Mini Chocolate Eclairs

Making eclairs can be intimidating. This Paula Deen recipe is so easy you just have to try it. I just want to mention that you will need patience. I say that because it's one of those recipes that you will need to spend time at the stove stirring.

I suggest you get everything measured and lined up before starting. It makes it easier so you can just add while you stir. The pastry is made first. So far so good, everything was going according to the directions.

While the pastries baked in the oven, I started on the filling. It did seem like forever before the filling thickened to a mayonnaise consistency per the instructions. Don't even think about taking the easy way out and substituting instant pudding. The time spent stirring to get the right consistency was worth the wait. The filling was absolutely delicious.

The eclairs were so good, we had no leftovers for the next day. They were addicting. I guess because they are so light you don't realize how many you've eaten. This is a great make ahead dessert. The eclairs can be frozen in an airtight container and taken out of the freezer before you are ready to serve.

Ingredients for pastry:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (margarine can be used according to the recipe, but butter tastes so much better)

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

4 eggs


Ingredients for filling:

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Ingredients for icing:

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 cup whipping cream


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

To make the pastry: Bring 1 cup water and the butter to a boil. Add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Drop the dough by teaspoonful on to the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool.

To make the filling: Combine the milk, sugar, salt and flour in a medium saucepan. Cook slowly until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add the eggs and cook, stirring, until the mixture is even thicker, about the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from the heat, let cool and add the vanilla.

With a serrated knife, slice the pastry puff lengthwise but not all the way through. Pipe the custard into the center.

To make the icing: Melt the chocolate in the microwave at full power for 30 seconds; place in a medium saucepan and stir, then add the sugar and cream. Cook over medium heat until soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Let cool and beat until smooth. Ice the tops of the eclairs.

Note: I didn't have a pastry bag to pipe the filling onto the pastry shell. I substituted with a zip-lock bag. I filling the zip-lock bag with filling and then snipped off tip. It worked pretty well. Also I didn't have a candy thermometer to check the temperature of icing. I had to wing it. It turned out great.

Source: Paula Deen and Friends Cookbook, copyright 2005

Chocolate Ganache Cake

I was looking for a quick dessert to serve the other day and came across this recipe from one of my Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. I had never actually tried to make this cake before, however, I have to admit, my mouth watered every time I looked at the picture in the cookbook. I had all the ingredients in the house except for the hersey's chocolate syrup so I thought I'd give it a try. This recipe is definitely a keeper, not only because it was delicious, but it was so easy to make and it required very few ingredients. Before you try making it, let me mention a couple of things I had to do differently. The recipe advises not to overbake. I found that I did have to bake it longer than the recipe recommends in my oven. Even though the cake is suppose to be very moist, I found the cake still very wet in the middle when I bake for the recommended 45 minutes. So I ended up baking it a few minutes more. Just keep that in mind when you try this recipe because ovens bake differently. Also it recommends glazing the cake while on a wire rack. I glazed it on the cake dish because I wasn't really sure how to easily get the frosted cake from the wire rack to the cake dish without making a mess of the cake. It didn't look picture perfect on my cake dish, but the taste.....it was amazing.

Ingredients for cake:

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  
• 1 16 ounce can Hershey's chocolate syrup
  
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  

Ingredients for ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 8-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together with mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cake will be tough.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Place the cake upside down on a wire rack and pour the glaze evenly over the top, making sure to cover the entire cake and sides. You can tilt the rack to smooth the glaze. Decorate with candied violets, if desired.

Do not refrigerate.


The recipe states you can make this cake up to a week in advance. It recommends wrapping it tightly with plastic and refrigerate. Glaze it the day you serve it.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties, 2001