If you’ve been searching everywhere for the perfect treat you can surprise mum with this Mother’s Day then look no further. Our Raspberry and Lemon Meringue Eclairs recipe is pretty much irresistible. Seriously… light airy choux pastry? Check. Zesty lemon? Check. Fruity raspberry? Check. Whipped chantilly cream? Check. Plus, get extra points for piping pretty meringue rosettes on top and torching them for a slight caramelised crunch!
Raspberry and Lemon Meringue Eclairs recipe!
Makes approx… 10 large eclairs
Ingredients and tools needed for the choux pastry…
- 150g plain flour
- 100g salted butter - diced
- 300ml water
- 4 large eggs - lightly beaten (approx. 250g)
- Disposable piping bag
- Large plain round piping tip (we use an Ateco 809)
- Wooden spoon
- Saucepan
- Silpat or silicone lined baking tray
Ingredients and tools needed for the filling…
- Fresh raspberries
- Lemon curd
- 300ml double cream (also known as heavy or whipping cream)
- Vanilla bean paste
- Disposable piping bag
- Plain round nozzle / tip
Ingredients needed for the pink raspberry topping…
- Raspberry essence
- Pink food coloring
- 2-2 1/2 tablespoon water
- 100g sifted icing sugar (also called powdered or confectioner’s sugar)
- Freeze dried raspberry pieces
Ingredients and tools needed for the Italian meringue topping...
- Closed star piping tip (we used an Ateco 855, but the Wilton 2D is also good)
- 225g granulated sugar
- Egg whites from 4 medium eggs (approx. 160g)
- 6 tablespoons water
- Candy thermometer
- Cooks’ blow torch
- Saucepan
Step 01:
Let’s start by making the fluffy choux pastry! Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas mark 6. In a saucepan add your diced salted butter and water and heat until the butter has melted. Once melted turn the heat up so that the ingredients come to a boil.
Step 02:
As soon as the butter and water mix boils add in your plain flour and mix well until a ball of somewhat shiny dough forms. Nothing should stick the sides of your saucepan at this point.
Step 03:
This step takes a bit of energy and strength so keep that in mind. Gradually add in your beaten egg whilst stirring the dough vigorously. Your dough should get slightly stiffer and glossier as you add the eggs!
Step 04:
Lightly spritz your silpat / silicone baking mat(s) with a little water.
Step 05:
Now add the choux pastry mix to a piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip and pipe equal sized lines of dough along your baking trays. For our eclairs we were feeling pretty generous so we made sure to pipe out fat lines of the choux mixture. Generally, your eclairs can double and even triple in size in the oven so keep this in mind!
Step 06:
Now place in your pre-heated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes!
To test if your eclairs are ready you’re going to have to remove one from the oven and slice it open. They tend to weigh or feel a lot heavier than they look. The inside of your eclair should also feature a lovely hollow middle and should feel a little dried out - perfect for fillings!
Step 07:
While you wait for your choux pastry eclairs to cool down you can begin making and prepping your fillings and raspberry glaze.
To make your pink raspberry glaze add 100g of icing sugar to a bowl along with a few drops (remember to taste test) of raspberry essence, pink food colouring and 2 tablespoons of water. Consistency-wise you want it to be a cross between slow runny honey and toothpaste. Too thin and it will be almost translucent and run everywhere. To thick and it won’t spread across the top of your eclairs very well at all.
When ready cover with cling film and set aside.
Step 08:
Making Chantilly cream is ridiculously easy. We added 300ml of double whipping cream to the bowl of a stand-up mixer along with some vanilla bean paste (put in as much or as little as you like, but always remember to taste test) and with the whisk attachment whip until soft peaks form.
If you begin to over whip your cream (it will look clumpy and grainy) you can save it by just adding in around 3 tablespoons of non-whipped double cream (full fat milk will help too if you’ve used up all your cream).
When ready scoop it into a disposable piping bag fitted with a plain round tip and set aside.
Step 09:
Yay! Now your eclairs should be cool and ready to begin filling. Take each eclair and with a small sharp knife cut in half before smothering lemon curd onto the inside of both halves.
Step 10:
Once you’ve added your lemon curd pipe a dollops of Chantilly cream alternating between fresh raspberries onto the bottom half of your eclair! When done gently sandwich together the top and bottom pieces.
Step 11:
Now it’s time to add that cool bright pink raspberry glaze! We wanted a bit of messy / carefree look so we simply spooned ours on top. You can easily spread the glaze around just using the back of a teaspoon or a palette knife. When done add freeze dried raspberry pieces or even fun sprinkles!
Step 12:
For the insanely light and silky Italian meringue add the egg whites from 4 medium sized eggs and whip until stiff peaks form. Whilst these are whipping add the granulated sugar to a saucepan along with the 6 tablespoons of water and turn the heat on to high. Use a candy thermometer to keep a check on the temperature. You want your sugar syrup mixture to reach 118C / 356F. When it does slowly pour it down the inside of your mixing bowl whilst your whipped eggs are on a low speed.
If you’re still waiting for your sugar mixture to heat up and your eggs are all whipped keep those egg whites moving and switch your mixer to a low setting!
Step 13:
Now add your Italian meringue to a disposable piping bag fitted with a closed star piping tip. Pipe little rosettes along top top of each eclair. Start piping from the centre of where you want each individual rose and swirl around to finish on the outside.
Step 14:
For the final finishing touch lightly toast the tops of your italian meringue rosettes with a cooks’ blow torch! Yay!!!
One of the best things about choux pastry is that it is insanely versitile. You can change fillings and toppings for different flavour combos… we love the idea of a Snickers inspired dessert with salted caramel, chopped peanuts and belgian chocolate whipped cream! Plus, there’s no sugar in the bake itself so if you were feeling particularly adventurous you could play with savoury ideas like crème fraîche, sautéed mushrooms, chives, poached eggs and cream cheese!
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