A Fresh Twist on Chocolate Éclairs

When one thinks of French pastry, it’s impossible to think of éclairs. These log-shaped pastries filled with rich custard and topped with a decadent chocolate ganache have been around since the nineteenth century. Most of us know what an éclair looks and tastes like but it shrouded in mystery. First, no one knows for sure how these sweet pastries came about. However, historians speculate that a French pastry chef by the name of Marie-Antoine Carême first concocted éclairs.

Éclair is the French word for lightning.  Again, the mystery builds on as no one can tell for sure why a log shaped pastry covered with rich, dark chocolate ganache will be named after something light and bright. Some believe that this treat is named lightning because it possesses a flashy glisten when coated with a glaze or ganache. Who knows?

 dark chocolate bar eclairsWhat we do know for sure is that the traditional éclair has three components: the pâte à choux, the crème pâtissière, and the chocolate ganache.

The pâte à choux  refers to the soft pastry dough that is the éclair’s body. It is baked until the outside is crisp and the inside is hollow: a perfect vessel for the crème pâtissière or vanilla pastry cream. Usually, the pastry cream is piped to the hollow inside of the éclair, but for convenience sake, some split the pastry in half and fills the éclair that way. And of course, this decadent dessert will not be as rich without the shiny chocolate ganache on top.


Much like any classic dessert, the éclair has come a long way from just being filled with vanilla pastry cream and coated with the chocolate ganache. Bakers from all over have put a twist on this classic. From matcha-flavored to Bourbon Vanilla with Wild Strawberries, these sweet and airy pastries can handle flavors of all kinds (very much like chocolate itself!).

The key to making an excellent éclair is mastering the pâte à choux. It is more than just a regular pastry and needs a little more love and attention than the average. The recipe for pâte à choux changes slightly depending on what it will be used in a savory or a sweet dish.