastry. If you haven't got any though, plain flour will work as well. I use a Canadian white bread flour from Shipton Mill.
3. Dark Chocolate - Using dark chocolate makes the richest chocolate sauce! I've found that using a 54% dark chocolate gives the best balance of flavour & richness without being too bitter. A 72% dark chocolate will work as well, if you'd prefer a darker tasting sauce.
4. Eggs - When making choux pastry, you'll use a slightly different amount of eggs every time, which is why we add it in gradually. You'll know when you've added enough eggs when the choux is smooth & very shiny. When you lift the paddle attachment out of the choux, it should create a V shape & slowly fall off. I'd recommend watching the video in this post for a visual guide on this!
5. Making Choux In Advance - Profiteroles are best served on the same days as they were baked, so that they retain their crisp texture. They'll soften over time but will keep for a day or two when stored in an airtight container. Once filled, profiteroles are best served straight away but will keep for a day when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you like, you can crisp your profiteroles back up by baking them for 2-3 minutes at 180°c/356°f before serving. Make sure to let them cool down before you use them though!
6. Fillings - I've included 2 different fillings in this recipe. You'll only need 1 of them to fill all of the profiteroles though. The custard will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days before being use but the whipped cream is best made just before using.
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