Sweet, elegant and easier than you think, these heart-shaped strawberry cream puffs are the perfect treat for Valentines Day. The soft, creamy filling and sweet icing are loaded with strawberry flavour.
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.
Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in saucepan and heat over medium until it starts to boil.
Add the flour and beat until combined. Cook, beating and moving constantly, for a further 2 minutes or until you see a shiny film on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Beat 3 eggs lightly. Add about ⅓ of the eggs to the dough and beat with a wooden spoon until fully combined (or you can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment). Repeat with the remaining eggs half at a time until each is fully incorporated.
If it’s not smooth and glossy, lightly beat a 4th egg. Add it a little at a time until your dough is smooth and a little glossy. You may not need the whole last egg so don't add more than you need.
Prepare a piping bag with a 1cm open tip then fill it with the dough.
Pipe small hearts (roughly 2 inches wide), by piping one diagonal line of dough then another that meets it at the point of the heart shape (see post for step by step to piping hearts.
Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden (don't open the oven before this point). Turn the trays and cook another 10 -15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the trays from the oven and use a knife to carefully cut a small hole in the base of each puff.
Turn the oven off and place the puffs back in with the door wedged open to rest for half an hour.
Take them out and let them cool to room temperature before filling and topping.
FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING
Puree the strawberries in a blender, then push them through a strainer to remove seeds and any larger pieces of pulp. You should have about ½ cup of puree.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric handheld beater, whisk together the mascarpone, whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar to soft peaks.
Beat in ¼ cup of strawberry puree, vanilla and freeze-dried strawberry powder if using, until just mixed through - careful not to overbeat. Chill until required.
Mix the remaining ¼ cup of strawberry puree with the remaining icing sugar until you have a smooth icing.
TO ASSEMBLE
Transfer the mascarpone mixture to a piping bag with a small hole piping tip. Pipe the cream into the base of each cream puff.
Dip the tops in the strawberry icing, then turn them right side up on a wire rack to set. They'll take about an hour to dry.
Notes
Freeze-dried strawberry powder will give a much stronger strawberry flavour. You can leave it out and the strawberry flavour will be more subtle.
Strawberry puree and the cream filling can both be prepared the day before. Icing should be made as you're ready to use it.
Cream puffs are best served fresh (on the day they're made), so don't fill and top until the day you're serving.
The unfilled cream puffs will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days but they will soften over time. They'll still be fine to eat or you can re-crisp them in a moderate oven for 10 minutes.
Calories: 106kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American, French
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.