• Making time 40 minutes
• Preparation time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 150ml of water
• 50g butter
• 65g plain flour, sifted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Half teaspoon vanilla essence

For the filling:

• 250 ml double cream
• Two tablespoons icing sugar
• Four tablespoons whisky and coffee cream liqueur

For the topping:

• 25g butter
• 100g plain dark chocolate in pieces
• One tablespoon icing sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons milk

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature’s delight.

– Marcus Aurelius

Preparation:

1. Heat the water and butter gently in a saucepan until melted, bring to boil and the flour and beat until it forms a smooth ball that leaves the sides of the pan almost clean, leave to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Gradually mix in the eggs and vanilla until thick and creamy. Spoon the choux mixture into a large nylon piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain piping tube and pipe 7.5 cm diameter circles on a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake in a preheated oven, 2000C, set timer for 15 minutes until well risen, make a slit in the side of each éclair for the steam to escape then return to the turned-off oven for 5 minutes, allow to cool.
4. Whip the cream to soft swirls then gradually whisk in the icing sugar and liqueur, slit each éclair lengthways and spoon or pipe in the cream.
5. Make the chocolate topping, heat the butter, chocolate and icing sugar together gently until just melted, stir in the milk then spoon over the top of éclair; Best ate on the same day made.