Easy Profiteroles

Although I have spent most of the last 20 years cooking, there are some things that have always been in my too hard basket and I have gently side stepped around making them.
Sponge cakes are one and profiteroles another – there will be plenty more but these are the two that first spring to mind.
Known for their trickiness and ability to be temperamental I have left them to those who know better.

Therefore it was with some trepidation that I took on a job to create a profiterole tower for a client that not only tasted good but also looked fabulous!

What to do….

After an inordinate amount of googling I then happened to  mention my issue to Laurel Watson of Petal Cupcake fame, and as luck would happen I asked just the right person!

Laurel has a wonderful  easy recipe for profiteroles that I think are foolproof – my first batch came out looking like something from a cake shop and they just keep getting better.

Melting butter in water is the first step and then once the flour is dumped into the  butter mixture it is just a matter of mixing (and mixing) over a low heat until a film of floury mixture appears across the bottom of the pan and the mixture starts to come together into a ball.  The mixture is then left to cool.
Then comes the even easier part – the mixture is placed in a food processor (it does need to be a decent sized bowl and a food processor with a decent amount of energy) and with the motor running eggs are dropped in, one at a time and spaced out so that the last egg is well incorporated before the next one goes in.

Once the mixture is made the rest is a doddle – simply spoon rounded circles onto a tray lined with a little baking paper and flicked with cold water (this creates steam during cooking), and then baked.
Once they come out of the oven, Sally Cameron suggests making a small slit with a sharp knife and returning them to the oven for a few minutes to ensure they are completely dried out.
They should feel light for their size.

I have now made literally hundreds and wonder what on earth I was ever afraid of.

Here is the recipe for completely easy profiteroles that anyone can make.

I find that choux pastry is best on the day of making but Sally insists that they can be frozen.

And my profiterole tower – gorgeous!