Embrace patisserie this National Chocolate Eclair Day and whip up your own choux pastry delights

Elegant and rich yet light and airy, there’s something unique about the chocolate eclair. And with National Chocolate Eclair Day coming up on the 22nd of June, we thought it would be a nice opportunity to give these sumptuous chocolate pastry treats a Hotel Chocolat twist. It might technically be a US holiday, but French eclairs are a worldwide favourite.

Read on to see how you can incorporate our Slabs and Batons into your baking this Chocolate Eclair Day.

What makes a chocolate eclair so irresistible?

It’s no secret that we adore patisserie treats here at Hotel Chocolat. We love the French culinary tradition so much that we’ve created an entire range of Patisserie chocolates. From our take on the Macaron to our sophisticated Mousse au Chocolat, we’ve taken classic dessert recipes and created bitesize delights.

And while we haven’t adapted the chocolate eclair — yet, at least — we admire its delicate balance of textures and flavours. This classic French pastry features a shell of golden, crisp choux pastry, hiding a luxurious filling of cream or vanilla custard. The crowning glory? A generous glaze of glossy chocolate.

Together, these ingredients create a dessert (or anytime treat) that is satisfying and rich without being too heavy. It’s ideal to enjoy with a coffee or to nibble on after dinner.

A flash of inspiration

Did you know that chocolate eclairs were initially known as “pain à la Duchesse”? Although its origin is somewhat vague, food historians believe that French chef, Marie-Antonine Careme, adapted the pain à la Duchess recipe (which contained almonds) to feature a filling of cream or apricot jam sometime in the early 1800s. The original name conjures up visions of sophisticated French dancefloors, filled with dukes and duchesses enjoying exquisite patisserie appetisers.

Funnily enough, the term “eclair” comes from the French for “flash of lighting” but nobody really knows how this relates to the chocolate pastry dish.

What is the most popular chocolate eclair flavour?

While a traditional chocolate eclair offers elegant simplicity — usually boasting a layer of milk or dark chocolate glaze to offer contrast to the light pastry and sweet cream filling — there’s plenty of flavour variety available.

The beauty of making your own chocolate eclairs means you can adapt the fillings and glaze to suit your taste and preferences. Popular adaptations include salted caramel, for those who adore buttery sweetness with a salted twist, and the addition of fresh fruit. Strawberries and raspberries can bring a vibrant and refreshing contrast to the cream filling and chocolate glaze. 

Chocolate eclair recipes to try at home

If you fancy trying your hand at baking this National Chocolate Eclair Day, there are plenty of recipes available. The choux pastry can seem intimidating at first but with a bit of practice, you’ll get the hang of it. By choosing high-quality chocolate with a high cacao content for your pastry glaze, you can get glossy results packed with nuanced flavour notes.

Getting the basics: choux pastry

Before looking at chocolate eclair recipes, it’s good to have an understanding of choux pastry. Though delicate, choux is a versatile pastry that serves as the foundation for many desserts other than eclairs.

Its unique characteristic lies in its ability to puff up during baking, resulting in a light and airy texture. To make choux pastry, you need to cook a mixture of butter, water, flour, and eggs. This combination forms a smooth, elastic dough you can shape and bake into various forms.

Unlike many other types of dough, choux pastry involves heating the water and butter, bringing it to the boil. After reducing the heat, you need to add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Leave the mixture to cool slightly before adding beaten eggs, stirring well after each addition, until the dough becomes smooth, glossy, and pipeable.

For ingredient proportions, take a look at this choux pastry recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes. Then, why not try one of the following recipes to get practising for Chocolate Eclair Day?

Classic eclair recipe

This BBC Good Food recipe for homemade eclairs gives you the perfect base for a classic patisserie dessert. It features a vanilla custard filling and presents a base for you to add any topping you like.

We suggest creating a simple yet decadent chocolate ganache. For depth of flavour, why not use our 70% Dark Chocolate Batons to make your ganache? 

Alternatively, for a more mellow flavour profile, try our signature 40% Milk Chocolate.

White chocolate and raspberry chocolate eclairs

If you’re looking for something a little different, we think this white chocolate and raspberry chocolate eclair recipe from Sainsbury’s is a winner. Light and airy with a hint of fruit tartness, they make a great addition to afternoon tea or a summer picnic.

Rather than opting for a ganache, this recipe keeps the topping simple with a layer of melted white chocolate. We suggest sticking with a white chocolate that has a high percentage of cacao butter to get a creamy melt. Our White Chocolate Batons boast 36% cacao butter for an astonishing smoothness.

Take a look at our guide to melting chocolate for tips on getting a glossy sheen.

Vegan chocolate eclairs

Chocolate eclairs typically feature a lot of dairy and eggs. But did you know you can make a vegan version with a few smart ingredient substitutions? This vegan chocolate eclair recipe from Little Lighthouse Baking Co. uses an egg replacement powder along with vegan butter, flour, soy milk, vanilla, sugar, and water. You might just be surprised at how light and fluffy you can get your choux pastry without dairy and eggs.

To add the final flourish, you can make a ganache, using vegan chocolate and a milk or cream substitute. For a fantastic balance of flavours, we think our Unbelievably Vegan* 45% Nutmilk Batons bring delicate mellow notes and deeper cacao flavours. However, if you prefer a bolder flavour profile, try our 85% Dark Chocolate Slab.

*Please note: we believe our Nutmilk and dark chocolates are vegan. However, as it is prepared in the same environment as our milk chocolate, we cannot guarantee it is free from milk.

Celebrate National Chocolate Eclair Day with Hotel Chocolat

Choux pastry can be a daunting recipe but it yields delightful results. Give it a go this National Chocolate Eclair Day and elevate your chocolate pastry with cacao-rich ingredients from Hotel Chocolate. Explore our full range of cooking chocolate.