• CREAM PUFF PASTE:
  • 1cup hot water
  • 125g (4oz) butter
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tsp cocoa
  • PASTRY CREAM:
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 300ml carton cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM:
  • 250g (8oz) unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp castor sugar
  • 30g (1oz) dark chocolate
  • TOPPING
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 1/3 cup castor sugar

Place water and butter in pan, bring to rapid boil. Quickly add sifted flour all at once, stirring until mixture leaves sides of the pan. Re­move pan from heat immed­iately, let mixture cool slight­ly. Place mixture in small bowl of electric mixer, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sifted cocoa.

Put teaspoon­fuls of mixture on lightly greased oven trays; allow room for spreading. Bake in hot oven 10 minutes, reduce heat to moderate, bake fur­ther 40-45 minutes or until the puffs are crisp. When cooked, remove from oven, make small slits in sides of each puff to let steam es­cape; return puffs to oven for a few minutes to dry out. Al­low puffs to become cold; remove any soft filling from inside with small spoon.

PASTRY CREAM

Combine, in small bowl of electric mixer, egg yolks and sugar. Beat on medium speed until mixture is pale. Reduce speed to low, add sifted flour, cream and vanilla. Place mixture in pan over low heat and cook, stirring con­stantly, until mixture comes to boil.

Boil 30 seconds. Re­move from heat, beat until mixture is smooth. Let cool. Push mixture through fine sieve to remove any small lumps.

BUTTER CREAM

Have butter at room tem­perature. Place butter in small bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft and creamy.Gradually add sugar while butter is creaming. Beat in 8 table­spoons of the Pastry Cream, beat until mixture is smooth and almost doubled in bulk. Finally beat in the melted chocolate.

Using a sharp knife, make a small hole in bottom of each puff. Put prepared Butter Cream into piping bag fitted with a small, plain nozzle. Fill each puff with the cream. Combine sifted cocoa and sugar, roll puffs in this mix­ture to coat all over. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.