Picture crisp, bronzed eclair shells giving way to clouds of raspberry-kissed diplomat cream, ribbons of ruby coulis swirling under a glossy white‑chocolate cap.
Imagine the snap of glaze, the tender crumb within, and the perfume of warm vanilla meeting bright berry—comfort dressed in elegance. This matters to me because a bite like this turns an ordinary afternoon into a little celebration, the kind you can share without fuss or fanfare.
These eclairs bridge occasions: they’re showstoppers for brunch, make‑ahead magic for busy weeknights when you need a sweet finish, and a polished dessert for Sunday suppers or birthdays.
Once, a last-minute invitation had me short on time and long on expectations; a tray of these—filled, glazed, and dusted—arrived gleaming and saved the day, earning grateful silence at the first bite. I’ll walk you through every step so your batch shines just as bright. Ready? Let’s cook!
Why You’ll Love It
- Delivers bright raspberry tang with creamy white chocolate sweetness
- Balances crisp shells with plush, berry-studded diplomat cream
- Impresses guests with elegant bakery-style finish at home
- Guides success with clear, foolproof choux and filling tips
- Finishes with stunning coulis swirl and ruby crunch garnish
Ingredients
- 120 ml water — for choux paste moisture (use filtered if possible)
- 120 ml whole milk — enriches choux structure (use fresh, not UHT, if possible)
- 115 g unsalted butter, cubed — flavor and steam (choose 82% fat European style)
- 6 g granulated sugar — slight sweetness for choux (fine grind dissolves fast)
- 3 g fine sea salt — balances flavors (fine salt disperses evenly)
- 150 g all-purpose flour, sifted — choux structure (use 10–11% protein)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature — emulsify and lift (room temp incorporates better)
- 250 g fresh raspberries, divided — for coulis and filling (choose firm, ripe berries)
- 60 g granulated sugar, for coulis — sweetens and sets coulis (adjust to berry tartness)
- 10 ml lemon juice — brightens coulis (freshly squeezed)
- 250 ml heavy cream, cold — for whipping/filling (35%+ fat, well-chilled)
- 250 ml whole milk, for pastry cream — base for custard (fresh milk preferred)
- 60 g granulated sugar, for pastry cream — sweetens custard (fine sugar mixes smoothly)
- 3 large egg yolks — enrich pastry cream (fresh, vibrant yolks)
- 20 g cornstarch — thickens pastry cream (sift to avoid lumps)
- 10 g unsalted butter, for pastry cream — adds silkiness (room temp, good quality)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract — pastry cream aroma (use pure extract)
- 180 g white chocolate, finely chopped — glaze base (choose real cocoa butter)
- 60 ml heavy cream, for glaze — loosens glaze (warm to steaming)
- 20 g cocoa butter or 1 tsp neutral oil (optional), for glaze shine — improves gloss (adds fluidity)
- 10 g freeze-dried raspberries, crushed, for garnish — tangy crunch (sprinkle just before chilling)
- 1 pinch fine sea salt, for creams — balances sweetness (a small pinch goes far)
Step-by-Step Method
Make the Choux Panade
Bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Melt completely. Dump in sifted flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until a film forms and dough clumps. Aim for a dry, steamy panade. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Beat in the Eggs
Mix the hot dough on low for 1 minute to cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Look for a smooth, glossy dough. Test by lifting the spoon: it should fall in a slow, V-shaped ribbon. Stop adding egg if this texture is reached early.
Pipe the Éclairs
Fit a piping bag with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe 10 logs, each about 12 cm long, onto a lined baking sheet. Space well. Smooth peaks with a damp finger. Lightly mist with water to aid puffing. Keep sizes consistent for even baking and better rise.
Bake, Dry, and Cool
Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes. Reduce to 175°C and continue 20 to 25 minutes until deeply golden and hollow-sounding. Pierce each shell to vent steam. Turn the oven off, door ajar, and dry for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack to prevent sogginess.
Cook the Raspberry Coulis
Simmer 150 g raspberries with sugar and lemon juice for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir gently. Push through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Cool fully. Reserve a few spoonfuls for glazing and swirling later. Keep the coulis thick so it won’t loosen the filling.
Cook the Pastry Cream
Heat milk to steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until pale and smooth. Temper with hot milk. Return to the saucepan. Cook, whisking, until thick bubbles form and it reaches about 85°C. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and vanilla. Chill with wrap touching surface.
Make the Raspberry Diplomat Cream
Whip cold cream to soft peaks. Loosen chilled pastry cream with a whisk. Fold in half the whipped cream until smooth. Fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons raspberry coulis to taste. Keep the mixture thick. Gently fold in remaining fresh raspberries, leaving some whole for texture.
Fill the Éclairs
Fit a piping bag with a 1/4-inch tip and add the raspberry diplomat cream. Poke two holes in the underside of each shell. Pipe until heavy and filled, moving the tip to distribute evenly. Wipe any excess. Chill briefly to firm if the filling softens.
Glaze with White Chocolate
Heat cream until steaming. Pour over finely chopped white chocolate and optional cocoa butter or oil. Rest 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy. Adjust consistency: thin with warm cream or thicken with extra chocolate. Dip tops of filled éclairs, letting excess drip off.
Finish and Set
Drizzle reserved raspberry coulis over the glaze. Swirl gently with a toothpick for a marbled look. Sprinkle crushed freeze-dried raspberries. Set on a rack and chill 30 to 45 minutes until the glaze firms. Serve the same day for best texture. Refrigerate leftovers up to 24 hours.
Ingredient Swaps
- Dairy-free: Use plant milk (oat or almond) in both panade and pastry cream; swap butter for vegan block butter; replace heavy cream with coconut cream or a high-fat dairy-free whipping cream; use dairy-free white chocolate.
- Gluten-free: Substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend (with xanthan gum) for choux and cornstarch remains for pastry cream.
- Egg-free: Choux is egg-dependent; consider using a vegan choux recipe using aquafaba and plant butter, and make a cornstarch-thickened pastry cream with additional starch and no yolks.
- Sugar alternatives: Use caster sugar or superfine sugar; for lower refined sugar, use coconut sugar in coulis/pastry cream (color will darken) or erythritol/monk fruit blends (adjust to taste).
- Budget/availability: Replace fresh raspberries with frozen (thaw and drain for coulis; pat dry for folding).
If white chocolate is pricey, use a vanilla icing or simple powdered sugar glaze.
– Flavor swaps: Swap raspberries with strawberries, blackberries, passion fruit, or cherry; add citrus zest to glaze.
Vanilla can be replaced with almond or rose water (sparingly) for a twist.
You Must Know
Doneness • If the batter seems runny after adding eggs, hold back the last 10–20 g of beaten egg; stop once it forms a thick V-shaped ribbon that slowly snaps off the spatula. Too loose batter won’t spring and will deflate.
Troubleshoot • When shells look bronzed but feel soft at the sides, extend time in 175°C heat by 3–5 minutes until they sound hollow when tapped and sides feel firm. This guarantees the interior web is dry, preventing collapse.
Flavor Boost • For brighter raspberry notes, reduce the coulis to a syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon in 8–10 seconds; fold in only 2–3 tbsp so the diplomat stays thick. Extra coulis can be drizzled on top.
Swap • If fresh raspberries are bland, replace the stirred-in 100 g with 60–80 g freeze-dried pieces lightly crushed; they stay punchy and won’t weep into the cream.
Scale • For half-batch (5 eclairs), divide all components by 2, but add eggs to the dough by sight, not math; you may need 1½–2 eggs to hit the V-ribbon cue.
Serving Tips
- Serve chilled on slate; garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.
- Pair with dry prosecco or chilled raspberry-lemon iced tea.
- Add a quenelle of vanilla bean ice cream alongside each éclair.
- Drizzle extra raspberry coulis on plates; sprinkle crushed pistachios for crunch.
- Offer espresso or cappuccino; dust plates lightly with powdered sugar.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Refrigerate filled eclairs in an airtight container up to 24 hours; best texture within the same day.
Unfilled, baked shells keep 2 days at room temperature or 3–4 days refrigerated.
Freeze unfilled shells up to 1 month; thaw uncovered, then re-crisp at 150°C for 5–8 minutes.
Avoid freezing filled eclairs.
Reheating
Reheat unfilled shells only: oven 150°C, 5–8 minutes to crisp, then cool.
Avoid microwave.
For filled eclairs, serve chilled; at most, brief microwave at 20% power, 5–10 seconds—no stovetop.
Parisian Patisserie Showcase
Although the Seine drifts just beyond the window in my mind, I set these raspberry white chocolate éclairs on a slate like jewels in a Parisian vitrine: shells burnished and airy, their lacquered white chocolate tops catching light, a ruby coulis swirl glinting like silk ribbon.
I want you to step closer. Hear the faint shell crack as I lift one; smell vanilla and cream mingling with tart berry. The glaze softens under warm fingers, leaving a whisper of cocoa butter. Inside, the diplomat cream sighs—ripe raspberries brightening each bite.
I scatter crushed freeze-dried berries like confetti, then brush crumbs from the slate, spacing each éclair with a shopkeeper’s pride. Take your pick; let the coulis stain your smile Paris red.
Final Thoughts
Ready to bake? Give these Raspberry White Chocolate Eclairs a try, and feel free to tweak the filling with more coulis or extra raspberries to suit your taste.
Share your spin—I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make These Gluten-Free Without Compromising Structure?
Yes. I’d use a strong 1:1 gluten-free blend with xanthan, add 5–10 g extra egg white, and dry the panade well. You’ll hear hollow shells, smell warm butter, and feel crisp walls cradle silky cream.
How Do Altitude Adjustments Affect Choux Pastry Baking Times?
At higher altitudes, I bake longer and hotter: reduce initial moisture, add an extra egg white if needed, and watch color. I seek deep bronze, hollow thrum, crisp shells; I vent promptly, then dry longer in the ajar oven.
What’s the Best Way to Transport Glazed Eclairs Safely?
Use a snug lidded container with a non-slip mat, chill eclairs until set, then pack in a single layer. I cushion gaps with parchment, keep them level on ice packs, and drive gently—brakes whisper, glaze stays glossy.
Are There Kid-Friendly Substitutions for Raspberries’ Tartness?
Yes—swap raspberries for sliced strawberries or ripe peaches, or fold in sweetened strawberry jam. I’ll mellow tang with vanilla, a touch of honey, and extra whipped cream, yielding soft, sunny sweetness kids adore, without sharp edges.
How Do I Prevent White Chocolate Glaze From Seizing?
Keep moisture out and add gentle fat. I melt slowly, stir softly, and warm cream first. If it tightens, I rescue it with a splash of warm cream or cocoa butter, coaxing it back silky.
Raspberry White Chocolate Eclairs
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 stand mixer with whisk attachment or 1 hand mixer
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 silicone baking mat or 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 piping bag
- 1 large round piping tip 1/2 inch
- 1 small round piping tip 1/4 inch
- 1 offset spatula
- 1 Wire rack
- 1 Small saucepan
- 2 Medium bowl
- 1 Fine mesh sieve
- 1 instant-read thermometer
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 120 milliliter water
- 120 milliliter whole milk
- 115 gram unsalted butter cubed
- 6 gram granulated sugar
- 3 gram fine sea salt
- 150 gram all-purpose flour sifted
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 250 gram fresh raspberries divided
- 60 gram granulated sugar for coulis
- 10 milliliter lemon juice
- 250 milliliter heavy cream cold
- 250 milliliter whole milk for pastry cream
- 60 gram granulated sugar for pastry cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 20 gram cornstarch
- 10 gram unsalted butter for pastry cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 gram white chocolate finely chopped
- 60 milliliter heavy cream for glaze
- 20 gram cocoa butter or 1 teaspoon neutral oil optional, for glaze shine
- 10 gram freeze-dried raspberries crushed, for garnish
- 1 pinch fine sea salt for creams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat until butter is fully melted.
- Add sifted flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until a film forms on the pan and the dough clumps, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the hot dough to a mixing bowl and beat on low for 1 minute to cool slightly before adding eggs.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth, glossy, and forms a V-shaped ribbon from the spoon.
- Pipe 10 logs about 12 cm long onto the prepared sheet using the large round tip, spacing well apart.
- Smooth any peaks with a damp finger and mist lightly with water to promote puffing.
- Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes, then reduce to 175°C and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until deeply golden and hollow-sounding.
- Pierce each shell with a skewer to vent steam and return to the oven (off) with the door ajar for 10 minutes to dry, then cool on a wire rack.
- For raspberry coulis, simmer 150 g raspberries with 60 g sugar and lemon juice for 3 to 4 minutes, then press through a sieve and cool completely.
- For pastry cream, heat 250 ml milk to steaming; whisk yolks, 60 g sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until pale.
- Temper yolk mixture with hot milk, return to the saucepan, and cook whisking until thick bubbles form and the cream reaches about 85°C.
- Off heat whisk in butter and vanilla, then press plastic wrap on the surface and chill until cold.
- Whip 250 ml cold heavy cream to soft peaks and fold half into the cooled pastry cream, then fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons raspberry coulis to taste.
- Stir the remaining fresh raspberries (100 g) lightly into the filling, leaving some whole.
- Fit a piping bag with the small tip and fill with the raspberry diplomat cream, then poke two holes in the underside of each shell and fill until heavy.
- For glaze, heat 60 ml cream to steaming, pour over chopped white chocolate (and cocoa butter or oil if using), rest 2 minutes, then stir smooth.
- Dip the tops of the filled eclairs into the white chocolate glaze, letting excess drip, and set on a rack.
- Drizzle a little extra raspberry coulis over the glaze and swirl with a toothpick, then sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
- Chill the eclairs for 30 to 45 minutes to set the glaze before serving.
Notes
Cynthia Weatherford is a seasoned chef and culinary enthusiast who serves as the Recipe creator of Somonday. With decades of experience in the kitchen and a passion for exploring diverse cuisines, Cynthia brings a blend of creativity and technique to every dish. Known for transforming simple ingredients into show-stopping meals, Cynthia believes that cooking is an art form anyone can master. Dedicated to inspiring home cooks, Cynthia shares approachable recipes, pro tips, and culinary wisdom to make every meal memorable.
