Eclair Cake (Ekpa Pasta) is a delicious cake made of crispy choux pastries filled with velvety diplomat cream and then topped with chocolate ganache. This delicious cake is a combination of giant choux pastry and diplomat cream with some bananas, and strawberries. It is basically a big profiterole with some fruits inside, very similar to Karpatka but the pastry cream is much lighter and softer.
If you are bored of sponge-based cakes and looking for something more extraordinary, our Eclair Cake recipe is perfect for you. This recipe has become a family favorite for birthday celebrations or special occasions since my daughter Ayça made it for my birthday a few years ago.
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How to Make Eclair Cake (Ekpa Pasta)?
I’m not gonna lie, this cake takes a bit of time and preparation. And it is not the easiest recipe here in this blog. Therefore, make sure you are diligent with the measurement and follow the steps exactly. To achieve the best results, you need to follow few simple steps:
- Start with preparing the Choux pastry – Preparing the choux pastries are very easy and only takes 10 minutes! Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan oven). Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and add water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, then add the flour, salt and sugar all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough turned into a ball. Gently cook the dough ball for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes before adding the eggs. When the dough has cooled down, add the eggs bit by bit, mixing well after each time until the eggs are totally incorporated. You can do that stage with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. Stop adding the eggs when you reach the right texture which is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. You might end up with some left eggs which you can use to eggwash the pastries. Transfer the dough into a piping bag with a large round nozzle attachment. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Using a pen, draw a circle size of 25cm Ø on each tray. Pipe one 25cm Ø circle and two 5 cm mounds on each tray. You should have 2 flat large and 4 small choux pastries in total. Cook for 20 mins in 200°C preheated fan oven until golden brown then lower the heat to 150°C. Cook for another 10 minutes then remove the small balls from the oven. Continue cooking the larger circles for another 15 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and let the pastries cool down while preparing the diplomat cream.
- Make the diplomat cream – Start making the diplomat cream while the choux pastries are cooling down. The recipe for the diplomat cream is very similar to the one that I use for my delicious French Strawberry Tart and Strawberry Mille Feuille. Place the milk, salt and vanilla paste in a medium-size saucepan and bring to simmer gently on low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Add the cornstarch along with the flour and whisk until combined. Pour about half of the simmering milk over the sugar and egg mixture, whisk well, then transfer it all back onto the saucepan. Keep whisking until it boils, add the butter and vanilla extract if you are using that, then whisk for another 30 seconds before removing from the heat. Transfer the pastry cream into a clean bowl or tray, cover with cling film touching the surface and place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours. Once the pastry cream has cooled down, start whipping the cold double cream or whipping cream until you reach stiff peaks. Whisk the pastry cream to loosen it in a large bowl. Gently fold the whipped cream in 3 or 4 times. Transfer into a piping bag with a large round nozzle.
- Prepare the chocolate ganache- I prefer using dark chocolate (at least 50% cacao) for this cake but you can customize it to your taste and make it with milk or white chocolate. Chop the chocolate into small pieces using a serrated knife and place in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer making sure it’s not boiling. Pour over the chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. The finer is the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. Start assembling the cake before the chocolate starts to set.
- Assemble the cake – One of the kitchen tools you might find useful to assemble this cake is,Spingform Cake Tin It is designed to make releasing a cake from a pan easier. It has a mechanism that loosens the walls of the cake tin, allowing you to easily unmould the cake. They’re ideal for cakes like Eclair Cake (Ekpa Pasta), as well as cheesecakes. Place one layer of large choux pastry into the springform cake tin and pipe ½ of the diplomat cream on top, spread it and even out the surface with a spatula or a butter knife. Place the bananas and strawberries on top of the diplomat cream. Split open the 4 small choux pastries, dip in the chocolate ganache then place them on top of the fruits.
Continue this step until you create a layer of chocolate-dipped choux pastries.
On top of the small choux pastries, pour in the ⅔ of the chocolate ganache.
Pipe the other ½ of the diplomat cream on top spread it and even out the surface with a spatula or a butter knife.
Place the second large choux pastry on top of the diplomat cream and pour the rest ⅓ of the chocolate ganache on top.
Refrigerate overnight until it sets then remove the ring carefully before serving.
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Cakelair (Ekpa Pasta) as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Eclair Cake (Ekpa Pasta)
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 250 ml water
- 150 g strong flour
- 5 g sugar
- 5 g salt
- 250 g eggs (4-6 eggs)
Diplomat Cream
- 675 ml full fat milk (whole milk) (3 cups)
- 150 g caster sugar (¾ cup)
- ¼ TSP salt
- 1 TSP vanilla bean paste or extract
- 30 g corn starch (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 4 (medium) egg yolks
- 60 g butter (4 tbsp)
- 480 ml double cream or whipping cream (2 cups)
Chocolate Ganache
- 200 g dark chocolate (%50 cacao)
- 200 ml double cream, whipping cream or heavy cream
- 1 large banana (sliced) (for garnish)
- 400 g strawberries (tips removed and cut un halves) (for garnish)
Instructions
Making the Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan oven.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and add water.
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat then add the flour, salt and the sugar all at once.
- Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough turned into a ball.
- Gently cook the dough ball for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes before adding the eggs.
- When the dough has cooled down, add the eggs bit by bit, mixing well after each time until the eggs are totally incorporated. You can do that stage with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. Stop adding the eggs when you reach the right texture which is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. You might end up with some left eggs which you can use to eggwash the pastries.
- Transfer the dough into a piping bag with a large round nozzle attachment.
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Using a pen, draw a circle size of 25cm Ø on each tray.
- Pipe one 25cm Ø circle and two 5 cm mounds on each tray. You should have 2 flat large and 4 small choux pastries in total.
- Cook for 20 mins in 200 °C preheated fan oven until golden brown then lower the heat to 150°C.
- Cook for another 10 minutes then remove the small balls from the oven. Continue cooking the larger circles for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the trays from the oven and let the pastries cool down while preparing the diplomat cream.
Making the Diplomat Cream
- Place the milk, salt and vanilla paste in a medium-size saucepan and bring to simmer gently on low heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Add the cornstarch along with the flour and whisk until combined.
- Pour about half of the simmering milk over the sugar and egg mixture, whisk well, then transfer it all back onto the saucepan.
- Keep whisking until it boils, add the butter and vanilla extract if you are using that, then whisk for another 30 seconds before removing from the heat.
- Transfer the pastry cream into a clean bowl or tray, cover with cling film touching the surface and place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
- Once the pastry cream has cooled down, start whipping the cold double cream or whipping cream until you reach stiff peaks.
- Whisk the pastry cream to loosen it in a large bowl, then gently fold the whipped cream in 3 or 4 times. Transfer into a piping bag with a large round nozzle.
Making the Chocolate Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces using a serrated knife and place in a medium heat-proof bowl.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer making sure it's not rapid boiling.
- Pour over the chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.
- Stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. The finer is the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream.
- Start assembling the cake before the chocolate starts to set.
Assembling the Cakelair (Ekpa)
- Place one layer of large choux pastry into 25 cm Ø springform cake tin and pipe ½ of the diplomat cream on top spread it and even out the surface with a spatula or a butter knife.
- Place the bananas and strawberries on top of the diplomat cream.
- Split open the 4 small choux pastries, dip in the chocolate ganache then place them on top of the fruits.
- Continue this step until you create a layer of chocolate-dipped choux pastries.
- On top of the small choux pastries, pour in the ⅔ of the chocolate ganache.
- Pipe the other ½ of the diplomat cream on top spread it and even out the surface with a spatula or a butter knife.
- Place the second large choux pastry on top of the diplomat cream and pour the rest ⅓ of the chocolate ganache on top.
- Refrigerate overnight until it sets then remove the ring carefully before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Beautiful