Panda cream puff recipe by Sweet Essence

 Pandas cream puff  recipe by Sweet Essence

(makes around 12 puffs)

For the Choux: 

• Milk- 70 g
• Water- 70 g
• Unsalted butter- 60 g
• Salt - a pinch
• Caster sugar- 3g
• Cake flour -85 g
• 2-3 Large eggs (room temperature) 

You would need:

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c and prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour. Then combine the milk, water, unsalted butter, salt and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat.
3. When the mixture bubbles, add in the sifted flour at once and stir quickly with a wooden spatula until it forms into a lump of dough. Mix for a further 1-2 minutes until a thin film forms at the bottom of the pan.
4. Place the dough into a mixing bowl and leave to cool slightly. While the dough is cooling, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl. 
5. When the dough is slightly warm, gradually add the beaten egg little by little, mixing using a wooden spatula with each addition, until the batter is smooth and glossy. When a spoonful of batter is lifted, the batter left on the spoon should form a triangle shape as it drops back into the bowl after 3-4 seconds. If not, add more beaten egg until it reaches this consistency. 
6. Place the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 7cm rounds onto the baking tray, leaving about 5 cm between each one as they will expand in the oven. Dip a finger in cold water and smooth any irregularities on the surface of the batter. This will ensure the choux will have a uniform shape once baked. Brush each round with leftover beaten egg and sprinkle with diced almonds if desired.  
7. Place the choux in the oven, turn down the heat to 190°c and bake for 25 minutes. Then turn down the heat again to 170°c and bake for a further 20 minutes until golden brown. Be sure not to open the oven door when they are baking so they don’t shrink! 
8. Once they are done, leave them on a cooling rack to cool. 

For the Creme Patissiere 

• Milk- 400ml
• Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
• Egg yolks- 4
• Caster sugar- 80g
• Cake flour- 2 tbsp
• Cornstarch- 2 tbsp
• Whipping cream- 100ml 

1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with a whisk until white and fluffy. Sift in the cake flour and cornstarch and stir until combined. Meanwhile, bring a pot of milk to a boil over low heat and add the vanilla essence. 
2. While stirring, slowly add the  ⅓ of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Strain the mixture and transfer back into the pot of milk. On low heat, whisk the mixture until it begins to thicken. 
3. Place the mixture into a container, cover the surface with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge. 
4. When the creme patissiere has cooled, Whip the cream and sugar together until soft peaks form. 
5. Fold the whipped cream into the creme patissiere and transfer into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. 

Panda cream puff tutorial by Tasty

For the Decoration: 

• Whipping cream- 200ml
• Caster Sugar- 2 tbsp
• Powdered Sugar (as desired)
• Dark chocolate melts (as needed) 

1.  Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water and transfer to a piping bag. 
2. On a tray lined with baking paper, pipe the panda eyes, ears and snout for each cream puff. Use a toothpick to correct any mistakes and place in the freezer until set. 
3. Beat the whipping cream and caster sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form. 
4. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. 

To assemble:

1. Slice the tops of the choux off lengthways (save the tops!). Fill the shell with creme patissiere and then pipe a round of whipped cream on top that resembles the panda head. 
2. Using a toothpick, place the chocolate face parts and ears carefully onto the cream and replace the choux tops onto the pandas. 
3. Dust with icing sugar (carefully not to cover the faces) and enjoy!
   
   

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