Lemon Berry Eclairs
The perfect little treat to impress friends and family!
For those unfamiliar with this delicious treat, eclairs are a long French pastry filled with either cream or custard and topped with icing. Most of us have probably had a chocolate eclair before, but there are so many other variations of this decadent dessert!
While I’ll always be a fan of chocolate, I decided to branch out a bit and try for something with a lighter, more summery flavor to it. Thus the lemon berry eclairs were born. With lemon cream filling and a lemon glaze topped with berries and powdered sugar, these are one sweet treat you won’t want to miss out on.
If you’re anything like me, the thought of making a pastry from scratch is intimidating. While there is a nuance to preparing the dough, it’s actually not all that complicated once you get started! I’d say the most important part is the timing of when to heat the dough and when to mix in the ingredients.
You’ll start by preheating the oven to 400F. Then, combine butter, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high until the butter starts to boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour, stirring until just combined.
Place the pan back on the burner and continue stirring until the batter pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the batter and place in a clean bowl. Let cool for about 5 minutes or until lukewarm.
Once the dough is cooled, add vanilla and beaten eggs a little at a time, stirring until completely combined each time. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe the eclairs onto prepared pans. For mini eclairs, aim for about 3 inches long by 1 inch wide.
Bake for 20 minutes or until eclairs are puffed up and golden brown. Let cool completely. All that’s left is mixing up the cream and pouring the glaze over top! I love serving these with fresh raspberries, and if I’m feeling extra motivated, I’ll make a raspberry simple syrup to drizzle on top. Go ahead and get the full ingredient list and recipe instructions below!
Lemon Berry Eclairs
Dough:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Lemon Cream:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- Raspberries/blueberries/strawberries for topping
Dough:
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line 2 large pans with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, water, salt, and sugar on medium heat until the butter starts to boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour, stirring until just combined.
- Place the pan back on the burner and continue stirring until the batter pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the batter and place in a clean bowl. Let cool for about 5 minutes or until lukewarm.
- Once cooled, add vanilla and beaten eggs a little at a time, stirring until completely combined each time.
- Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe the eclairs onto prepared pans. For mini eclairs, aim for about 3 inches long by 1 inch wide.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until eclairs are puffed up and golden brown. Let cool completely.
Lemon Cream:
- Fill a small pot or medium saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In a heat-proof bowl, combine lemon juice, whole eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt. Place over the simmering water (water should not touch the bowl), whisking continuously for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- Pour lemon cream into a blender. While it is running, add butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each to completely combine before adding the next. Place cream in a bowl and let cool in the fridge.
- For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Use a small knife to cut openings in your eclairs, leaving a hinge on one side. You can hollow out the eclairs to make room for more filling, or leave them as is.
- Pipe the cream into each eclair. Spread a thin layer of glaze on top of each eclair and top with raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries. Use a sifter to dust powder over the top of the eclairs and serve.
Recipe adapted from Gina Chong Blog