How To Make Profiteroles In Coffee Sauce

If you make profiteroles regularly you know exactly how the dough should look at every stage; otherwise you can’t always tell if you’ve beaten the mixture too hard or added too much egg until it’s too late. But apart from that it’s all good news. Profiteroles are fantastic value for money, take only minutes to make and are loved by almost everyone. The only slightly fiddly thing is you will need a piping bag to get the cream inside at the end, but the uncooked profiteroles don’t have to be piped, they can be spooned onto the baking sheets by hand. Don’t worry if your profiteroles aren’t identical to the ones you find in the supermarket either. We’re so used to synthetic, mass-produced desserts it’s easy not to realize that the home-made version only looks slightly different because actually it’s even better.

1. Step 1:

   Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 (190°C) and lightly grease a couple of large baking sheets with a few drops of oil and water.

2. Step 2:

   Put the butter or margarine in a saucepan with ¼ pint (150 ml) of water; heat fairly gently until the fat has melted then bring to the boil.

3. Step 3:

   Immediately the water is boiling take the pan off the heat, tip the flour in all at once and start beating with a wooden spoon. As soon as the dough starts coming together put the pan back over the heat and continue beating until the dough forms a rough ball in the middle of the pan. This will only take about a minute, so don’t overdo it or the dough will become too fatty.

4. Step 4:

   Now put the dough straight into a mixing bowl and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. At this stage you can either continue beating the dough with a wooden spoon, which is very hard work, or use an electric hand whisk. (Or even put the dough into a food processor and add the eggs through the funnel.)

5. Step 5:

   Add the beaten egg

6. Step 6:

   Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets to make 18 profiteroles roughly the size of a peach stone and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until well risen and golden.

7. Step 7:

   Allow to cool completely, then fill the profiteroles with whipped cream by making a small hole in the bottom or side of each one with a very sharp knife, a skewer or the end of a corkscrew.

8. Step 8:

   In a medium-sized bowl dissolve 1 heaped teaspoon of instant coffee in a couple of tablespoons of boiling water, add the butter or margarine and the golden syrup and melt the whole lot over a saucepan of hot water.

9. Step 9:

   Take the bowl off the heat, add the egg and sift in the icing sugar, then beat at high speed with an electric hand whisk for about 30 seconds until you’ve got a thick, smooth icing.

10. Step 10:

    Arrange the profiteroles in one large bowl or several small ones and put them in the fridge while you wait for the sauce to cool for half an hour. (The sauce can also be put in the fridge.)

11. Step 11:

    Spoon some of the sauce over the profiteroles and keep the rest in a jug to serve hot or cold with the profiteroles at the end.