Wonderfully delicate choux pastry bursting with sweet vanilla crème pâtissière, and dripping with a sticky chocolate glaze; when it comes to pastries, the French really are the crème de la crème.

The word ‘éclair’ in French translates as ‘lightening’, which is said to derive from the glistening confectioner’s glaze. Whatever the origin, these chocolate éclairs are sure to go down a storm at any sophisticated soirée. 

For the choux pastry:

1. Preheat oven to 220C and line two large baking sheets with greaseproof paper. 
2. Mix the butter and water in a pan and bring to a boil until the butter has melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and incorporate the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a dough. 
3. Place the dough back on the heat and beat for a further 40 seconds. 
4. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Beat the eggs together in a separate bowl. 
5. Once the mixture has cooled a little, beat the eggs in a bit at a time. Once you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped, and is smooth and shiny, the dough is ready. You might not need all the egg.
6. Using a spatula, spoon the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping nozzle (or a freezer bag with the corner tip snipped off) and pipe 10cm lines of the dough on the lined baking sheets. Leave about 4cm in between each piped line to allow for expansion. Brush each one with a little leftover beaten egg. 
7. Place in the preheated oven and reduce the heat to 190C. Allow the pastry to bake for around 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 
8. Transfer the pastries to a wire rack and pierce three holes into the underside of buns. Allow to cool completely before filling with the crème pat! 

For the crème pâtissière

1. Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the delicious centre. Place the milk in a saucepan on a medium heat and add the vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil and then turn off the heat. Scoop out the vanilla pod. 
2. While the milk is coming to the boil, place the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until thick and pale. 
3. Pour the hot milk into the bowl, making sure you whisk quickly and continuously until the mixture is smooth and incorporated. 
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over a medium heat. Beat continuously until it has thickened. Transfer the crème pat to a cold bowl, smooth out the surface with a spatula and wipe the tip with a little butter, to prevent a skin forming. Cover the bowl with cling film and allow to cool completely. 

For the chocolate glaze

1. Place the dark chocolate in a bowl, over a saucepan filled with a little water and melt over a medium heat.
2. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir through the cream. 
3. Fold in the butter, until you are left with a glossy, spreadable glaze.

The final step

Fill the piping bag, fitted with a small round nozzle, with the crème pat and pipe into the holes on the underside of the buns. Spread the delicious glaze over the top et voilà! 

And there you have it, wonderfully sweet chocolate eclairs. If you have been inspired by any of our Gorenje’s Big Bake Off recipes, we’d love to see your pictures! Send us a tweet to @Gorenje_UK, or send a picture to our Facebook page.