Best Chocolate Cream Puff Trifle Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM-PUFF TRIFLE

Steps:

• Dried fruit:Bring anisette just to a simmer in a small pot. Add dried fruit and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; let sit at least 1 hour and up to 3 days at room temperature.
• Pate a choux puffs:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring butter, sugar, salt, and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in flour with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a film forms on bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and beat with a mixer on low speed until cool, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and egg white, 1 at a time. Increase speed to medium and beat until a soft peak forms when you touch dough with your finger, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (Ateco #806). Pipe dough into thirty 1-to-1 1/4-inch mounds, 1 1/2 inches apart, on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Smooth tip of each mound with a moistened finger, then bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Choux puffs can be made 2 days ahead and stored in refrigerator, or frozen up to 1 month.
• Chocolate pastry cream:Place chocolate in a bowl and set a fine sieve over bowl. Bring milk and 1/3 cup sugar almost to a boil in a saucepan; remove from heat. Whisk together egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl until thick, 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and salt, then whisk to combine. Whisk in half of hot milk, then pour mixture into remaining milk in pan. Bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching, about 1 minute. Pour mixture through sieve over chocolate, then whisk to combine. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream to cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Pastry cream can be made up to 2 days ahead.
• Ricotta cream:Beat together ricotta, cream, sugar, orange zest, anisette, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until very thick and fluffy. Stir in chocolate and refrigerate until ready to use. Ricotta cream can be made up to 2 days ahead.
• Assembly:Place chocolate pastry cream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip (Ateco #801). Make a small hole in bottom of each choux puff with a paring knife. Insert pastry-bag tip into hole in each puff and squeeze bag until puffs are completely filled with pastry cream. (See Cook's Notes.) Spread half of ricotta cream in a 12-to-16-cup trifle bowl. Top with half of marmalade, then sprinkle with half of dried fruit and soaking liquid. Top with 15 cream puffs. Repeat layering with remaining ricotta cream, marmalade, dried fruit, and cream puffs. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat until smooth. , Cover a baking sheet with foil; grease foil. Drop batter into six mounds onto foil. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer. Remove puffs to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape. , In a bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and cocoa, beating until almost stiff. Split puffs and remove soft dough. Add filling; replace tops. Melt chocolate and butter; stir in sugar and water. Drizzle over puffs. Chill.

IRISH CREME CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions, using a 13x9-in. pan. Cool in pan on a wire rack 1 hour., With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes in cake about 2 in. apart. Slowly pour creamer over cake; refrigerate, covered, 1 hour., In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes 2 minutes; let stand until soft-set, about 2 minutes., Cut cake into 1-1/2-in. cubes. In a 3-qt. trifle or glass bowl, layer a third of each of the following: cake cubes, pudding, whipped topping and candies. Repeat layers twice. Refrigerate until serving.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet lightly with some shortening. Put beaters into the freezer to chill.
• Combine water and shortening in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt all at once and reduce heat to low. Stir mixture vigorously until it leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, with chilled beaters, beating vigorously after each addition until batter is smooth and glossy. Drop dough into 6 mounds on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and dry, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each puff with a knife to allow steam to escape. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely, abut 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sugar, cocoa powder and whipping cream in a bowl for the filling. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
• Cut cooled puffs in half horizontally. Fill with cocoa whipped cream.
• For the glaze, pour whipping cream into a small pot and heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Allow to cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate glaze over the cream puffs and refrigerate until serving.