Chocolate Croquembouche

This is a classic French dessert means "crunch in the mouth". Impress your guests with your amazing dessert!

The croquembouche is a dish generally served during weddings and parties.

It is quite an elaborate dessert but worth the effort. To create a twist to the original version I have incorporated chocolate too. The kids will love it.

If you love this dessert, do vote for me. Thank you!

Preparation Time - 45 minutes

Cooking Time - 1 Hour

FOR PASTRY PUFFS

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

7 large eggs

Chocolate pastry cream:
Water - 3/4 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Milk - 3 Tbsp

Cocoa Powder - 1/4 cup

Cornflour Syrup - 2 Tbsp

Chocolate - 3 Square pieces

Vanilla Extract - 1 Tsp

Butter - 1 Tsp

Topping - Almond

Caramel:

2/3 Cup water

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

Boil Water and sugar till the sugar is dissolved. Add milk. Keep on low flame. Add cocoa powder to the mix.

Add the Chocolate piece and let it melt. Add Corn Flour Syrup and keep mixing continuously to prevent lump formation.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter,water with sugar. Take care that the butter should melt before the water boils.

Remove pan from heat, and add flour.

Return pan to heat and, using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. (A thin film should form on the bottom of the pan.)

The mixture should come together as a ball.

Cool slightly, and add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously.

Spoon or pipe small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Brush with egg glaze, and smooth the tops.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C and then reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C. Continue to bake for a further 20 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color.

To make it dry, turn the oven off. Make couple of pokes st the bottom of each puff. Place it back in the oven with the oven door slightly ajar. The shells completely cool and dry out.

Now fill the puffs from the base with chocolate cream sauce prepared with the help of a piping bag.

In a medium saucepan, combine cup water, sugar, and corn syrup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir.

Boil for 5 minutes, or until syrup is amber in color. Remove from heat.

Dip the bottom of each puff into the caramel, and arrange puffs in a pyramid.

Take few of the puff pastry. Pour the chocolate sauce over the puff pastry and add chopped almonds as topping.

Dip the bottom of each pastry puff into the caramel, and arrange puffs in a pyramid.

Alternate between the chocolate pastry puff and the plain pastry puff.

For the spun sugar take a fork of spoon and dip in the caramel.

Let the first few drops flow down.

Then start to wave the caramel back and forth over the croquembouche, allowing the strands to fall in long, thin threads around it.