Nigella's Mother-in-law's Madeira Cake

I was super busy the past two weeks as the school term was ending but I managed to bake this madeira cake last weekend. I had not baked or eaten madeira cake before but I was really curious after reading the posts linked to the Bake Along event. Great cake indeed.... rich with very lemony flavour and a moderately soft texture, not as dense as a pound cake and not as soft as a sponge cake. Good to eat just on its own or use it to make layered frosted cake as I've seen some bakers do.

Nigella's Mother-in-law's Madeira Cake

Ingredients:
240 grams unsalted butter, softened (I added 1/2 tsp salt.)
200 grams caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 large eggs
210 grams self-raising flour
90 grams plain flour

Method:

1. You will need a loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches), buttered and lined.
2. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3/325ºF.
3. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon zest.
4. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour for each.
5. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice.
6. Sprinkle with caster sugar (about 2 tablespoons should do it) as it goes into the oven, and bake for 1 hour or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
7. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool in the tin before turning out.

Recipe by Nigella Lawson.

I'm linking this post to the Bake Along event hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from
Kitchen flavours and Lena from Her Frozen Wings.

Plum Tartlets

It's been a long time since I last took part in the Bake Along event...... So I thought I should take a break from posting my Hari Raya bakes (I still have a few!) & bake some plum tartlets for its 67th event. 

These tartlets are not the typical tarts that we've all come across because the base used is not pastry but closer to a cake. A few bloggers describe them as having cakey texture. The ones made by some of them do look like the texture is a cross between a cake & a pastry. Mine turned out to be more like a cake, moist  & just slightly crumbly.

Cake or pastry, I still like these tartlets.... very buttery with a tinge of lemon flavour, & the slight tang of  the plums is a good thing for an otherwise sweet dessert. Besides that, they are so pretty! I couldn't stop looking at them! 

Plum Tartlets

Ingredients:
120g unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon  ground cardamom (I used a pinch.)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
100g granulated sugar (I used 90g.)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used pure vanilla paste.)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 plums, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp turbinado sugar (I used demerara.)
confectioners' sugar for dusting
ice-cream for serving (optional)
three 4-inch ramekins (I used mini tart pans with removable base - 1 rectangular & 3 heart shape.)

Method:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Lightly butter the ramekins and place them on a baking sheet.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt; sift & set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to beat until the mixture is light in colour. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing just until incorporated; be careful not to overmix.
4. Divide the dough evenly among the ramekins. Fan plum slices in each ramekin, lightly pressing the slices into the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tartlets look set and the tops are golden brown. These are best served warm, but they can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
6. Serve the tarts with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar and a scoop of your favourite ice cream, if desired.

**The recipe above is only half the original recipe & I converted the measurement into metric.

Recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl Day & Griffith Day.

Source: Frontier Co-op.

I am submitting this post to Bake Along, an event organised by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of  Bake For Happy Kids.

I'm also linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up August (flour) event, organised by Bake for Happy Kids & My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

Italian Almond Tart

I baked the Italian Almond Tart today.... just couldn't resist baking it after looking at the posts for the current (& ending very soon) Bake Along event. As expected, the tarts looked gorgeous & they got a few of BitterSweetSpicy's FB fans excited! Before that, when the tarts were still in the oven, I was already feeling excited . They were so fragrant.... 

Before the tarts were completely cool, I decided to cut one as I couldn't wait to take a bite. Oh my.... it's so  heavenly.... The combination of the flaky, fragrant tart shell &  moderately rich almond filling makes this tart an excellent dessert!

Notes & modifications:

1. I made 1 recipe of the dough & only 1/2 recipe of the almond filling. The recipe made four 10cm heart-shape & one 11x6 cm rectangle tart pans, with removable bottom.
2. For the dough, I added the water last.  I didn't need to add all, just a little. 
3. The dough was quite sticky, so it was quite challenging to roll out the dough to the pan.
4. I only spread a thin layer of jam onto my tart shell because I didn't want my almond tart to be too sweet.

Italian Almond Tart
Recipe by Williams-Sonoma.

Ingredients:
1 rolled-out round of tart dough (see recipe below)
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
250g almond paste, cut into 1-inch cubes (recipe below)
1/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I used pastry flour.)
1/3C raspberry, plum or cherry jam
1⁄3 cup sliced almonds

Method:

1. Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Press the dough into the sides to extend it slightly above the rim to offset any shrinkage during baking.
2. Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.
3. Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
4. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F. 
5. In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat the butter until smooth. Add the almond paste, one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. While continuing to beat, sprinkle in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour. 
6. Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the partially baked tart shell. Spoon in the almond paste mixture and spread evenly over the jam. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the sliced almonds. 
7. Bake the tart until the filling is golden and the middle is firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart cool completely. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, let the sides fall away, then slide the tart onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

Makes one 9 1/2-inch tart; serves 8.

Almond Paste
Recipe from Joyce. (makes about 250g)

Ingredients:
150gm ground almond
90gm sifted powdered sugar
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoon egg white (adding a little at a time as needed to form a dough)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
Mix everything together and knead to a dough. Use as directed or freeze it.

Basic tart dough
Ingredients:
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs. very cold water (I didn't use all.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used pastry flour, aka top flour.)
1⁄3 cup sugar
1⁄4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick / 125g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla; set aside.
2. To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.
3. To make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and beat just until the dough pulls together.
4. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Use the dough immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.
5. To roll out the dough, on a lightly floured board, flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Use a small, sharp knife to cut out a round or rounds 2 inches greater in diameter than your tart or larger tartlet pans. Use a small, sharp knife or a cookie cutter to cut out rounds 1/2 to 1 inch greater in diameter than your miniature tartlet pans. If using a rectangular tart pan, cut out a rectangle 2 inches larger on all sides than the pan. Makes enough dough for one 9 1/2-inch tart, six 4-inch tartlets, twelve 2-inch miniature tartlets or one 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch rectangular tart.

I'm linking this post to Bake-Along #55 hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen Wings.

Lapis Cake Spice-Sugar Doughnut Muffins

I made these doughnut muffins last week for the Bake Along event. When I was planning to bake it, coincidentally, my mum passed me some lapis cake spice that she had just prepared. That gave me an idea.... why don't I replace the cinnamon with lapis cake spice for the muffins...?

My sister thought it was strange for muffins to taste like lapis cake... I think so too,  because I'm not used to tasting anything that has lapis spice except the spice lapis cake itself. That aside, I think these muffins tasted wonderful, even without the sugar coating. 

The texture is soft and similar to the cake-like fried doughnuts. Maybe that's what the book meant when it said these taste just like old fashioned doughnuts.

Lapis Cake Spice-Sugar Doughnut Muffins
Adapted from recipe by Cheryl and Griffith Day from Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.
Source: Tasty Kitchen.

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoons baking soda
2-½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom or ground cinnamon*
* I replaced with ½ tsp lapis cake spice.
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons buttermilk
½ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
½  vanilla paste (I added.)

For the coating:
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (I replaced it with lapis spice.)

For the muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups.

2. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom (or cinnamon). In a medium bowl, combine milk and buttermilk.

3. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter. Turn the speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Mix until mixture lightens in color. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth; do not overmix.

4. With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them approximately 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden.

For the coating:

1. While the muffins bake, set up 2 bowls to dunk them in. In one bowl you will have the melted butter, and in the other bowl you will have the cinnamon sugar.

2. Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack. Dunk them in the melted butter, then coat them with the cinnamon sugar (lapis spice sugar).

I'm linking this post to Bake Along hosted by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids,  Joyce from My Cooking Gallery and Lena from Her Frozen Wings.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

I made Durian Custard Cake after seeing a facebook post. Since I was already planning to bake cotton cheesecake, I thought why not replace the regular vanilla sponge with the cotton cheesecake. Well,  that may not be a good idea after all.... though the cake tasted really good, I think the rich & amazingly delicious durian custard just overrode the subtly-rich cheesecake. Maybe the cake would taste as good just with a regular sponge cake... why waste the cheese.. right? Anyway, I won't really know unless I make it again using the vanilla sponge.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Recipe by Alex Goh from Fantastic Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
160g cream cheese
25g butter
120g milk
40g flour
30g cornflour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
100g sugar
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Grease & line the bottom of two 20-cm oval pans. Wrap outside of the pans in a foil. (I used one 14-cm & one 18-cm round pans.)
2. Place cream cheese, butter & milk in a mixing bowl & stir over double-boiler until thick. Remove it from double-boiler.
3. Add in flour & cornflour & mix until well combined. Add egg yolk & continue mixing until well blended.
4. In a clean & dry bowl, whip the egg white until foamy. Then add in cream of tartar, sugar & salt & continue whipping until soft peak.
5. Fold in the meringue, in thirds, into the cheese mixture & mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into the pans & bake in water bath at 160 deg C for 40-45 minutes (I baked for 30 mins.) or until firm & golden brown.
7. Remove cake from the oven. Remove the cakes from the mould immediately. Set aside to cool.

Durian Custard
Recipe by Kak Fida @ My Resipi.

Ingredients:
250g durian flesh
1000 ml diluted coconut milk (I used 500ml regular milk & 500ml water.)
300ml thick coconut milk
1 packet (12g) agar-agar powder
6 tbsp custard powder
200g fine sugar
1/4 tsp salt
yellow colouring

Method:

1. Blend durian flesh together with the diluted coconut milk. Strain & pour into a pot. 
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients & cook over medium fire, stirring continuously, until mixture thickens. Remove from fire & set aside.

How I assembled my cake:

1. Prepare a ring mould. Wrap the bottom of the mould with a cling wrap. Then place the mould on a cake base. 
2. Cut the cake into two horizontally. The diameter of baked cake must be about 2cm smaller than the mould because the outer part of the cake served later will be covered with the custard.
3. Place one piece of the cut cake into the mould, positioning it in the center.
4. Then pour the custard into the mould, making sure the cake is totally covered with custard.
5. Then gently place the other piece of cake into the mould & pour some more durian custard.
6. Decorate the top of cake using the remaining custard or toasted sliced almond. (I left the top plain.)
7. Allow the cake to cool down. Then chill it. 
8. Before serving, remove the plastic base by sliding it out gently while the cake is still on the cake base.
9. Then lift up the mould gently. Slice & serve.

NB: If there's leftover custard, pour it into jelly moulds & chill them. Serve as durian pudding.

I'm posting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #33 (July 2013) - Tropical Spiky Month hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House.

I'm aso linking this post to  Bake Along  hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen Wings.

Tres Leches Cake

Hi everyone! How's your day? Mine has been a rush Labour Day holiday....... now still rushing to complete this post fast so that I can meet the dateline for Bake Along which ends in about 2 hours. I should be able to make it....

Made this Latin American cake this afternoon & managed to take some shots with my compact camera (coz the memory card for the dslr is missing... long story..) before rushing to the hospital to visit my dad where I also met up with my cousins from kl. Came home just after nine, had dinner & started editing the photos... I've been taking longer than usual editing the pictures ever since we bought a new iMac. I usually use PhotoScape for editing but I'm not able to use that with iMac. So, until I decide on another software,  I'll have to make do with the editing using the netbook.... not an ideal thing given the failing eyesight.

Now, about this cake.. I really wanted to try baking this cake because I was quite curious with the outcome, texture & taste, given the not-so-normal way to finish a cake... I'm referring to the soaking part. It's basically a sponge cake soaked in milk, lots of it! I decided to use only 50% of the recommended proportion of milk mixture for soaking, yet I think this cake is just too sweet to my liking. If I do make this again, I'll  certainly do some tweaking to the proportion. Whatever it is, I'm glad I baked it. If not for this baking event, I may not have come across this cake or thought of attempting to bake it..... 

Ok... here's the changes I made..

1. I made half the recipe & used a 6x9 inch pan. I lined & greased the pan.

2. I replaced the heavy cream with low-fat milk & halved the recommended amount of the milk mixture for soaking. Which means, for half recipe, I only used 1/4 can each of evaporated & condensed milk & 1/16 cup of low-fat milk.

3. I served the cake with chocolate ganache (mine is quite watery though..) instead of the icing.

4. I didn't wait for the cake to cool down before piercing the holes & pouring the milk mixture. I did it right after taking the cake out of the oven.

Tres Leches Cake
Recipe by The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose Flour (I used cake flour.)
1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar
Preparation Instructions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

I'm submitting this entry to Free & Easy Bake Along event #43 (Theme - Tres Leches Cake) hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This is my first time baking a cake in a cold oven. I never knew we could do that... Apparently, baking this Cream Cheese Pound cake in a cold oven gives it time to rise nicely. The crust is golden-brown & the crumb is moist & velvety. However, I found it quite sweet when I took a bite on the day I baked it. But the next day,  it tasted much better. Still, the next time I bake this, I think I'll reduce the sugar slightly.

Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Recipe by  Lauren Chattman from Cake Keeper.

3 cups cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs,  room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (I didn't use.)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.
4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
5. Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65 to 80 minutes.
6. Cool the cake in pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
7. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NB: I made only half the recipe & baked in 6 mini bundt pans for about 35 minutes.

I am submitting this post to Bake-Along #38 hosted by Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours, Lena  of Frozen Wings and Bake for Happy Kids.

Chocolate Eclairs

It's been a long time since I participated in a blogger baking event. So far, I've only joined Aspiring Bakers. I think it's a good idea to be part of such event. Not only does it introduce me to more blogger friends,  it also  gives me direction to my next baking  project. Unfortunately, I've not been able to follow the event closely. I think I should resume...

Recently I saw Lena baked chocolate eclairs for Free & Easy Bake Along, an event she co-hosted. I thought this would be a good time for me to participate in this event since I also wanted to try Chef Yamashita's chocolate eclair recipe. It took me two days to prepare this sweet treat. I prepared the custard cream on Thursday, mixed the dough & baked the shells on Friday morning and finally assembled the eclairs after lunch. I know it can be quite overwhelming when you look at the recipe, but I can tell you that it's really worth it! The eclairs are just superb! 

Chocolate Eclairs

Recipe by Chef Yamashita Masataka in Tanoshii, Joy of Making Japanese-style Cake & Desserts.

1 portion (250g) pate a choux dough (see recipe below)

1 egg , lighly beaten

CHOCOLATE CREAM - I doubled this up.

30g dark chocolate buttons - I used Valrhona Equatoriale 55%.

100g custard cream (see recipe below)

Place chocolate buttons  in a microwave-safe bowl & heat in a microwave oven on High at 20-second bursts, stirring & checking each time, so chocolate does not burn. (Alternatively, the chocolate buttons can also be melted over double-boiler.) When chocolate is smooth & melted, fold it into custard cream & mix well. Transfer chocolate cream to a piping bag fitted with a 0.8-cm round tip. Set aside.

GANACHE

70g dark chocolate buttons

70g heavy cream

Place dark chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer until it reaches 90deg C. Pour over dark chocolate & whisk to combine.

CHANTILLY CREAM

100g heavy cream

Using a hand whisk, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 0.8-cm round tip. (I placed the bag of cream in the freezer while waiting to be used.)

PATE A CHOUX DOUGH

72g pastry flour (top flour) - sifted

60g milk

60g water

60g unsalted butter

2g salt

4g sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 egg white, if needed

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking tray.
2. In a saucepan, stir milk, water, unsalted butter, salt & sugar over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in pastry flour until fully incorporated.
3. Return saucepan to medium heat. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir until dough starts to stick together & pulls away from sides of saucepan. Transfer dough to a medium bowl.
4. Using a spatula, fold in beaten eggs half portion at a time, ensuring full incorporation after each addition. The dough will be thick & elastic.
5. Test by lifting half of dough with the spatula. It should fall off in 3 seconds. If it does not, mix in 1 tbsp egg white & test again. Repeat if necessary.
6. Transfer choux dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1-cm round tip & pipe dough into logs about 10cm long & 1 cm high, spacing them 4cm apart. 
7. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush dough with beaten egg. Using a wet fork, lightly shape dough to smoothen surface. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until dough has risen slightly.
8. Lower oven temperature to 180deg C & bake for 20-30 minutes until puffs are risen & golden brown.
9. Remove from oven & leave to cool on a wire rack before filling puffs. (Unfilled choux puffs will keep for up to 1 day in an airtight container.)

CUSTARD CREAM (makes about 260g)

10g cornflour

10g pastry flour (top flour)

200g milk

1/2 pod vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped (I used 1 tsp pure vanilla paste.)

10g sugar

30g unsalted butter

7g salted butter

45g egg yolks, at room temperature

43g sugar

50g milk

1. Sift together cornflour & pastry flour. Set aside.. In a saucepan, simmer 200g milk, vanilla seeds & pod, 10g sugar & butters over medium heat until butter is melted & sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with 43g sugar until pale. Add sifted flours & whisk until fully incorporated. Add 50g milk & mix well. Add mixture from saucepan & mix until uniform.
3. Strain into another saucepan & place over high heat, whisking vigorously until mixture is thickened. The mixture will bubble at the centre throughout. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
4. Prepare a large bowl of iced water & palce mixing bowl over it. Using a rubber spatula, scrape base & sides of bowl until custard cream is cold to the touch & the surface is shiny.
5. Cover cream with plasticwrap, pressing down onto surface of cream. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Custard cream will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.

ASSEMBLING THE ECLAIRS:

1. Slice cooled choux pastry logs into half horizontally.
2. Dip top layer of logs in ganache & arrange on a baking tray. Refrigerate for 10 minutes until ganache is set.
3. Pipe a thick layer of chocolate cream onto choux bases, then pipe a layer of Chantilly cream over. Sandwich with top layer & serve. Consume within the day.

I'm submitting this entry to Free & Easy Bake Along event #37 (Chocolate Eclairs),  hosted by  Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.