These Chocolate Orange Eclairs are for pastry week of my GBBO challenge. I went with eclairs because because they were a challenge for me. I don’t know why but I always get into fights with choux pastry, I can make perfect danish pastry but choux pastry is a challenge for me… I’ve always been a bit backwards!
I did manage to defeat these eclairs though! What defeated me though was a roll of parchment paper, I dropped it onto of the eclairs when I taking photos, which is why some of the chocolate glaze looks the way it does… I have nothing to say about my clumsiness other than oops!
For the choux pastry I used Gordon Ramsay’s Profiterole recipe, which of course is fabulous and probably the only reason my eclairs were a success! The eclairs are filled with orange creme patisserie and topped with a chocolate orange glaze. They went down super well with my mum’s colleagues too!
October is Lupus Awareness Month and I will be having a small giveaway on here to help raise money and awareness for Lupus. Please read on past the Eclairs recipe for details and to enter the giveaway! I’ll be bringing these eclairs and the giveaway to the wonderful people at Fiesta Friday!
- 125ml milk
- 200ml water
- 150g plain flour
- 1tsp golden caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- 500ml milk
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 75g caster sugar
- 25g plain flour
- 25g cornflour
- 1 orange - zest
- 100g dark chocolate
- 15g unsalted butter
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- 60ml milk
- 30ml fresh orange juice
- Heat the milk, water, sugar and salt in a pan on a low heat until the sugar and salt is dissolved, stir in the butter and heat until melted.
- Once the butter is melted, bring to a rolling boil and remove from heat.
- Add the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of a pan. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely.
- Once the mixture is cooled, beat the eggs in one at a time until you have a thick smooth paste.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
- Spoon the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle (or snip the end off so you have a 1.5cm hole), pipe out long eclairs and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are puffy and a deep golden brown.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack, poke small holes in the eclairs to let steam escape and stop the insides going soggy.
- Put the milk, vanilla and orange zest in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil and reduce to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 30 seconds.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until it's a pale yellow, then whisk in the flours.
- Pour the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to the pan.
- Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and cook for one minute.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle with caster sugar to stop a skin forming, I also like to cover the surface with cling film. Leave to cool completely.
- Spoon the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle, poke the nozzle gently into the bottom of the eclair and pipe the cream inside, you may want to do this at several points to ensure there's cream throughout the eclair.
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl over a pan of simmering water with butter and honey, stir occasionally until chocolate is melted.
- Gradually whisk the milk and orange juice until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate sauce over the eclairs, chill in the fridge until the chocolate has set.
- Store in the fridge
Lupus Awareness is a cause that’s very close to my heart, so I’d like to try and raise some money and awareness with my blog. I’m going to be giving away a few things in aid of Lupus UK, the option to donate is NOT mandatory to enter the giveaway as even though I believe it is a great cause I also don’t want people to feel pressured into donating! Any small donation helps though so if you have a little spare cash, please do consider it (plus it’ll get you 10 extra entries into the giveaway!) However, if I can raise a little awareness for this often forgotten illness then I will consider this giveaway a success!
Here is today’s Lupus Awareness Fact of the day:
The prizes!
Some fun, colourful drinking straws. They’re great for a party or to brighten up your smoothie. They’re also great for food styling if you’re a food blogger. The winner will receive one pack of each colour scheme (purple and pink stripes & stars and stripes)
These super cute muffin cases! Great for muffins or cupcakes
A 200ml jar of my homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup, great for making your PSL at home or pouring on pancakes and ice cream!
And a copy of The Breakfast Drama Queen’s new eBook – Cookies for Breakfast. This fab eBook is packed full of wholesome cookie recipes, most of which are gluten free and they are all butter free! You can read more about the book here
Before you enter the giveaway, please take a moment to check out Lupus UK’s website and educate yourself a little on this autoimmune illness when you have a few spare minutes. You’re always free to ask me any questions too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway ends on October 31st, 11:59pm BST. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on this post once confirmed. The winner has 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open to both UK residents AND international residents. Winner will need to provide me with their address for prizes to be mailed to them (eBook is delivered to their email). The giveaway is not in anyway affiliated with Facebook or Twitter. 
Beautiful eclairs. Love chocolate and orange. Been years since I’ve made choux need to make it again.
Thank you Suzanne! 🙂 x
These look absolutely delicious – eclairs are a favorite 🙂
Thank you Judith 🙂
Love eclairs! They look fabulous, Michelle! <3
Thank you Angie!
Your Eclairs look beautiful. I haven’t tried making this type of pastry. You make it look easy!
Thank you Julie. It is an easy pastry to make (even if the way you make it feels a bit unnatural for a pastry!), it just always takes me a few tries to bake it right!
Uh, they look awesome, Michelle. I tried them once a couple of weeks back and they went horribly wrong, got all flat after I took them out of the oven. Don’t know how that happened. But all the more reason to try your recipe then! Happy Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Thank you Tina! Aww, that’s happened to me before too! Happy FF 🙂
Fabulous eclairs!!!! They look so good! Thank you for bringing these and for making us aware of Lupus Awareness at this week’s Fiesta Friday 🙂
Thank you Elaine! x
Michelle! You always make me drool! You know I love the combo of orange and chocolate! You really are a fantastic baker! So gifted! And I always love your pics!
Aww thank you Lori! xx
Wow! I’ve never gone near eclairs unless they were in a shop, ready to eat 😉
Great pictures, you make it look so appealing that I am beginning to think I should, maybe, give it a try 🙂
Happy Fiesta Friday!
Thank you Ginger, you should definitely give them a try! Despite my rocky history with choux pastry, it’s not very hard to make!
Happy FF!
Those eclairs look fantastic!!
While I think it would look a little weird if I entered the giveaway, wow, I need those straws in my life (all I have are red and white ones!)
Thank you Claudia! You should definitely enter, and if you win I’ll draw another person to win your book! And what could be wrong with two winners!
Those eclairs look so good–what a special dessert!
Thank you Nancy!
Eclairs have always been one of my favourite desserts ever since I was a kid, I’m also a fan of Gordon Ramsay, everything that man touches turns to gold and you can’t go wrong with his recipe, thanks for sharing and have a great weekend X:)
Thank you Lily! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend xx
These eclairs look so delicious. I love the chocolate glaze and I love that you added orange to these eclairs, taking it from a classic eclair and raising it to the next level. Thanks for sharing it on Fiesta Friday!
Thank you Andrea, you’re so sweet! x
Michelle, I’m dying for one now 🙂 They look look so tasty!
Thank you Linda 😀 xx
I love your eclairs, Michelle! Don’t mind the clumsiness ^^
I think it’s great that you want to do something for Lupus Awareness!
Thank you Sarah! 😀
My hubby was JUST saying that I should try to make some homemade eclairs or Boston Cream Pie Donuts- these look INCREDIBLE, I might just have to fulfill to his request! 🙂
Thank you Stephanie! I’m sure your hubby will be very happy with either (although if you make boston pie cream donuts, I want that recipe!!)