Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 90g plain flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons caster sugar
  • 80g unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
  • 100g dark chocolate, chopped
  • Edible gold leaf, (see note) to serve
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 450ml thickened cream, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 200°C and lightly grease 2 large baking trays. Sift flour, sugar and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Set aside.
  • Place butter and 220ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rapid boil. Add the flour mixture to the saucepan, then remove from the heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes until the mixture forms a thick paste. Place over low heat and beat for a further 1 minute or until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan.
  • Transfer dough to an electric mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until you have a smooth, glossy dough with a thick dropping consistency.
  • Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle with the dough. Pipe 3cm-wide rounds, 2cm apart, on the prepared trays to make 30 profiteroles. In batches, bake on the top shelf for 15-18 minutes until risen, golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and pierce the bottom of each profiterole with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  • For the salted caramel filling, place the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature. In a bowl, whisk cream with icing sugar and vanilla seeds until soft peaks form. Fold cream into cooled caramel, then chill for 10 minutes until cold and firm.
  • Meanwhile, place cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Spoon caramel filling into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain nozzle. Insert the nozzle into the pierced hole in each profiterole and gently pipe in the filling. Stack the profiteroles in a tower on a serving plate (secure with a few toothpicks, if needed). Drizzle over the chocolate sauce, garnish with gold leaf and serve immediately.