Choux pastry piped into eclair shells, baked to perfection and filled with passion fruit pastry cream and a drizzle of chocolate, for a tropical dessert!
Passion Fruit Eclairs with Chocolate Drizzle
These passion fruit eclairs with chocolate drizzle are the kind of dessert that stop people mid-conversation. Crisp, golden choux pastry gives way to a silky, tart-sweet passion fruit cream filling, finished with just enough chocolate to make the whole thing feel indulgent but not heavy. They’re elegant, a little playful, and surprisingly approachable, especially considering the fancy reputation of an eclair.
Choux pastry is one of the most forgiving pastries you can make. It doesn’t require yeast, chilling, or rolling, and it practically tells you when it’s ready. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by pastry, this is a perfect place to start. The result? Light, airy shells that puff beautifully in the oven and are just begging to be filled.
An Occasion To Showcase Passion Fruit
The real star here is the filling. Passion fruit’s natural tartness cuts through the richness of the cream, creating a balanced dessert that feels bright and fresh rather than overly sweet. The final chocolate drizzle adds a subtle bitterness that ties everything together, think classic eclair, but with a tropical twist.
These eclairs are especially perfect for occasions that lean into the word passion. Serve them on Valentine’s Day, at a bridal shower, an engagement party, or even an anniversary dinner. They’re romantic without being fussy, impressive without being stressful, and just cheeky enough to spark conversation.
Paul Hollywood Loves Passionfruit Curd!
Since I’ve tossed my hat into the ring and tried out for the Great American Baking Show, to be filmed in England with Paul Hollywood, I’ve been watching every episode of The Great British Bake Off to see what he likes and doesn’t like!
For sure, if given the chance, I am definitely making passion fruit eclairs for Mr. Hollywood.
It seems that with all the sweet treats he has to taste, awakening his taste buds with something striking and a bit tart, catches his attention. Now I just need to execute a choux pastry and creme patisserie that will get his attention!
Passion Fruit For Hot Summer Days
When filling out the application for the show, which took nearly 3 hours plus a video that needed to be made to submit, I realized the show would be filmed in the heat of the summer.
I often turn to a classic summer strawberry dessert, such as my strawberry and coconut tart, or strawberry and rhubarb ice cream, but it seems that a ‘Patisserie Week’ would be the best time for me to showcase my passion fruit eclair recipe with a splash of Chocolate.
In my original recipe, I use a bit of matcha to produce a more vivid color to the cream, however I’ve also learned that Prue Leith, the other judge, doesn’t prefer matcha flavor in desserts.
An Easy Passionfruit Eclair Recipe
Egg yolks are what make the pastry for eclairs so luscious, while egg whites are what make them airy and easy to fill once baked.
The ratio of eggs to flour in the pastry mixture is nearly double, and that is what makes eclairs rich yet light, and bake with a center that hollows, making it perfect to fill. Making a fruit creme patisserie couldn’t be easier.
With the help of a little gelatin, heavy cream, sugar and a passion fruit puree, it quickly sets in the fridge with a film of plastic touching the cream to prevent a crust ‘skin’ from forming on top, keeping it smooth and creamy.
How To Make Choux Pastry For Eclairs
The technique of making choux pastry is not difficult, so long as you plan on a pastry that needs to be cooked twice; once on top of the stove, and then again in the oven.
Cooking the flour and butter mixture on top of the stove first, not unlike making a roux, is to cook the flour flavor out and marry it with the butter.
Once cooled, the flour mixture goes into a mixing bowl with a handheld (or stand up), electric mixer and whisk until smooth and glossy until the batter drops off a spoon readily, leaving a V-shape.
The mixture is then transferred to a piping bag and piped into éclair shell shapes to bake.
For an added tip that always works for me, I brush the parchment paper lined baking sheet with water to create a little steam, which then makes the choux pastry puff up.
Passion Fruit With Chocolate
While there are a variety of choices in flavor one could choose to make a creme patisserie to pipe inside the baked éclair shell, nothing will grab your attention at first bite quite like a passionfruit éclair! Just ask Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith!
Drizzle or brush an added depth with chocolate, and I’d say you have the perfect classic dessert.
The added chocolate can be a heavy handed drizzle, or simply a light brush of chocolate’s color and flavor that lays beautifully between the baked pastry shell.
Ingredients Needed
If you’re looking for a dessert that feels celebratory, beautiful on the table, and absolutely unforgettable after the first bite, these passion fruit eclairs deliver every time.
- Heavy cream – This is the backbone of the filling. Heavy cream gives the passion fruit cream its luxurious texture and soft structure, allowing it to pipe smoothly while still holding its shape inside the eclair shell.
- Passion fruit pulp or pure passion fruit juice – Bright, tangy, and unmistakably tropical, passion fruit brings acidity that cuts through the richness of the cream. Using pure pulp or juice ensures a bold, authentic flavor, no artificial sweetness here, just pure, aromatic passion.
- Gelatin – A small but mighty ingredient. Gelatin gently sets the filling, giving it body without making it stiff. The result is a cream that’s silky, stable, and perfect for filling eclairs ahead of time.
- Butter – Butter is essential in choux pastry, adding richness and flavor while helping create that crisp outer shell. As the pastry bakes, the butter melts and produces steam, which helps the eclairs puff beautifully.
- Water and milk (to form choux pastry) – This classic combination is key to perfect choux. Water creates steam for lift, while milk adds flavor, color, and tenderness to the pastry. Together, they strike the ideal balance between structure and softness.
- Flour – Flour gives the choux pastry its structure. When cooked properly, it forms a paste that can trap steam in the oven, creating hollow centers that are practically made for filling.
- Caster sugar – Caster sugar is a super-fine sugar best suited for delicate baked goods. It dissolves easily, adds subtle sweetness, and helps the eclairs brown evenly without overpowering the filling.
- Salt – Just a pinch goes a long way. Salt sharpens flavors, enhances the butter in the pastry, and keeps the sweetness of the filling from becoming flat.
- Eggs – Eggs are the heart of choux pastry. They provide structure, richness, and elasticity, allowing the dough to expand and puff while baking. Properly incorporated eggs give eclairs their signature light, airy interior.
- Chocolate Square – The final flourish. A simple chocolate square melted and drizzled over the eclairs adds contrast, slightly bitter, deeply rich, and just indulgent enough to complement the tart passion fruit filling.
Equipment Needed
Making eclairs at home is far more approachable when you have the right tools on hand. Nothing here is overly specialized, and many of these are likely already in your kitchen.
- Saucepan – A sturdy saucepan is essential for cooking the choux pastry. This is where the butter, liquid, and flour come together to form the smooth dough that sets the foundation for perfect eclairs.
- Electric Mixer or Hand-Held Mixer – While choux pastry can be mixed by hand, a mixer makes incorporating the eggs easier and more consistent. It helps achieve that glossy, pipeable texture without overworking the dough.
- Wooden Spoon – A wooden spoon is ideal for stirring the choux on the stovetop. It’s strong enough to handle the thick dough and won’t react to heat as the mixture cooks.
- Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoons – Precision matters with choux pastry. Accurate measurements ensure the correct ratio of liquid, flour, and eggs, which is key to getting eclairs that puff properly.
- Piping bags and nozzles – Piping bags make shaping and filling eclairs clean and controlled. Use a wide nozzle for piping the choux pastry shells and a narrow nozzle for filling them neatly with passion fruit cream.
- Basting Brush – A quick brush of egg wash before baking helps the eclairs bake evenly and develop a smooth, golden finish.
- Cookie Sheet with Parchment Paper – Parchment prevents sticking and promotes even baking, allowing the eclairs to lift cleanly from the tray once baked.
- Fork – A simple fork is perfect for creating an effortless chocolate drizzle, rustic, elegant, and beautifully imperfect.
- Stovetop or Burner – You’ll need a heat source to cook the choux dough and melt the chocolate gently.
- Oven – The oven does the real magic here. A steady, well-heated oven allows the eclairs to puff, dry out, and hold their shape, creating that classic hollow center ready for filling.
Passion Fruit Eclair Recipe With Chocolate
Equipment
- Saucepan
- 2 piping bags with small and large nozzles
- Sheet pan with parchment paper
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Passion Fruit Cream
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy cream or double cream
- 1 cup Caster sugar
- 14 oz Passion fruit pulp freezer section, thawed
- 1 Gelatin envelope, unflavored
- pinch Salt
- Ingredients for Pastry
- 8 oz Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 tsp Caster sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 Eggs room temperature
- Chocolate Drizzle
- 1 oz Chocolate square
Instructions
- Cream
- Once the passion fruit pulp is thawed, puree it in a blender or food processor and transfer to a medium size bowl.
- In a small cup, dissolve gelatin in a little of the passion fruit pulp (or ¼ cup water)
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it begins to form bubbles on the sides of the pot. Pour the sugar into the heated cream and stir until it dissolves. With an electric hand whisk, whisk the heated sweet cream into the bowl of passion fruit puree, along with the dissolved gelatin. Whisk until creamy. Place plastic wrap over the bowl, touching the top of the cream, and allow it to thicken in the refrigerator.
- Pastry
- Preheat oven to 400
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, place the butter, water and milk. Melt and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir in the sugar, salt and flour. Continue to stir until it comes together in a paste, pressing the paste against the sides of the pot with the back of the wooden spoon so as to cook the flour into the butter, much like a roux. Cool.
- Transfer the flour paste to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the egg mixture a little at a time, saving a few tablespoons of the egg mixture to use as egg wash before baking. The batter will look shiny and pasty.
- Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large hole, or simply put the pastry in a zip bag and cut a half inch angled hole at the corner. Brush a little water on a parchment lined cookie sheet, squeeze out ‘hotdog’ shaped logs, about 5 inches long. Keep an inch or two between them. Brush lightly with remaining egg mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 and continue baking another 10 – 13 minutes. Do not open the oven door until the final time. If a little more color is needed, continue baking a minute or two more until desired color is obtained.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling wire rack, piercing a tiny air hole in each pastry to allow the steam out.
- After the pastry is cool, pipe the custard into the pastry shells from the ends, or the eclair shell can be cut open lengthwise and the pastry can be decoratively piped, exposing the filling once top of eclair is placed on top.
- Chocolate Drizzle
- For a final presentation, melt the chocolate square and drizzle across the top. Serve.
Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
Reminds me of the luscious maracuja of Brazil!