Black Forest Profiterole Wreath
By OcadoLife
Published on 04 October 2022
Looking for a stunning centerpiece to serve as a Christmas day dessert? Profiteroles might look like they’re only for pastry chefs, but they’re easier to make than you might think. We’ve added a filling of cream, kirch and black cherry jam to give these pastry balls a black forest twist, then topped with white chocolate, glace cherries and glitter for extra fuss-free wow factor. Recipe from food writer and private chef Sonali Shah.Time and servings
1 hr 30 minsTotal time
8Servings
45 minsPrep time
45 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 85 g of unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes (for the choux pastry)
- 100 g of plain flour, sifted (for the choux pastry)
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature (for the choux pastry)
- 300 ml of double cream, for the cherry filling
- 4 tbsp of black cherry jam, for the cherry filling
- 1 tsp of kirsch, for the cherry filling (optional)
- 150 g of white chocolate, broken into small pieces (for the white chocolate topping)
- 1 tbsp of unsalted butter, for the white chocolate topping
- 50 g of dark chocolate, fridge cold (to decorate)
- 100 g of glacé cherries, roughly chopped (to decorate)
- 5 g of edible glitter (we used rainbow dust gold edible glitter), to decorate
Method
Step 1
To make the pastry, add the butter to a saucepan with 220ml water and warm over a low heat until the butter has melted, stirring regularly. Increase the heat to high and, as soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and quickly pour in the plain flour along with a pinch of salt. Beat vigorously with a spatula until the mixture comes together and no lumps remain. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature for 20-30 mins. This mixture is known as the panade.Step 2
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl with a fork. Once the panade has cooled, add a third of the egg and beat well with a spatula. Keep adding a little egg until the mixture is smooth and shiny, and reaches a dropping consistency (it should take 5-6 secs for the mixture to fall off the spatula). You might not need all of the egg.Step 3
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Using a teaspoon, dollop heaped teaspoonfuls of choux onto the trays, leaving about 4cm between them; the mixture should make about 30 profiteroles. Lightly press any peaks with a wet finger to flatten. Put the trays into the oven for 25 mins, or until they’re puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and use a skewer to make a hole in the bottom of each; then cool fully on a wire rack.Step 4
Meanwhile, use an electric whisk to whip the cream with the jam and kirsch, if using, to soft peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and set aside. Put the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and let it melt, then turn off the heat.Step 5
When the profiteroles are cool, pipe the cherry cream into the skewer holes. Dip the top of each one into the chocolate; arrange in a wreath shape on a large platter.Step 6
Use a sharp knife to finely chop the dark chocolate, or use the edge of the knife to ‘grate’ it into flakes. Scatter the chocolate and the cherries over the wreath, then finish with a sprinkling of edible glitter. Set aside for 5-10 mins to let the white chocolate set.