During the Holidays we’re busy enough as it is, yet we wish to serve our loved ones with the most delicious foods and treats. This Cream Puff (profiterole) Cake looks spectacular but is actually not that difficult to make. It’s just a matter of baking a cake, glazing it and arranging the cream puffs on top. You can use store-bought cream puffs if you prefer, you can even buy the frozen kind. Just dip them in the chocolate glaze and decorate them artfully on the cake.
Ingredients:
– ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
– 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
– 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– ½ teaspoon coarse salt
– 3 large eggs, room temperature
– 1 cup sugar
– ½ cup whole milk
– 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
– 1 ½ cups thick fruit jam
Chocolate Glaze:
– 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
– 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (or Golden Syrup)
– ½ cup heavy cream
– 20 to 30 Chocolate-Glazed Cream Puffs (optional)
Instructions:
Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high until pale and fluffy, 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring milk and butter to a simmer over medium. With mixer on medium, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat just until combined. With mixer on low, add milk mixture in a steady stream and beat until combined. Fold in vanilla.
Pour batter into pan. Bake until top is light golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; turn cake out onto rack to cool completely (top side up), 30 minutes.
With a serrated knife, trim top of cake to make it level, then split cake in half horizontally. Place bottom layer on a cake plate or serving platter and spread jam evenly on top with an offset spatula. Top with second layer.
Make glaze: Place chocolate and corn syrup in a heatproof medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and let sit 2 minutes. Stir until mixture is smooth. Pour glaze on cake and spread with offset spatula so it drips down sides. Refrigerate until glaze is set, 45 minutes (or up to 2 hours). To serve, arrange cream puffs (if using) on top of cake.
Daniëlle Todd has been featured in cook books, magazines and food websites and is author of ParisLovesPastry.com
