Chocolate
Éclair Cake
Popular on Food52
63 Reviews
Espressomom
June 17, 2024
I feel the ratio for the ganache is incorrect-I think the cream should be the lesser quantity. I found the ganache too thin, even when chilling over ice for an hour. Altogether the recipe the recipe turned out well. The choux didn’t puff well, but it wasn’t a problem in the dessert. The filling was great.
5528Mill
November 2, 2023
This eclair cake was the best! Instead of two sheets of pate choux, I made one big one and cut it in half. I cut the cake in rectangle pieces and called it E squares or clair squares. Carolina Gelen is wonderful to watch in the kitchen. Thank you for a fantastic dessert everyone loves!
Katie
July 3, 2023
Not bad, though my ganache didn’t set. I did not find this easier than individual eclairs and I think the individual ones are a little better. So i wouldn’t make it again.
Lea
February 11, 2023
I’ve been making a few different variations of this for 10+ years. My favorite is actually to put strawberries and whipped cream in the middle and crisscross lemon curd and repeat on the top. Beautiful too!!! Was a huge hit at the showers and parties I took it to.
Lisa S.
February 11, 2023
Interesting. Sort of like a Boston Cream Pie but with choux dough. I love making eclairs, so I will have to try this!
rosiesaikaly
April 1, 2022
I just made this and it came out amazinggg!! Let me tell you a few tips and adjustments I made because I was reading the comments and they were all discouraging regarding multiple things, so i followed some things and didnt others:
1. The comments said to double the pastry cream but not the cornstarch. So, as a medium solution, I added 50% more of the cream ingredients and a bit more of cornstarch. Example: it called for 4 eggs, I added 6 eggs. the recipe calls for 1/3 cup cornstarch I added that 1/3 + a little less than 1/6.
2. the comments said the choux pastry puffed up. Mine was completely fine with following the recipe!
3. the comments said the chocolate ganache was too much for eclairs, so I just halfed the amount.
It came out amazing! highly recommend.
PS: the cream custard does take much longer to harden when you increase its amount, so dont be discourage just keep on staring on that lower heat and maybe listen to a podcast or something while doing it.
1. The comments said to double the pastry cream but not the cornstarch. So, as a medium solution, I added 50% more of the cream ingredients and a bit more of cornstarch. Example: it called for 4 eggs, I added 6 eggs. the recipe calls for 1/3 cup cornstarch I added that 1/3 + a little less than 1/6.
2. the comments said the choux pastry puffed up. Mine was completely fine with following the recipe!
3. the comments said the chocolate ganache was too much for eclairs, so I just halfed the amount.
It came out amazing! highly recommend.
PS: the cream custard does take much longer to harden when you increase its amount, so dont be discourage just keep on staring on that lower heat and maybe listen to a podcast or something while doing it.
Janet M.
March 18, 2022
The "pastry cream" is pretty much a simple "boiled" custard--easy and reliably good, but I used 1 tsp vanilla, as we really do like vanilla. After reading all of the negative reviews of the pate a choux, I rolled out some frozen puff pastry into 2 equal sized pieces. My family didn't mind at all that the ganache was a bit thick. In fact they liked that--I did add 1/tsp vanilla to it, also. My version turned out delicious, no complaints from anyone.
LizzieB
March 14, 2022
Firstly, love Carolina. Am writing this review to help others if they make this. Loved the idea but the execution is a different story. I did watch the video in its entirety before making this, but still, I wouldn’t make again. I served at a dinner party and eight people agreed (luckily good friends!) it was disappointing.
1. Highly recommend doubling the amount of pastry cream to get it to the thickness that Carolina pictures. One layer is not enough… mine is effectively choux on choux! Considering choux is not tasty… it’s not great. Also suggest flavouring the pastry cream. Zest or booze would go well, as others have indicated.
2. The ganache layer is incredibly thick. Too thick. Ganache on an eclair is a whisper - this is like heavy-handed chocolate frosting on a birthday cake, so it kisses the mark. I wish I had halved it. It also misses the shine ganache usually has, which you can achieve by adding a little neutral oil as it cools. When making ganache, don’t forget to pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and leave it sit for a minute. If you stir too early, you risk the chocolate seizing. Let the cream do the work for you.
3. My choux rose dramatically especially around the edges, even though they were levelled perfectly flat going into the oven. This is because the edges bake first and will always get the most rise as they are cooked for the longest amount of time. Post-bake, I did everything I could to flatten them out, including inverting them in the tin once it was time to assemble (helped a little), but it still meant that layering was uneven.
I hope these tips help the next person, but sadly, it’s a no from us!
1. Highly recommend doubling the amount of pastry cream to get it to the thickness that Carolina pictures. One layer is not enough… mine is effectively choux on choux! Considering choux is not tasty… it’s not great. Also suggest flavouring the pastry cream. Zest or booze would go well, as others have indicated.
2. The ganache layer is incredibly thick. Too thick. Ganache on an eclair is a whisper - this is like heavy-handed chocolate frosting on a birthday cake, so it kisses the mark. I wish I had halved it. It also misses the shine ganache usually has, which you can achieve by adding a little neutral oil as it cools. When making ganache, don’t forget to pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and leave it sit for a minute. If you stir too early, you risk the chocolate seizing. Let the cream do the work for you.
3. My choux rose dramatically especially around the edges, even though they were levelled perfectly flat going into the oven. This is because the edges bake first and will always get the most rise as they are cooked for the longest amount of time. Post-bake, I did everything I could to flatten them out, including inverting them in the tin once it was time to assemble (helped a little), but it still meant that layering was uneven.
I hope these tips help the next person, but sadly, it’s a no from us!
Roger K.
February 11, 2023
What about making the squares a bit bigger and trimming them? Could you add some flavor to the choux maybe?
Shelley S.
March 2, 2022
There is nothing wrong with this recipe, but it is not new. The eclair cake referenced in the article is the no-bake version, Midwesterners have been making this with cream puff dough forever. The only substantial difference is often a packaged pudding is used along with cream cheese, and a purchased chocolate sauce.
While I appreciate the the refinement of the recipe, it is disingenuous to not recognize that it has been around forever. The graham cracker version is much more like a banana pudding. I think it is important to recognize the roots and the wonderful cooks of the past not everything has to be recreated by a chef.
While I appreciate the the refinement of the recipe, it is disingenuous to not recognize that it has been around forever. The graham cracker version is much more like a banana pudding. I think it is important to recognize the roots and the wonderful cooks of the past not everything has to be recreated by a chef.
gumrock
April 4, 2023
Thank you for this comment, I was able to find a much easier version of this recipe because of it. The cake pictured looks great and I was wanting to make it for my son's birthday, but with my chronic pain this recipe was looking like a challenge. The simpler version is exactly what I need. Have a great day and thank you again
Zrinka C.
February 25, 2022
I am really sorry but nothing really worked for me. Measurements were completely off. Cream was too thick, puff also and didn’t puff at all. I have enough ganache for 5 cakes. Maybe it’s me but something is not right.
Irene
February 22, 2022
I was so excited to make this as I LOVE eclairs. Short story, it was good but not great. Full disclosure, I used my own recipes for the choux and the pastry cream. The recipes I used are reliable and bulletproof. So it’s not the recipes that don’t work, but the whole idea.
The choux layers were too thick and kind of tough and the pastry cream layer squished out when I tried to cut slices and eat them. I did double the pastry cream. The cornstarch amount is about right, not too thick, as you want a thick consistency.
It comes back to the idea of a good sandwich: squishable spreads on squishable breads. You want the consistencies of the “bread” layers and the filling to be closer to one another. I’ll go back to good ol’ Boston cream pie where the cake layers are softer and closer in consistency to the pastry cream layer.
One idea would be to decrease the amount of choux you use (I did weigh the amount as per this recipe). Another idea would be to keep the same amount of choux paste and try to slice the layer in half, though the slicing might be difficult.
The choux layers were too thick and kind of tough and the pastry cream layer squished out when I tried to cut slices and eat them. I did double the pastry cream. The cornstarch amount is about right, not too thick, as you want a thick consistency.
It comes back to the idea of a good sandwich: squishable spreads on squishable breads. You want the consistencies of the “bread” layers and the filling to be closer to one another. I’ll go back to good ol’ Boston cream pie where the cake layers are softer and closer in consistency to the pastry cream layer.
One idea would be to decrease the amount of choux you use (I did weigh the amount as per this recipe). Another idea would be to keep the same amount of choux paste and try to slice the layer in half, though the slicing might be difficult.
Sarah G.
February 19, 2022
This was my first time making choux pastry and honestly only my second time making pastry cream. I’m more of a layered cake person. However I wanted the knowledge of knowing how to make choux pastry. I saw this on Instagram and knew this was the recipe I was going to learn. I did a ton of reading and research before making this cake. I watched a lot of youtube videos and compared their recipes of choux and pastry cream to this one. After all that I only had to make one or two slight changes. I did do two choux practice runs but my third one finally came out right! I dod have to trim it to fit my 8x8 pan. The parts I trimmed off tasted awesome. My pastry cream was perfect on the first go and oh man is it thick and smooth and totally delicious! After making the ganache I stuck it in the fridge for like 30 minutes to chill so it wasn’t runny and would be spreadable. It was fantastic! It’s now 3:15am and we are celebrating my mom’s birthday in about 15 hours. I’m so excited to cut into this baby!!!
Darian
February 16, 2022
The cake was delicious and very reminiscent of eclairs. My pate a choux worked out very well (I baked in a heart shape for Valentine's Day). The pastry cream was thick but the taste was perfect and once chilled in the cake it was fine. The only issue I had was with the ganache, a full cup of cream left my ganache VERY liquid. I had to toss it and was out of regular chocolate so went with a white chocolate ganache instead. The white chocolate ganache was very good but took the whole cake a little sideways from the regular eclair flavors. Next time I'll reduce the cream with the chocolate to make the ganache. Side note - the cake was pretty easy to slice, but once served it was kind of hard to cut and eat as the layers would kind of slide and the cream would squish out with any pressure. Messy but still yummy! Second side note - that first round of very liquid chocolate was perfect for dipping the scraps of pate a choux!
Sarah G.
February 19, 2022
I just finished making this cake at…3am for my mom’s bday later tonight. I made my ganache and stuck it in the fridge for like 25-30 minutes taking it out every 5-10 minutes to stir. After about 30 minutes it was perfectly thick but not too thick that I couldn’t beautifully spread it on top. Just needs to be real chilled!
Janet H.
February 15, 2022
I made this for Valentines Day dinner and it was a wow. Only reason for not giving 5 stars is that the choux was tough. Might have been my fault but I've never had it turn out like that using AP flour. I did use bread flour as called for. My alteration was adding grated orange rind and a Tbs. of Grand Marnier to the pastry cream. It was really good!
dana_bate
February 14, 2022
I totally wanted to love this because I'm a huge fan of her Insta, and my kids adore eclairs, so I thought this would be easier than filling and icing a big batch. In the end, however, I'd likely just make eclairs next time because this was kind of a mess. Unlike another commenter, I didn't actually compare this to my other choux and pastry cream recipes, but I should have. The choux definitely puffed and was deeply golden, but collapsed everywhere except the edges as it cooled (when I make eclairs, I always poke a hole to let out steam; perhaps I should have done so here?). I was so worried the pastry cream would be eggy based on earlier reviews, but it was the opposite -- very runny! So was the chocolate ganache. When I cut into it, it was a mess and leaked everywhere. Don't get me wrong -- it tasted good, so my kids didn't complain. But I don't think I'd make this again, sadly. (Still love Carolina, though!)
cosmiccook
February 13, 2022
Heeding the other reviewers I checked these components against several experts. For pastry cream I went w Dorie Greenspan Baking Chez Moi. I made the mistake of sticking w this recipe's choux. Despite my skepticism about not only the TYPE of flour but amount, I went with it. It didn't cook up like all my previous chouxs. Dorie G., Serious Eats and even Gaston Lenotre's all called for less APF flour & eggs--(unless u made Dorie's chouquettes) & more butter. As far as Erin's extra egg comments--is it 5 eggs total w 2 more on the side or 3 w a 5 total?
Surprised no directions to NOT overbeat the choux--which results in the choux not rising.
I looked at other pastry cream recipes and again, off ratios and ingredients. Fortunately, I went w Dorie's chocolate pastry cream as that's what my husband requested-- The concept of the "cake" however appeals to us.
SE Milk
The choice of milk affects a pastry cream's flavor, body, and texture. I tested whole milk (which is the go-to in the majority of pastry cream recipes) against skim milk, half and half, and heavy cream, and found that there's a good reason why whole milk is the most common. It delivers a full body, rich flavor, and an unrivaled smooth and creamy texture.
The other three couldn’t compete: skim milk was lacking in flavor and loose in texture; half and half was too firm, with an off-putting buttery taste; and heavy cream separated during the cooking process (the fat leeched out, turning the mixture into a greasy mess). I recommend sticking with whole milk for optimal results.
Surprised no directions to NOT overbeat the choux--which results in the choux not rising.
I looked at other pastry cream recipes and again, off ratios and ingredients. Fortunately, I went w Dorie's chocolate pastry cream as that's what my husband requested-- The concept of the "cake" however appeals to us.
SE Milk
The choice of milk affects a pastry cream's flavor, body, and texture. I tested whole milk (which is the go-to in the majority of pastry cream recipes) against skim milk, half and half, and heavy cream, and found that there's a good reason why whole milk is the most common. It delivers a full body, rich flavor, and an unrivaled smooth and creamy texture.
The other three couldn’t compete: skim milk was lacking in flavor and loose in texture; half and half was too firm, with an off-putting buttery taste; and heavy cream separated during the cooking process (the fat leeched out, turning the mixture into a greasy mess). I recommend sticking with whole milk for optimal results.
Erin G.
February 13, 2022
This turned out so delicious! That said, I think it was still a pretty intense effort and doesn’t look or hold together very neatly. I question if it’s that much easier/better than individual eclairs at the end of the day, but it was fun to make and eat!
jenjenjen
February 10, 2022
My husband and I are huge eclair fans, so we made this recipe a couple of days after we saw it on Carolina's Instagram.
A couple of things:
The amount of cream in the photo is about double the amount that the recipe actually makes. If you want a thick layer of cream, I'd recommend doubling the recipe.
Second, the chocolate layer was really thick and overpowered the flavor of the cream and choux. I'd recommend just a thin layer of chocolate to help balance out the flavors.
With those adjustments, I think the cake could be quite delicious. Overall, love the idea of the cake!
A couple of things:
The amount of cream in the photo is about double the amount that the recipe actually makes. If you want a thick layer of cream, I'd recommend doubling the recipe.
Second, the chocolate layer was really thick and overpowered the flavor of the cream and choux. I'd recommend just a thin layer of chocolate to help balance out the flavors.
With those adjustments, I think the cake could be quite delicious. Overall, love the idea of the cake!
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