Eclairs with custard

We offer to bake for tea tender eclairs with custard that we have loved since childhood. For the manufacture of homemade cakes, we use the classic and time-tested recipe for choux pastry and standard cream, and for a change we will make icing in two versions - dark (based on cocoa) and white (with sweet powder).

The most delicate taste, familiar to us since childhood, will instantly gather at the table the sweet tooth of all ages. So, we delight guests and household members with a sweet surprise! Cooking homemade delicious eclairs - a recipe with a photo step by step will help us with this.

Ingredients:

For test:

• butter - 100 g;
• flour - 150 g;
• drinking water - 250 ml;
• salt - a pinch;
• medium-sized eggs - 4 pcs.

For cream:

• milk - 500 ml;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• sugar - 180 g;
• butter - 200 g;
• flour - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon.

For light frosting:

• powdered sugar - 180 g;
• butter - 10 g;
• milk - 2 teaspoons.

For dark frosting:

• cocoa powder - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• butter - 50 g;
• milk - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• powdered sugar - 4 tbsp. spoons.

1. We start the process of making cakes with dough. We cut a bar of butter into pieces of arbitrary size, fill it with drinking water and throw a pinch of salt. Place this mixture over moderate heat.
   
2. As soon as the butter has completely melted, and the liquid just starts to boil, remove the container from the stove and immediately pour in the entire norm of the sifted flour at once (it is better to sift it in advance). Quickly knead the mixture with a wooden spatula until a homogeneous dense mass is obtained. We work very fast! Flour must be dissolved in hot liquid - this is the main feature of custard dough!
   
3. Immediately after obtaining a dense mass, return the pan to the stove. We continue to knead for another 1-2 minutes at minimum heat (the resulting dough should easily move away from the bottom and sides of the pan). Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature.
   
4. In the cooled custard dough, we drive raw eggs one at a time, each time diligently kneading the mixture. Please note that the consistency of the finished dough will largely depend on the size of the eggs, as well as the quality of the flour used, so be careful - you may need 1-2 more eggs or vice versa less than indicated in this recipe.
   
5. As a result, the choux pastry for eclairs should turn out smooth, viscous and moderately liquid. At the same time, it should keep its shape well when we form cakes using a culinary bag. Dough of the right consistency will gradually slide off the spoon in a thick, heavy ribbon.
   
6. We fill the culinary bag with our dough and plant oblong blanks 6-8 cm long on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Do not forget to keep a distance between future cakes, as they will “grow up” during the baking process.
   
7. We bake eclairs for 15-20 minutes, maintaining the temperature at around 220 degrees. During this time, the cakes will increase in size and brown. Next, we reduce the heat to 160 degrees and wait another 10 minutes for the eclairs to thoroughly “dry out” inside.
   
   
8. In parallel, we are preparing the cream. In a clean and dry bowl, mix flour and half the sugar. We drive in raw eggs.
   
9. Lightly beat the mixture with a whisk until smooth and a light foam appears.
   
10. Pour milk into a saucepan, add vanilla sugar and the rest of granulated sugar, boil. Pour about a third of the hot milk mass into the beaten eggs. Stir vigorously, and then pour back into the saucepan with milk and return to the stove.
    
11. Stirring, keep on low heat until almost boiling (until thickened). After cooling the custard cream to a warm state, add the softened butter, beat with a mixer / whisk until smooth and uniform.
    
12. On the eclairs, carefully make side cuts. With the help of a teaspoon, we generously fill our cakes with custard (it is advisable to keep the cream in the refrigerator before filling the eclairs).
    
    
13. The final step is to prepare the icing for the cakes. We will make two types - dark and white. Let's start with the first one. To do this, combine cocoa powder, sweet powder, butter and milk in a small saucepan. We place on a slow fire and, stirring constantly, bring the mass to uniformity. The consistency of the icing should be like melted chocolate. If the mixture is too thick, add milk. If too liquid - powdered sugar.
    
14. For white glaze, mix butter with milk. Put the mixture on a slow fire. As soon as the oil has dissolved, we introduce sweet powder and knead until a homogeneous creamy texture is obtained. If the mass is too thick, as in the case of dark glaze, add milk. Accordingly, to thicken, increase the portion of powdered sugar.
    
15. We cover part of the eclairs with dark glaze, the rest with white. Cool cakes in the refrigerator before serving.
    

Homemade eclairs with custard and delicate icing are ready! Happy tea!