Espresso Pastry Cream Recipes

ECLAIRS WITH PASTRY CREAM AND MAPLE-ESPRESSO GLAZE

Steps:

• Prepare the Pate a Choux. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl for an egg wash. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. With a ruler and a pencil, mark lines about 3 1/2 inches long on the parchment, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Turn parchment over, marked sides down. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip with Pate a Choux; pipe along the lines on the prepared baking sheets. Gently smooth tops with a moistened fingertip to ensure even rising. Brush the top of each eclair with egg wash.
• Bake until pastries are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pastries and parchment to wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the pastry cream: Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean. In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, vanilla bean and seeds, and 1/2 cup sugar. Scald the mixture and immediately remove from heat.
• Beat egg yolks with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until thick. Sprinkle in flour and cornstarch and continue beating until mixed.
• Beat half of the hot milk into yolk mixture. Return this to the remaining hot milk and bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl to cool. Stir in butter. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely. Immediately before using, gently fold in softly whipped cream with a spatula.
• To fill the pastries, insert a wooden skewer into both ends of each shell. (You can also use a small pastry tip, such as the one you will use for filling, to create the holes.)
• Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain tip, preferably one that is long and skinny. Insert the tip into the end of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream (filling the shell with pastry cream from both ends will insure a properly filled eclair).
• Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk to combine heavy cream, espresso powder, and maple syrup. Add confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth, thinning with additional heavy cream if necessary.
• Dip the top of each eclair into the maple espresso glaze; let excess drip off, and place, coated side up, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate eclairs in a single layer until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, and serve.

ZUCCOTTO: A CREAMY ITALIAN DESSERT CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 2 1/2 quart bowl with plastic wrap. Have it much larger than you need to cover the top later.
• Cut the sponge cake in half. I love this inexpensive tool.
• Place one slice in the bottom of the bowl. If you're using a loaf cake, cut slices and then triangles and fill the bowl like a jigsaw puzzle to cover every spot, so that the entire bowl is covered.
• Slice a few pieces of the other half of the cake into strips.
• Use the strips to line around the cake in the bowl. This only takes a few minutes, and its very easy!
• Sprinkle the cake with your choice of liqueur. I used Kahlua this time.
• In a medium sized pot (off the heat), stir the egg yolks and sugar together briskly with a wooden spoon.
• Add the flour a little at a time and incorporate into the mixture.
• Heat the milk to boiling and add the vanilla. Begin adding the hot milk to the mixture a little at a time, mixing well in between additions. Do not add too much at once or the eggs may curdle.
• Continue adding the hot milk and stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
• Once all the milk has been added, put the pot onto medium heat and continue to stir.
• When the mixture comes to a boil, let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes then remove from the heat. Keep stirring as it cools so that it doesn't form a skin.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave, or in a bowl over some hot water.
• Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, beat 10 oz (300 ml) heavy whipping cream with the instant coffee powder until stiff peaks form; set aside.
• To the cooled pastry cream, add 1 Tbsp of Grand Marnier, the 2 oz (57 g) of grated chocolate and the whipped coffee cream. Fold mixture until completely combined.
• Spread 2/3 of the mixture into the cake-lined bowl almost reaching the top, but not completely. Leave a hollow in the middle and don't worry if it doesn't look perfect, it will be fine in the end.
• Add the melted chocolate to the remaining cream.
• Mix well until the color is uniform, then fill the center of the zuccotto.
• Take pieces of the remaining cake and close up the bottom of the zuccotto.
• Sprinkle with more of your chosen liqueur, then seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but I like to leave it overnight.
• Beat the remaining 8 oz of heavy whipping cream, with the other 2 teaspoons of coffee powder and 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar until stiff peaks form.
• When ready to decorate, remove top plastic wrap and place a FLAT (must be completely flat!) plate or cake stand on top of the zuccotto and invert. Remove the bowl.
• Ta dah! This is my favorite part! Have cracks? Doesn't matter, it's still going to turn out perfectly.
• Spread the coffee-flavored whipped cream all over the zuccotto.
• Make swirls or peaks in the cream, whichever way you like, but it doesn't have to be fancy. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, curls or more grated chocolate.
• It's best to refrigerate the cake for an hour or so. However, you can serve it immediately if you need to.

ESPRESSO PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Whisk in espresso powder.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/2 cup hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Pour mixture back into saucepan, whisking constantly, and cook over medium heat, whisking, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; add butter and stir until melted. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Just before using, whisk pastry cream until smooth. Whisk cream until soft peaks form; fold into pastry cream.

ESPRESSO PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat and discard bean.
• Using electric mixer, beat yolks and both sugars in large bowl until very thick, about 3 minutes. Add cornstarch; blend well. Gradually whisk half of hot milk into egg mixture. Add mixture to pan; whisk over medium heat until thickened and boiling, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in espresso mixture. Transfer to medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream; chill until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.) Whisk pastry cream until smooth before using.

ESPRESSO-BANANA NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining sheets with plastic wrap and damp towel). Brush phyllo sheet with butter. Sift 2 teaspoons powdered sugar over. Top with second phyllo sheet. Brush with butter; sift 2 teaspoons powdered sugar over. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter and 2 teaspoons powdered sugar. Cut phyllo stack into eighteen 3-inch squares.
• Transfer half of phyllo squares to prepared baking sheet. Cover remaining phyllo squares with plastic.
• Cover phyllo squares on baking sheet with large parchment sheet, then top with another baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 14 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool. Repeat with remaining phyllo squares. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• For each napoleon, place 1 phyllo square in center of plate. Spread 1 tablespoon pastry cream over. Arrange 3 banana slices over cream. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons walnuts over. Spread 1 tablespoon pastry cream atop second phyllo square. Place phyllo square, cream side down, atop bananas, offsetting corners of phyllo squares. Repeat with second layer of pastry cream, bananas and nuts. Spread 1 tablespoon pastry cream atop third phyllo square. Place phyllo square, cream side down, atop bananas, offsetting corners of phyllo squares. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Sift powdered sugar over and serve napoleons immediately.

NUTELLA TIRAMISU CAKES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• For the Cakes:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and place six cupcake liners into a cupcake pan. Set aside.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, milk and vanilla extract together and set aside.
• Place the Nutella hazelnut spread and sugar into the bowl of a high speed electric mixer. Whip together until smooth with the whisk attachment.
• Set the speed on low and slowly pour in the egg mixture, continue to mix, scraping the sides as needed.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and continue mixing until combined, scraping the sides as needed.
• Transfer the batter into the lined cupcake pan and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before assembling.
• For the Filling:
• Place Nutella into a pastry bag.
• Whip the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until you reach a thick frosting consistency. Place cream into a pastry bag and set aside.
• For the Espresso Soak:
• Mix together the espresso, hazelnut and coffee liqueurs.
• To Assemble the Nutella Tiramisu Cakes:
• Cut each cake into three slices. Then, brush each slice generously with the espresso soak.
• Pipe equal amounts of Nutella and mascarpone cream to the bottom slice. Add the middle layer and repeat. Add the top layer of cake and frost with mascarpone cream and sprinkle with shaved chocolate or dust with cocoa powder.