Why It Works
- Allowing the finished choux pastry to stand in a turned-off oven for 30 minutes allows the pastry to crisp, dry, and fully set, preventing it from becoming soggy later.
- A small amount of corn syrup makes for a shiny, smooth glaze.
If I could eat an éclair every day, I’d be a very happy woman. Unfortunately, I do not live in France, nor am I located near a French bakery—and I most certainly do not have the time or energy to make éclairs frequently at home. I reserve éclairs for special occasions, and even then, it’s hard to convince myself it’s worth piping, baking, filling, and glazing an entire tray of little fingers of choux pastry. The good news is that you can make a large-format éclair cake that evokes the original without prompting your carpal tunnel to flare up.
Serious Eats / Jen Causey
This show-stopper version is designed to impress. Taking our inspiration from the classic Paris-Brest, in which choux is baked in a large ring and then filled with praline cream, this version fills the ring with vanilla crème mousseline and is then topped with a glossy chocolate glaze.
Serious Eats / Jen Causey
As daunting as the recipe may seem, it’s still easier than making traditional éclairs, since one large choux pastry ring is easier to pipe and bake than many individual choux fingers. Second, we’ve already made the choux part of the process easier for you with the help of science. Instead of the vague instructions in most recipes, we use precise temperatures that you can easily measure with a thermometer for perfect choux every time, no guesswork involved.
Pastry cream has a starring role in the crème mousseline, or what I like to call fancy buttercream: Instead of beating butter with powdered sugar to make buttercream, we beat pastry cream into the butter. Whipped until light and fluffy, the filling’s velvety texture complements the crisp, airy choux.
Serious Eats / Jen Causey
Last but not least, there’s an easy chocolate glaze of butter, corn syrup, and semi-sweet chocolate that comes together in one bowl with the help of the microwave. The dessert tastes just like an éclair, except you can cut it in big, hulking slices to serve to friends or, let’s be honest, keep it all to yourself because that’s the real spirit of an Americanized dessert: Making it big and then eating too much.
