Servings: 16 tiramisu cream puffs
Equipment
- whisk
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
Coffee Pastry Cream:
- 1 cup milk ~240g
- 2 egg yolks medium or large (about 30-35g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch ~20g
- 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar ~44g
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee ~2g
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ~14g
Choux Pastry:
- ¼ cup water ~60 ml
- ¼ cup milk ~60 ml
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
- 2½ oz all-purpose flour ~70 g
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp sugar
- 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking
Streusel Topping:
- 2 oz unsalted butter 4 tbsp or 61g
- 2 oz all-purpose flour 1/2 cup or 61g
- 2 oz light brown sugar 1/4 cup or 61g
Mascarpone Cream:
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese ~226g
- 2/3 cups heavy cream ~160g
- 2 egg yolks medium or large (about 30-35g)
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Coffee Pastry Cream
- Boil Milk: In a pot, mix milk with instant coffee, vanilla extract and half the sugar, and heat until almost boiling.
- Prep Yolks: Whisk yolks in a bowl, then mix in cornstarch and the remaining sugar.
- Temper Eggs: Gradually add a few tablespoons of hot milk to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Repeat until all milk is incorporated.
- Thicken Cream: Return mixture to the pot and cook on low/medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and bubbles (2-4 minutes).
- Off Heat Whisking: Once thick, remove from heat and whisk for another minute.
- Add Butter: Stir butter into the mixture until melted and integrated.
- Taste and Adjust: Taste the cream and add more sugar or vanilla if needed.
- Chill: Cover with plastic wrap touching the cream's surface to avoid crust formation. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate.
Streusel:
- Soften Butter: Cut the butter into cubes and let it soften at room temperature for about an hour.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine sugar and flour.
- Add Butter: Incorporate the softened butter using a fork or mixer until evenly mixed.
- Roll Out Dough: Between parchment papers, roll dough to a thickness of 2-3mm. Peel and replace paper as needed for easier rolling.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the rolled dough (still between sheets) for about 30 minutes, ideally on a cutting board that will retain temperature for longer.
- Cut Shapes: Cut the dough into 1.5 to 2-inch disks quickly before it softens, remove the excess, and return the disks to the fridge.
Choux Pastry:
- Preheat Oven: Heat oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Boil Butter Mixture: In a pot, mix butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, ensuring the butter melts completely.
- Add Flour: Off the heat, add flour and cocoa powder (mixed) all at once and stir. Return to low heat, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes until the dough is thick, glossy, and leaves a thin film on the pot bottom.
- Cool Dough: Transfer dough to a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes, spreading it out to cool faster.
- Whisk Eggs: Beat eggs in a separate bowl.
- Mix Dough: With the dough slightly cooled, mix with a hand mixer. Gradually add half the eggs, mix, then add the remaining eggs bit by bit until the dough forms a 'V' shape when lifted with a whisk or spatula.
Bake:
- Prepare Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Pipe Dough: Fill a piping bag and pipe dough onto the tray in 2-inch mounds, leaving 1¼ inches space between each.
- Add Streusel: Place refrigerated streusel discs on each dough mound.
- Bake: Place the baking tray in the oven, immediately reduce temperature to 356°F (180°C), and bake for 40 minutes until slightly browned. Open the oven door slightly for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Mascarpone Cream:
- Whip Creams: Combine cold mascarpone and heavy cream then whip to soft peaks. Refrigerate.
- Cook Yolks: Over a simmering double boiler, continuously whisk egg yolks and sugar until the mix thickens. Whisk for another 2 minutes after the mix thickens to ensure safety, then take off the heat.
- Whip Yolks: Whip the cooked yolks until creamy and expanded.
- Combine Mixtures: Fold the whipped yolks into the chilled cream mixture, then whip for a minute or two. You should achieve a smooth, mousse-like consistency.
Assembly:
- Prep Pastry Cream: Stir the refrigerated pastry cream until smooth and pliable.
- Cut Puffs: Slice off the top of each puff to create an opening for the creams.
- Add Coffee Cream: Pipe the coffee pastry cream into each puff, filling about a third of the cavity.
- Insert Mascarpone Cream: Top off with mascarpone cream, slightly overfilling for a dome appearance.
- Close Puffs: Replace the tops of the puffs, pressing lightly to seal with the cream.
- Dust and Serve: Finish with a light dusting of cocoa powder and serve immediately.
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