Profiterole with Mirror Glaze – The perfect dessert to celebrate in style.
Every birthday deserves a special dessert, but this year I wanted something truly spectacular. So, for my father-in-law’s birthday, I decided to prepare the profiterole with mirror glaze: an elegant, delicious dessert that makes eyes shine even before tasting.
I remember his expression when I brought it to the table: surprise, amazement, and a smile that was worth all the effort. The cream puffs, filled with a soft and velvety cream, were wrapped in a glossy and deep glaze, reflecting light like a mirror. To complete it all, dollops of whipped cream as small decorations, simple yet impactful.
This dessert made the celebration even more special, turning an already beautiful moment into an unforgettable memory.
And now I want to share the recipe with you, to help you bring to the table a sweet masterpiece that combines tradition and modernity.
If you’re also looking for a dessert that can capture at first sight (and the first taste), the profiterole with mirror glaze is just what you need.
Before moving on to the recipe, take a look at other interesting proposals and please, read the F.A.Q. at the bottom and if you have any doubts, I will be happy to help you.
OTHER INTERESTING RECIPES:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 1 Day
- Portions: 12 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 5 1/4 oz butter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs (+ 1 if necessary)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 7 3/4 oz sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 sheets gelatin sheets
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 1/4 oz sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsps cornstarch
- 3 tbsps rice starch
- vanilla (powder or extract)
- lemon zest (preferably organic)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Tools
To transport the profiterole, I recommend a tall cake carrier.
- 1 Cake Pan high
Steps
All the detailed steps of the various preparations, to have a profiterole worthy of a pastry shop, can be found in the highlighted links.
Continuously mix all the ingredients on the stove, half of the hot cream except for the gelatin.
Pour the previously soaked and squeezed gelatin into the remaining hot cream, stir well to dissolve it.
Add the cream with gelatin to the cocoa mixture, which will now be thicker, with the stove off, mix well, and then transfer the glaze to a clean bowl with contact film. Once the glaze cools down, put it in the fridge to thicken and become creamy. All the detailed steps for the perfect mirror glaze can be found here.
Pour water, oil, a pinch of salt, and sugar into the saucepan. Wait for the water to start boiling, remove from heat, and pour the sifted flour in one go. Essential step to avoid lumps.
Stir vigorously and put the saucepan back on the heat, continuing to stir until the dough detaches from the walls and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. If you have a probe or laser thermometer, the temperature should measure 198°F.
Move the dough to a cold container and spread it on the walls to cool it quickly. (It should drop to about 122°F).
Add the eggs one at a time, not adding the second if the first is not completely incorporated into the dough. You can use either a hand whisk or electric spirals to mix. In this recipe, an extra egg is provided, which, as explained at the beginning of the “Steps” paragraph, will be mixed and added little by little, only if needed. The final dough should look like the picture; that is, when lifting the dough with a spatula, it should form a triangle.
Put the dough in a piping bag with a plain nozzle (or star, your choice) and pipe small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet (as explained here) slightly larger than a walnut. Place the trays in the fridge and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake the first 10′ at 425°F, then lower to 390°F and bake for another 10′, and finish baking at 355°F for another 10′, leaving the oven door ajar for the last 5′ so that steam escapes from the oven. Leave the trays in the oven until they cool down. Baking ajar means leaving the oven door slightly open by inserting a ball of foil or a wooden spoon.
Mix the eggs with the sugar and grated zest in a bowl.
Add the sifted starches, mix, then pour in the milk and vanilla.
Cook in the microwave at maximum power (for me 800W) for 2 minutes.
Out of the microwave, stir quickly and put the bowl back in the oven for 1 and a half minutes. Then always check by stirring with the whisk if it’s necessary to extend the cooking for another 10/15 seconds. Cover with contact film and then use the cream as you like. All the details can be found here, or make your favorite cream.
Fill the piping bag with a small star nozzle with the cold pastry cream, break the bottom of the cream puffs and fill them.
Dunk the cream puffs in the cold mirror glaze, avoiding fully submerging them, lift them with a fork.
Place them on a serving plate forming a mountain and decorate the empty spaces with small dollops of previously well-chilled whipped cream.
Storage:
The dessert can be stored in the fridge for no more than 3 days, in a cake carrier.
Tips:
If you prefer, you can also serve the profiterole in individual portions, calculating at least 3 cream puffs per person (obviously depending on the size).
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I prepare the profiterole with mirror glaze in advance?
Yes, it is advisable to prepare all the bases beforehand, for example, the cream puffs can be baked even two or three days in advance and stored in a food bag.
Can I freeze homemade profiterole?
Yes, you can freeze the cream puffs (empty or filled with cream), but without glaze. Glazed profiterole does not keep well in the freezer: the glaze might become dull after thawing.
If I wanted to fill the cream puffs with cream, do you recommend it?
Certainly. Whip the well-chilled cream with powdered sugar and vanilla (adjust the sugar to your taste, but don’t overdo it) and then fill the cream puffs.
