Cream puffs and profiteroles are such a great and versatile dessert. You can fill it with just about any flavor you want and get a different dessert each time.
These cherry cream puffs are easy to make and filled with vanilla cream and fresh cherries. A great summer dessert.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Cherry Cream Puffs Filled with Vanilla Cream
For the choux pastry:
- 125 ml. (1/2 cup) milk
- Pinch of salt
- 30 grams (3 tbsp.) sugar
- 50 grams (3 tbsp.) butter
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) flour
- 2-3 eggs (beaten)
For the vanilla cream:
- 250 ml. (1 cup) heavy cream (very cold)
- 2 tbsp. sugar powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. instant vanilla pudding powder
- 15-20 cherries
- Sugar powder for serving
- Choux pastry: preheat oven to 180c degrees.
- In a medium saucepan put milk, salt, sugar and butter and heat to a strong boil.
- Add flour and stir while cooking, until it turns into a lump of dough.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it cools down a little.
- Add the eggs gradually while beating until dough is elastic and smooth. Check the readiness of dough by creating a “trail” with a wooden spoon in the center of the dough – if the track remains stable, add some eggs, and if it closes a bit – the dough is ready. It is important not to add too many eggs to the dough or it may become too soft and ruined.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a round 2 cm piping tip. On a baking tray lined with baking paper pipe large cream puffs (about 5-6 cm in diameter). It’s important to leave some space between the creampuffs.
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Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the cream puffs are golden and set. Cool completely before filling.
- Filling: in a mixer bowl put cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and stabilizer and whip on high speed until very stable cream is formed.
- Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a serrated piping tip.
- Cut the top of each creampuff and fill generously with whipped cream. Place a whole cherry and close with the top. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.
- Keep in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, but the cream puffs are at their best on the day of preparation.
- You can use fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or other berries you like instead of cherries.
Photo: Natalie Levin