Two things I really love about the month of June are all of the roses which are blooming profusely in our garden at the moment and all the fresh strawberries we grow and enjoy. The roses in these photos are some of our wild roses, which are just so beautiful.
When you look at the beauty and perfection of these two things, its pretty hard not to be grateful that we are blessed to live with such abundance. Some of our berries are very tiny, almost as small as the wild strawberries that I remember from my childhood. The smaller the berry the sweeter and more concentrated the flavor. I decided to use some of these smaller berries today and make some delicious Strawberry Eclairs for us to enjoy! I had also been sent some lovely new cake sprinkles and so rather than simply dusting them with icing sugar, I glazed them with a light pink icing and sprinkled them with some of the Dr. Oetker Unicorn Confetti . . . just the name of these sprinkles automatically puts a smile on my face.
Dr. Oetker has just launched an exciting new range of sprinkles that will make even beginner bakers look good! Sprinkles have always been a firm favorite for cake decoration, so Dr. Oetker are launching three new pots that will cover your entire cake with sprinkles. From dazzling strands and metallic stars to brightly coloured spheres and orbs, the Ultimate Sprinkles Range turns ordinary bakes into showstopping instagramable cakes.
The Glamour & Sparkle Jar – scatter metallic stars and dazzling strands to get your cakes looking red-carpet ready.
The Unicorn Confetti Jar– be a part of the unicorn craze and shower your cake with bright coloured strands and spheres.
The Midnight Magic Jar – sprinkle a few shiny stars, orbs and strands for an out of this world cake.
I really love all of these new sprinkles, not only are the colours rich and beautiful, but I also really like the new sleeker look of the container and that lovely larger hole in the flip-top cap for ease of sprinkling!!
I used some of the gel colouring to tint the glaze a light pink also, almost the shade of the pretty petals on those roses . . .
They turned out lovely and oh-so-pretty . . . I think this was the perfect use for these smaller strawberries that might get lost amongst the larger ones. If you don't have smaller strawberries to use, by all means use larger ones, even if you have to cut them into smaller pieces, or you can use raspberries, which are also delicious.
I was really pleased with the way my choux pastry for the eclairs turned out. I am not the best piper in the world, so don't judge, lol. The art of finesse has never been one of my strengths . . .
I can draw just about anything, but don't ask me to draw a straight line . . . likewise piping. I can't pipe a straight line for love or money. Never mind . . . I was still really pleased with the results.
My pastry was perfect . . . crisp and golden brown . . . without any doughy centres. They were as light as air. Check out my tips to see how yours can be too!
*Strawberry Eclairs*Makes 12 Printable Recipe
The strawberries in these lovely June treats can be replaced with whatever fruit or berries you wish at any other time of year. Light as air, crisp and delicious!
55g butter, cubed (1/4 cup)150ml cold water (5.2 fluid ounces or 10 TBS)70g strong flour, sieved (1/2 cup bread flour)2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
To fill:240ml double cream (1 cup)2 TBS icing sugar plus extra for dusting110g berries (3/4 cup) Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*f/ gas mark 6. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and line with greaseproof paper. Spritz the paper with a little water.
Put the butter into a saucepan with the cold water. Heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to boil. Remove from the heat.
Beat in the flour with a wooden spoon, beating until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a smooth ball of pastry.
Done properly you should be able to stand your spoon up in the ball of dough.
Stir in the beaten egg, a bit at a time until you have a glossy, pipeable paste. (You may not need all of the egg) Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe onto the prepared baking tray in 4 inch long lines, leaving space in between.
Bake for 10 minutes and then increase the oven temperature to 22*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 and bake for a further 10 minutes.
(Don't laugh too hard at my lousy piping skills, lol.)
Transfer to a wire rack to cool, cutting a slice down the side of each one with a serrated knife so that the steam can escape. Allow to cool completely before proceeding.
Whip the cream with he icing sugar until thick. Spoon onto the bottom of the eclairs and top with some fresh berries. Dust the tops with some icing sugar prior to serving.
Note - I chose to glaze the tops of mine with a thin icing drizzle and sprinkle with cake sprinkles, tinting the glaze with a bit of pink gel colouring. Simply measure a quantity of icing sugar into a bowl, add a drop of colouring and whisk in enough water to give you a thinnish consistency drizzle icing. Dribble over the eclairs and sprinkle on the cake sprinkles. Let set prior to serving.
TIPS FOR CHOUX PASTE PERFECTION:
- Gently heat water and butter until butter has melted and then bring to the boil.
- Once boiling quickly shoot in the flour.
- Using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously together until the mixture is well combined and leaves the sides of the pan.
- Cool to hand temperature and GRADUALLY beat in only enough egg to give you a smooth dough, with a somewhat reluctant dropping texture. (Not stiff but not too loose.)
- Once piped, wet your finger and press down any peaks.
I really love all of the Dr Oetker baking products and I use them all the time. They have a quality you can rely on and I consider them to be just about the best available on the market today. When I am baking I like products I can depend on to work and perform exactly as I expect them to. Many thanks to Dr Oetker for sending me these new sprinkles to try out. They also sent me a few other goodies to use, which was a lovely surprise! Do note, that although I was sent these products free of charge, any opinions are entirely my own and I was not required to write a positive review in exchange. I happen to really like them. Truth. Happy Sunday and Bon Appetit!
