• Vanilla-filled éclairs

    Cooking Time: 40 mins

    Ingredients

    • Éclairs
    • 50g butter
    • 190ml (¾ cup) water
    • 100g cake flour, twice sifted
    • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
    • Vanilla crème filling
    • 300ml fresh milk
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) vanilla extract
    • 2 large egg yolks
    • 60g castor sugar
    • 50ml cake flour
    • 50ml cornflour
    • icing sugar, to dust

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C and spray and large baking tray with Spray and Cook.

    2

    For the éclairs, melt the butter in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, very quickly, beat in the 100g cake flour until well incorporated. Return the saucepan to the heat and continue to beat until the mixture comes away from the sides. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

    3

    Slowly beat in the 3 eggs, one by one, until the mixture is thick and glossy. You may not need all the eggs. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe onto the prepared baking tray. Spray with a little water and neaten the top of each raw éclair with your fingertip. Bake in the oven until golden, puffed and cooked through, about xx minutes.

    4

    Remove from the oven, make a small slit in the base of each and return to the oven to dry out, roughly 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling. You can keep the éclairs in an airtight container for 1 – 2 days until you are ready to fill them.

    5

    For the filling, heat the milk in a small pot over medium heat. Add the vanilla extract.

    6

    Whisk together the 3 egg yolks, sugar, 50ml cake flour and cornflour. Pour the hot milk over this mixture. Pour the mixture into a pot and return to the heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

    7

    Leave to cool completely before spooning into a piping bag and filling the pastries. Dust with icing sugar and serve.