Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe

Lighter than air and utterly delicious Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe for when your tooth craves something sweet. Distant relative of traditional Chocolate Eclair, this beautiful dessert is perfect for special events or weekend baking with the kids. 
Friends, this post has lots of useful information so keep reading to make the Best Eclair Cake ever.

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Eclair Cake

Yes, I'm obsessed French food and I consider Eclairs to be my favorite (and probably most often cooked dessert) ever.

After my original Chocolate Eclair recipe went bonkers on Pinterest, I decided recreate it but in a form of cake. The pastry cream recipe is also slightly different and perhaps a little easier to make.

This Eclair Cake comes out big in size and with lots of delicious wavy layers.

It's great for parties, special events and unlike traditional chocolate eclairs, it doesn't require the use of pastry bag.

Oh, and did I say it is absolutely delicious?

This Chocolate Eclair Cake is unlike anything you've ever tried before and feels like a cloud melting in your mouth. Seriously, it's that good!

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In addition, it's so beautiful and reminds me of another traditional Polish dessert Karpatka. In fact, the recipe is very similar to Karpatka but the pastry cream is much lighter and softer.

My Chocolate Eclair Cake recipe doesn't use Graham Crackers in its ingredients. Because if you can make such a yummy Choux pastry from scratch, I don't see the need in Graham Crackers.

Today I'll walk you through all the steps to help you make the Best Eclair Cake Recipe ever.

How To Make Chocolate Eclair Cake

1. Prepare the pastry cream

In a medium saucepan add milk and half portion of the sugar and bring everything to a low simmer.

At the same time, in a medium bowl whisk together eggs, remaining sugar and corn starch.

When milk starts to simmer, pour 1 ladle of it into the egg and corn starch mixture and whisk constantly until no lumps remain.

Add the remaining milk, whisk until smooth and transfer everything back into the saucepan. Bring everything to a low boil and cook for one minute.

Remove custard from the heat, transfer to the heatproof bowl, cover with a food film and place on a counter to cool off.

In a large bowl beat the butter with vanilla. Fold cooled custard into the butter and mix until cream is smooth. Refrigerate while you work with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Make Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)

In a medium pot combine water, butter, sugar and salt and bring everything to a boil.

Add flour and using a wooden spoon whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. You should work the dough until a thin film forms at the bottom of the pot.

Whisk in the first egg and mix with a wooden spoon until the egg is fully incorporated into the dough with no white lumps. Continue whisking in the remaining eggs, one at a time.

Your Pâte à Choux should be smooth and elastic.

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3. Arrange the dough on a baking sheet

Cover the baking sheet with a parchment wrap.

(A little tip to keep parchment in place as you arrange the dough is to spoon small dots of dough into each corner of the baking sheet and lightly press parchment paper against the dots.)

With wet hands arrange half of the dough on the baking sheet and smooth it out. You might need to wet your hands a few times as dough is a bit sticky.

The layer will be very thin and that's all right as it will puff up during baking. Don't worry about imperfections.

Bake in a preheated to 375 F oven for 15 minutes.

Without opening the door!, reduce the temperature to 320 F and continue baking for 18-20 minutes until top is slightly golden brown.

Don't open the door during baking as the dough won't rise.

Remove from the oven, slide Choux Pastry on a clean kitchen towel and either cool off the baking sheet to arrange the remaining dough or use another baking sheet.

Bake the remaining dough.

4. Cut Choux Pastry

Arrange baked layers of Choux Pastry one on top of the other and cut in half crosswise.

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5. Cover with pastry cream

Liberally spread ⅓ of pastry cream over the first layer of Choux Pastry. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer.

6. Drizzle and garnish

Place chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe dish and heat in 10 seconds intervals until chocolate melts. Whisk until smooth.

Dip fork into the chocolate and drizzle it over the cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and serve!

You won't regret spending some time making this scrumptious cake. It's absolutely irresistible!

If you make my Eclair Cake Recipe, snap a photo and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.

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Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe

Scrumptious, melt-in-your mouth Chocolate Eclair Cake that takes traditional Eclairs to a whole new level. Made of beautiful Choux Pastry and vanilla pastry cream, this delicious layer cake is going to be your favorite treat for parties or other special occasions.

4.8 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 611kcal

Author: Iryna

Ingredients

Click on the highlighted link to purchase the ingredients

For the Pastry Cream

• ▢ 2 ½ c or 600 ml milk
• ▢ ¾ c or 160 gr sugar
• ▢ 6 ½ tablespoon or 50 grams corn starch
• ▢ 2 eggs extra large
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ ⅞ c or 200 gr butter softened

For the Choux Pastry

• ▢ 1 c + 2 teaspoon water
• ▢ 5 tablespoon or 100 gr butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 c flour
• ▢ 5 eggs extra large

For the Chocolate Glaze

• ▢ ½ c chocolate chips semi-sweet
• ▢ ⅓ c heavy cream
• ▢ 4 tablespoon sliced almonds

Instructions

To Make Pastry Cream

• In a medium saucepan combine milk and half portion of the sugar and bring everything to a low simmer.
• At the same time, in a medium bowl whisk together eggs, remaining sugar and corn starch.
• When milk starts to simmer, pour 1 ladle of it into the egg and corn starch mixture and whisk constantly until no lumps remain.
• Add the remaining milk, whisk until smooth and transfer everything back into the saucepan. Bring to a low boil and cook for one minute.
• Remove custard from the heat, transfer to the heatproof bowl, cover with a food film and place on a counter to cool off completely.
• In a large bowl beat the butter with vanilla. Fold cooled custard into the butter and mix until cream is smooth. Refrigerate while you work with the rest of the ingredients.

To Make Choux Pastry

• In a medium pot combine water, butter, sugar and salt and bring everything to a boil.
• Add flour and using a wooden spoon whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Work the dough until a thin film forms at the bottom of the pot.
  
• Whisk in the first egg and mix with a wooden spoon until the egg is fully incorporated into the dough with no white lumps. Continue whisking in the remaining eggs, one at a time until your Choux Pastry is smooth and elastic.
• Cover the baking sheet with a parchment wrap and preheat the oven to 375 F. (See the notes)
• With wet hands arrange half of the dough on the baking sheet and smooth it out. You might need to wet your hands a few times as the dough is a bit sticky.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Without opening the door, reduce the temperature to 320 F and continue baking for 18-20 minutes until top is slightly golden brown.

  Don’t open the door during baking as the dough won’t rise.
• Remove from the oven, slide Choux Pastry on a clean kitchen towel and arrange the remaining dough on a baking sheet.
• Bake the remaining dough.
• Arrange baked layers of Choux Pastry one on top of the other and cut in half crosswise.
• Liberally spread ⅓ of pastry cream over the first layer of Choux Pastry. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining cake layer.

To make Chocolate Glaze

• Place chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe dish and heat in 10 seconds intervals until chocolate melts. Whisk until smooth.
• Dip fork into the chocolate and drizzle it over the cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and serve!

Notes

To keep parchment paper in place while you arrange the dough, spoon small dots of dough into each corner of the baking sheet and lightly press parchment paper against the dots.

Nutrition

Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.4g | Protein: 10.8g | Fat: 42.4g | Saturated Fat: 24.9g | Cholesterol: 239mg | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 30.1g | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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