Renowned baker Mary Berry shares her go-to recipe for making mouthwatering lemon and raspberry éclairs. This light pastry treat pairs perfectly with a comforting mug of tea or coffee, making it an ideal choice for any occasion. While crafting the perfect choux pastry requires a bit of skill, Mary Berry’s straightforward recipe makes it achievable even for novice bakers. Follow her instructions and you might surprise yourself with the delicious results. Here’s how to create these delightful lemon and raspberry éclairs, ready in under 30 minutes:
Ingredients:
For the choux pastry:
* 50g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
* 65g plain flour
* Two large eggs, beaten
For the filling:
* 600ml double cream
* Six tbsp lemon curd
* Two tbsp freeze-dried raspberry powder
For the icing:
* 400g icing sugar
* Half lemon, juice only
* Pink food colouring paste
* Yellow food colouring paste
* 100g white chocolate drops, melted
* 100g dark chocolate drops, melted
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan/gas seven). Grease two large baking trays with butter. Put the butter and 150ml of water in a small pan over a low heat. Bring slowly to the boil, tip in the flour, then remove from the heat. Stir vigorously. When the mixture becomes a smooth paste, return the pan to the heat, stirring constantly. As Mary Berry advises, “The mixture will dry out a little and form a soft ball that comes away from the sides of the pan.”
2. Remove the pan from the heat again, let the mixture cool slightly, then gradually add the eggs, beating really well between each addition until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
3. Sprinkle the baking tray with water. Spoon the éclair mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle. Pipe the mixture onto the baking sheets into 7.5cm lengths, leaving room between each éclair for them to spread a bit.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C (170C fan/gas five) and bake for a further 20 minutes.
5. Split each éclair in half lengthways and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Divide the cream into separate bowls and fold the lemon curd into one bowl of cream and the raspberry powder into the other.
7. Once the éclairs have cooled, spoon the lemon cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe the lemon cream into the bottom half of six éclairs, then spoon the raspberry cream into the piping bag and pipe into the bottom half of the remaining éclairs.
8. Place half the icing sugar in a bowl and mix with enough lemon juice to form a very stiff icing. Colour with the yellow food colouring and spoon into a disposable piping bag.
9. Tip the remaining icing sugar into a bowl and add enough water to make a very stiff icing. Colour with the pink food colouring and spoon into a disposable piping bag.
10. Snip the ends off the piping bags and pipe on top of the raspberry éclairs. Spread the icing out using a palette knife dipped in boiling water, so the top is smooth. Repeat with the yellow icing on the remaining six éclairs. Place on top of the lemon cream filled éclairs.
11. Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the raspberry éclairs in a zig zag pattern. Drizzle swirls of melted dark chocolate over the lemon éclairs.
12. Serve and enjoy these delightful homemade lemon and raspberry éclairs!
