Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce and Orange-Scented Cream

These are the absolute bomb. It's as simple as that. Perfectly crisp and light pastry stuffed to the brim with indulgent whipped cream with a hint of orange and drenched in chocolate sauce - pure heaven!

These are great for a dinner party as they can be piled onto a platter for your guests to dive into and enjoy. The profiterole choux pastries can also be frozen before you fill them so they're ideal for making in batches and having stored away for when you need a dessert in a hurry.

Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce and Orange-Scented Cream

Makes about 20

For the choux pastry

85g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing 

100g plain flour 

3 large free-range eggs, beaten

sea salt

For the cream filling
600ml/1 pint double cream 
1 orange, zest only 

For the chocolate sauce 
100ml water 
80g caster sugar 
200g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and grease a baking sheet. 

For the choux pastry, melt the butter in a saucepan with 220ml of water then bring to a rolling boil. Sift the flour and 1 pinch of fine sea salt onto a piece of folded greaseproof paper, then quickly pour into the boiling water. Beat the pastry mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it’s smooth and the bottom of the pan is beginning to fur, then spread out on a plate and leave to cool for 20 minutes. 

Once the pastry is cool, return it to the saucepan and gradually beat in the beaten egg until the pastry mixture reaches a consistency that lazily drops off the spoon (you may not need all of the beaten egg). Using two spoons or a piping bag if you're feeling fancy, space out dollops of pastry mixture on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once cooked, use a skewer or drinking straw to pierce holes in the bases of the profiteroles, then leave them upside down on a wire rack to dry completely. If you like, you can freeze them at this stage and finish the recipe whenever you like. Just let them come up to room temperature on a wire rack to defrost.

For the filling, lightly whip the cream with the orange zest until soft peaks form. When the profiteroles are cold, use a piping bag to pipe the cream into the profiteroles using the hole you've made in them. 

For the chocolate sauce, place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil to make a syrup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over the pan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. 

Take the pan off the heat, then with a hand mixer on full speed pour the syrup mixture into the chocolate and whisk on high until smooth and well combined. To serve, place the stuffed profiteroles into a large serving dish and pour over the chocolate sauce. Serve hot or cold.