Paula Deens Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipes

MINI CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Heat water and margarine to boiling point. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and forms a ball when tested in cold water. Remove from heat and let cool. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time. Drop dough from teaspoon to form small eclairs onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 °F for approximately 30 minutes or until light brown. Set aside to cool.
• Prepare filling by combining milk, sugar, salt and flour; cook slowly until thickens. Add 3 beaten eggs and continue to cook until mixture is even thicker. Remove from heat, cool and add vanilla. With a serrated knife, slice pastry puffs longwise, but not all the way through. Pipe custard mixture into the center. Melt chocolate for icing, add sugar and cream. Cook over medium heat until soft ball stage. Let cool and beat until smooth. Ice tops of the eclairs.

ECLAIR CAKE

Steps:

• Butter the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch pan. Line the whole pan with graham crackers.
• In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with 3 1/2 cups milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.
• Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.
• Cover cake with frosting and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and 1/3 cup milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CAKE

Steps:

• Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg yolks in a bowl. Add milk mixture to the saucepan, along with butter. Cook, stirring, over medium until mixture comes to a boil. Let boil, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream until firm peaks form. Whisk chilled pastry cream until smooth, then fold whipped cream into pastry cream.
• Arrange 1/3 graham crackers on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread half of the pastry cream mixture on top, smoothing it with a spatula to make an even layer. Repeat with half of remaining crackers and remainder of the pastry cream. Arrange remaining crackers on top of pastry cream.
• Heat remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high until just boiling. Pour over chocolate in a small heatproof bowl; cover with a plate. Let stand until chocolate melts, then stir until smooth. Spread over graham cracker layer, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Refrigerate to set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.