Eclair au Craquelin Filled with Chocolate Crème Patissière

After diving into choux pastry for my Food in Film project, I wanted to master a base recipe. Craquelin was a must-try, and I couldn’t resist filling these éclairs with the chocolate crème pâtissière I made for The Grand Budapest Hotel pastries. Simple in appearance but not in flavour, these éclairs are a decadent treat.

Eclair au Craquelin Filled with Chocolate Creme Patissiere
Eclair au Craquelin Filled with Chocolate Creme Patissiere

Makes approx. 10

Hands-on Time 30 minutes (plus cooling)

Baking Time 34 minutes

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Ingredients

  • 45g unsalted butter

  • 55g demerara sugar

  • 65g plain flour (divided)

  • 1 portion choux pastry

  • 560ml full-fat milk

  • 100g milk or dark chocolate (broken up)

  • 5 medium egg yolks

  • 90g caster sugar

  • 25g cocoa powder

  • 15g cornflour

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl

  • Baking parchment

  • Rolling pin

  • Baking sheet

  • Piping bag with a round tip (at least 1.5cm diameter) and a narrow tip (approx. 5mm diameter)

  • Knife

  • Wire rack

  • Saucepan

  • Spatula

  • Whisk

Method

1. Make the craquelin topping

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, demerara sugar, and 55g plain flour using your hands until a crumbly dough forms.

  • Place the dough between two sheets of baking parchment and roll into a rectangle about 3–5mm thick. Trim and neaten the edges.

  • Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

2. Prepare the choux pastry

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment.

  • Pipe the choux pastry into 7cm lengths, spaced evenly apart. Smooth any pointed ends with a wet finger.

  • Let the choux rest for 30 minutes.

3. Assemble and bake the eclairs

  • Cut the chilled craquelin dough into rectangles slightly wider than the choux lengths.

  • Place a rectangle on top of each choux pastry and gently press down.

  • Bake on the middle shelf for 34 minutes, or until golden.

  • Cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Make the chocolate crème pâtissière

  • In a saucepan, heat the milk and chocolate over medium heat until the chocolate melts and the milk steams. Stir occasionally.

  • In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar for 1 minute until thick.

  • Add 10g plain flour, cocoa powder, and cornflour. Whisk until combined.

  • Gradually whisk in half the warm chocolate milk, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

  • Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened to a custard consistency.

  • Transfer to a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature.

5. Fill the eclairs

  • Use the narrow piping tip to make 3 holes in the underside of each eclair (one at each end and one in the middle).

  • Fill a piping bag fitted with the narrow tip with the chocolate crème pâtissière.

  • Pipe the filling into the middle hole until it emerges from the end holes.

6. Serve

  • Let the eclairs sit for 30 minutes to allow the filling to set slightly.

  • Enjoy the same day for the best texture.

Enjoy!

Eclair au Craquelin Filled with Chocolate Creme Patissiere
Eclair au Craquelin Filled with Chocolate Creme Patissiere