These eclairs are my go-to for a true chocolate fix — not just a sprinkle on top, but an indulgence inside and out without piling on heaps of icing. Cocoa in choux pastry is a bit tricky: it makes the dough slightly more demanding but results in a deeper color and a more ‘grown-up’ texture, less airy than your average eclair.
The devil is in the details: how you dry the dough on the stove, when you stop with the eggs, how you set the temperature, and whether you can resist peeking in the oven every five minutes. The result is an eclair with a crisp shell, dry inside without any soggy ‘mush’, perfectly holding a rich chocolate cream — the kind that makes you want just one more, even if you swore it would be ‘just a taste’.
Double Chocolate Eclairs with Cocoa and Chocolate Filling brings you all the magic of French pâtisserie, where every bite is a celebration. By making these eclairs, you’ll learn the basics of crafting profiteroles that can be filled with a variety of delicious creams.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
Opt for alkalized or high-quality natural cocoa without sugar, avoiding those labeled ‘chocolate-flavored drink’ as they often have unnecessary additives that make the dough behave unpredictably. For the chocolate cream, use 60-70% chocolate without vegetable fats; cheap chocolate can make the filling watery or leave a greasy film. Cream for ganache or filling should be 33–35%, not the ‘culinary 10%’ type, as that won’t provide the right texture. Eggs should be room temperature; cold eggs make the dough inconsistent, leading to a constant need to adjust. Use good-quality butter, not margarine, as it’s critical for the structure in choux pastry.
Double Chocolate Eclairs with Cocoa and Chocolate Filling
Ingredients
- 125 g flour Use all-purpose flour for the best texture.
- 4 pcs eggs Best used at room temperature.
- 250 ml water The water should be hot.
- 100 g butter Use unsalted butter.
- 30 g cocoa powder Use quality cocoa for an intense flavor.
- 2 tbsp sugar Feel free to add more to taste.
- 200 g chocolate Use dark chocolate for the filling.
- 150 g sour cream For creating the cream.
Method
- In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil, then add cocoa powder and sugar, stirring continuously.
- Remove from heat, gradually add the sifted flour and stir until a smooth mass forms.
- Add eggs one at a time, stirring thoroughly until fully incorporated.
- Pipe the dough onto a baking sheet, forming small balls, and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes.
- For the filling, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and mix with sour cream until smooth.
- Fill the cooled eclairs with chocolate filling using a pastry bag.
Notes
- Combine cocoa with the flour, not 'added later' — otherwise, you'll get lumps and uneven density. For perfection, sift the flour and cocoa together.
- When cooking the dough on the stove, bring it to a point where it forms a ball and leaves a thin film at the bottom of the pan. That's not over-drying — it's stabilizing your base.
- Add eggs one at a time, checking the consistency each time: the dough should fall from the spatula in a wide ribbon, not run like a sauce. Too many eggs result in flat eclairs that spread and sulk forever.
- Pipe eclairs of uniform size, preferably with a star nozzle: the ridges help them rise evenly and crack less.
- Start baking at a higher temperature to give them a boost, then reduce and let them dry out. And most importantly — don’t open the oven for the first 25–30 minutes. You might think you're just 'taking a peek' — but the eclairs will simply collapse.
- If eclairs are soft after baking, they haven't dried out enough. I use a simple trick: at the end of baking, crack the oven door 1–2 cm and hold it for another 5–7 minutes to let the moisture escape without dropping the temperature drastically.
- Fill the shells once they’ve completely cooled. A warm eclair + chocolate cream = condensation and a soggy center.
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