White chocolate iced, creme patissiere filled choux buns (recipe)

This weekend's baking adventure was going so, so well right up until the icing stage when we realised we had no cream with which to make the ganache. Instead, we iced them, so we ended up with something that's a cross between an iced bun and a profiterole. What do you think?

Well, these choux buns taste nice. They're a bit messy to eat, with extremely sweet white chocolate icing on the outside, creamy semi-set custard on the inside and a pretty darn good choux pastry holding it all together. They've been polished off pretty quickly, so I'm calling that a kind of accidental success.

Here's the recipe. Makes 12 choux buns.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

Make the creme pat

• Mix together the eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla essence and splash of the milk in a large bowl until smooth and set aside.
• Warm the rest of the milk in a saucepan to almost boiling, then pour into the egg mixture, stir vigorously.
• Wash out the pan, then return the mixture to it and heat gently until thick.
• Pour into a clean bowl, cover on the surface with cling film and chill in the fridge.

Make the choux buns

• Cube the butter and heat in a pan with the water until the butter is melted and the water is boiling.
• Take off the heat, sieve in the flour and stir vigorously. Keep going until it turns into a smooth, soft ball.
• Allow to cool a bit, then stir in the beaten eggs, beating the mixture very vigorously until it turns into a smooth, shiny paste.
• On a greased baking tray, pipe or spoon 12 equal blobs, at least 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the oven at 220C (200C fan-assisted, 425F) for 10 minutes, then 200C (180C fan-assisted, 400F) for 20 minutes.
• Remove and transfer to a wire rack, then using a skewer, poke a little hole in the bottom of each one, then leave to cool completely.

Make the icing

• Heat the milk and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until melted, then remove from the heat.
• Allow to cool to room temp, then sieve in half the icing sugar, beating until smooth.
• If it looks too thin to 'drizzle' successfully, sieve and beat in the rest of the icing sugar.

Bring it all together:

• When everything is cool, use a piping bag with a small hole to fill each of the buns with the creme pat via the holes you made earlier - be careful not to overfill or they'll burst!
• Turn them all right side up again and spoon a little of the icing over each one.
• Leave to set for 30 minutes or so, then serve.

Will you try them?

Here's that choux buns recipe again in an easy to print format.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

White chocolate creme patissiere choux buns

These choux buns taste delicious. They're a little messy to eat, with sweet white chocolate icing on the outside, creamy semi-set custard on the inside and a light choux pastry holding it all together.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Desserts and sweet treats

Cuisine: French

Keyword: choux, choux buns, choux pastry, pastry, white chocolate

Servings: 12 choux buns

Calories: 198kcal

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

For the creme patissiere

• 3 free range medium eggs
• 60 g (2.1 oz) plain flour
• 90 g (3.2 oz) caster sugar
• 400 ml (13.5 floz) milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

For the buns

• 60 g (2.1 oz) butter cut into cubes
• 150 ml (5.1 floz) water
• 75 g (2.6 oz) plain flour sieved
• 2 eggs lightly beaten

For the icing

• 25 ml (1.7 tbsp) whole milk
• 75 g (2.6 oz) white chocolate
• 30 g (1.1 oz) icing sugar sifted

Equipment

• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring jug
• 2 mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Food wrap
• Sieve
• Non-stick baking sheet
• Piping bag
• Wire cooling rack
• Skewer

Instructions

Make the creme patissiere

• Mix together the eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla essence and splash of the milk in a large bowl until smooth and set aside.
• Warm the rest of the milk in a saucepan to almost boiling, then pour into the egg mixture, stir vigorously.
• Wash out the pan, then return the mixture to it and heat gently until thick.
• Pour into a clean bowl, cover on the surface and chill in the fridge.

Make the choux buns

• Cube the butter and heat in a pan with the water until the butter is melted and the water is boiling.
• Take off the heat, sieve in the flour and stir vigorously. Keep going until it turns into a smooth, soft ball.
• Allow to cool a bit, then stir in the beaten eggs, beating the mixture very vigorously until it turns into a smooth, shiny paste.
• On a greased baking tray, pipe or spoon 12 equal blobs, at least 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the oven at 220C (200C fan-assisted, 425F) for 10 minutes, then 200C (180C fan-assisted, 400F) for 20 minutes.
• Remove and transfer to a wire rack, then using a skewer, poke a little hole in the bottom of each one, then leave to cool completely.

Make the icing

• Heat the milk and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until melted, then remove from the heat.
• Allow to cool to room temp, then sieve in half the icing sugar, beating until smooth.
• If it looks too thin to 'drizzle' successfully, sieve and beat in the rest of the icing sugar.

Bring it all together

• When everything is cool, use a piping bag with a small hole to fill each of the buns with the creme pat via the holes you made earlier - be careful not to overfill or they'll burst!
• Turn them all right side up again and spoon a little of the icing over each one.
• Leave to set for 30 minutes or so, then serve.

Notes

Store any remaining buns in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within 24 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

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