Easy Tiramisu Éclairs

Ingredients

Choux Pastry

• 125 ml (½ cup) water
• 125 ml (½ cup) milk
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 140 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Espresso Mascarpone Cream

• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• 180 ml thickened cream
• 80 g (⅔ cup) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp espresso or strong coffee (cooled)
• 1 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)

Coffee Glaze

• 120 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp brewed espresso
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 tsp butter

To Finish

• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
• Chocolate curls or coffee beans, optional garnish

Equipment

• Large saucepan and wooden spoon
• Stand or hand mixer
• Piping bags (one fitted with a round tip, one with a small filling tip)
• Baking trays lined with parchment

Method

1. Make the choux pastry. Preheat oven to 200 °C (fan 180 °C). In a saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until a smooth ball forms and pulls away from the pan (about 1–2 minutes).
2. Incorporate eggs. Transfer dough to a mixing bowl; let cool 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until glossy and pipeable (holds shape but drops slowly from the spatula).
3. Pipe & bake. Pipe 10–12 cm logs onto parchment-lined trays (leaving space to puff). Smooth tops with a damp finger. Bake 25–30 minutes until golden and firm. Cool completely on a rack.
4. Prepare filling. Beat mascarpone, cream, sugar, vanilla, espresso, and liqueur (if using) until thick and spreadable. Chill until ready to use.
5. Make glaze. Combine chocolate, espresso, cream, and butter in a bowl over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth; cool slightly until spreadable.
6. Assemble. Pierce each éclair with a small tip (or cut in half horizontally). Pipe in espresso-mascarpone cream until just full. Dip tops into coffee glaze or spoon over, then dust with cocoa.
7. Serve. Chill 30 minutes to set glaze. Garnish with chocolate curls or a coffee bean if desired. Best served the same day or within 24 hours.

Notes & Substitutions

• Make-ahead: Choux shells keep crisp 24 hours at room temp (unfilled). Re-crisp at 160 °C for 5 minutes before filling.
• No espresso machine? Use 2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water.
• Flavour twist: Add 1 tsp cocoa powder to the filling for mocha éclairs.
• Filling control: Don’t overfill — excess moisture will soften the shells.
• Presentation: Pipe glaze neatly or dip the tops for an authentic pâtisserie look.

Approx. Nutrition (per éclair)

~290 kcal • ~21 g fat • ~20 g carbs • ~5 g protein
Estimates only; varies with filling and chocolate used.

FAQ