valentine’s day

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and we can’t wait too! Full of sweet little treats, lots of pink and more heart shaped sprinkles than anyone could count it’s such a cute holiday! This year we are kicking off the love-filled season with these Cherry and Rose Bellini Eclairs. Pretty choux pastry desserts filled with rose extract infused cherry preserve and whipped prosecco swiss meringue buttercream… then topped with cherry flavoured fondant, fresh cherries, sprinkles and elegant roses!

Ingredients and tools needed… (makes approx. 10 eclairs)

For the eclairs

• 165g plain flour
• 300ml water (room temperature)
• 100g diced butter
• 4 beaten eggs

To fill, bake and decorate

• Pink fondant
• Cherry extract
• Our prosecco SMBC recipe here
• Fresh cherries
• Organic roses
• Heart shaped sprinkles
• Ateco eclair fondant cutter
• Melted white chocolate
• Cocktail sticks
• Rose water
• Light corn syrup
• Double cream
• Food safe paint brush
• Bismark piping tip
• Disposable piping bags
• Scissors
• Small rolling pin
• Cherry preserve
• Silpat mat
• Cookie tray

Cherry and Rose Bellini Eclairs recipe!

Step 01:

Firstly. pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas mark 6. After that add your butter to a saucepan with the water on medium to high heat on your stove top. When the two ingredients melt together bring them to the boil! Don’t worry… this shouldn’t take too long. For us it takes around 5-7 minutes.

Step 02:

Next remove the pan from the heat and also add in your flour. Quickly start to stir. The mix will thicken at this stage (try not to stir too much as this will over mix the dough).

Step 03:

Once your flour has been incorporated it’s time to add in your beaten eggs a little at a time (make sure to add the egg on top of the dough and not right onto the pan’s surface… the heat will instead start cooking up scrambled eggs). We’d recommend pouring in whatever you estimate to be an egg’s worth then stir vigorously (this part takes some arm muscle). Repeat this until all your eggs have been added.

Tip: This part is, however, a lot easier with someone to kindly help you. Whilst you mix everything together have your helper add in the egg.

Step 04:

When your choux dough is ready it should be thick and look a little glossy! Next you’ll need to scoop it into a disposable piping bag. You can use a large round piping tip or go rogue and just snip the bag when you’re ready to pipe!

Step 05:

Spritz your silpat lined cookie tray with water. You don’t need a lot so make sure you don’t drench it!

Step 06:

Now you can pipe out your eclairs. Snip your disposable piping and pipe thick lines of your dough along your tray. You’ll need the scissors to cut the dough off. It’s got a lot of elasticity in it’s texture so it won’t snap or break off easy. Place in your oven and bake for 30 mins. When the 30 mins are up turn the tray around and bake for a further 10 minutes. When baked leave to cool before filling and decorating.

To fill

Step 08:

Take your cherry preserve and then add a few drop of rose water to it. Most importantly, make sure you taste test so can get the exact flavour you like. You may need a few drops more depending how strong you’d like the rose flavour to be. Make sure the mix doesn’t end up runny though. Add your rose water infused cherry jam to a piping bag fitted with a bismarck tip. At two points along the flat base of your eclair pipe a little of the preserve in. Don’t pipe too much!

Step 07:

If you’ve already whipped up our prosecco swiss meringue buttercream (or SMBC) then bag it up in a disposable piping bag with your bismarck tip at the end. Now pipe the SMBC into your eclair at 3 alternating spaces between where you piped in your preserve. You can, however, use whipped cream to fill.

To decorate

Step 08:

To decorate we added some cherry extract to pink fondant and mixed it in, however, you can leave this plain if you like. We love the added cherry flavour though! When ready roll out your fondant and cut oblong shapes using for fondant eclair cutter.

Step 09:

Add a little light corn syrup onto your filled eclairs and gently lay your pink cherry fondant on top!

Step 10:

Finally, you can add your roses, cherries and sprinkles! Why not use melted chocolate to attach (use a cocktail stick to apply the chocolate) each piece on top of your fondant covered eclair. We opted for light pink roses in the middle surrounded with fresh morello cherries and sweet white heart sprinkles!

Now enjoy! Aren’t these fun and boozy inspired eclairs perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner? Whip these up for your crush, your best friends or just for yourself (seriously, we won’t judge). They’ll be such a treat paired with some rose gold prosecco (our favourite is by Bottega)!