An Easy Choux Cream Recipe Even Beginners Can Make

Hello everyone! Today we invite you to make a delicious treat you will find in bakeries, cafés and coffee shops everywhere: choux cream. This recipe is very easy, so even beginners can make it.

Choux cream is a French pastry with a history as long as many other bakery classics. It is thought to have been enjoyed for around 150 years and became known in Thailand in 1900 (B.E. 2443), when it was introduced by French merchants. Because the name 'choux cream' was hard for Thais to pronounce, people lumped it together with another pastry and called it an éclair.

A Delicious, Easy Choux Cream Recipe

Making choux cream today is far less complicated than it used to be. That is partly because many ingredients now come ready-made, which cuts down the number of steps, and partly because there is so much baking equipment available, making this pastry easy to put together.

Information courtesy of bistronomyb2b.com

Choux Cream Ingredients

Custard Cream Filling

• 30 g cornstarch
• 400 g fresh milk
• 4 egg yolks (size No. 2 eggs)
• 20 g salted butter
• 90 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Choux Pastry

• 120 g cake flour
• 4 eggs (size No. 2)
• 100 g fresh milk
• 85 g salted butter
• 10 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Water

How to Make Choux Cream

Making the Custard Cream Filling

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat over low heat until it boils, then set aside.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then sift in the cornstarch and whisk until everything is combined.
3. Once well combined, pour the boiled milk into the egg and starch mixture, stir again, then return to low heat.
4. Stir the custard until it is cooked and thick, then add the butter and vanilla extract for extra aroma. Turn off the heat, transfer to a mixing bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool completely.

Making the Choux Pastry

1. In a pan, bring the water, sugar, butter, milk and salt to a boil, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat, gradually add the sifted flour and stir again until combined, then return to low heat.
2. Stir the dough for about 2–3 minutes until smooth, then turn off the heat and remove from the stove.
3. Stir the dough with a spatula to let it cool slightly, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, and return to low heat.
4. Keep stirring until the dough is cooked, sticky and smooth, then turn off the heat and let it cool to warm.
5. Preheat the oven for 20 minutes before baking.
6. Pipe the dough onto a baking tray in medium-sized rounds and bake at 190°C for 25–30 minutes, then remove from the oven.
7. Use a knife to cut a small cross in the base of each baked puff. Spoon the custard cream into a piping bag and pipe it into each hole until all the puffs are filled.
8. Serve the choux cream with tea, coffee or hot cocoa.

Many people still call this pastry an éclair. In fact, choux cream and éclairs use the same ingredients and method; the only difference is the shape. Choux cream is round, while an éclair is long, and both are filled with custard. Now that you know how to make choux cream, you can whip up a batch whenever you like, for the family, as a snack, or as a treat with tea, coffee or cocoa.