Choux cream and éclairs confuse a lot of people. Which name is right? The two pastries look so similar that it is easy to mix them up, so today we are here to clear things up.
Choux cream and éclairs are bakery items that baffle customers and casual eaters alike, leading to plenty of misunderstandings. Walk into almost any bakery and you are sure to find both. In some shops they look much the same; in others they look different but carry the same name.
So let's find out how choux cream and éclairs differ, both on the outside and on the inside.
Where Choux Cream Gets Its Name
Outside Thailand, choux cream is usually called choux à la crème, which literally means 'cabbage with cream', from the French word choux. The pastry is round, resembling a little cabbage, and filled with various creams. 'Choux cream' is simply a combination of the words choux and cream.
Where the Éclair Gets Its Name
The éclair, also known by another French name, bâton de Jacob, means 'flash of lightning', which is why this pastry is long like a lightning bolt. The original éclair was topped with chocolate and was not filled, unlike the éclairs we see in bakeries today.
In short, choux cream and éclairs are both French pastries made from the same dough, but they have different shapes and are different kinds of pastry.
Choux Cream and Éclair Fillings
Choux Cream
Choux cream is filled with custard mixed with whipped cream, which gives the pastry a fluffier, lighter feel. Choux cream is also larger than an éclair.
Éclair
Éclairs, on the other hand, are mostly filled with plain custard, without the whipped cream used in choux cream.
Now you can tell choux cream and éclairs apart!
