Spring Paris-Brest with Cream and Strawberries: a spectacular and delicious cake, perfect for special occasions.
Its crunchy base of choux pastry, filled with pastry cream and whipped cream, and decorated with fresh strawberries, makes it a beautiful and delightful dessert.
The Paris-Brest is a traditional French dessert. Its name and circular shape, reminiscent of a bicycle wheel, are a tribute to the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling race.
The original Paris-Brest base is made of a ring of choux pastry, the same used for cream puffs. The filling is a butter-enriched pastry cream with praline paste. Finally, it is decorated with sliced almonds and powdered sugar.
Of course, my recipe is not the original version. Instead, for the filling, I used cream and whipped cream, and for the decoration, I used fresh strawberries. I hope you like my version. Please try it and let me know in the comments what you think.
But let’s see right away how to prepare my Spring Paris-Brest with Cream and Fresh Strawberries.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to my YouTube Fun in the Kitchen channel so you don’t miss my VIDEO RECIPES!
There are one or more affiliate links in this content.
You might also like these recipes:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
- 5 eggs
- 7/8 cup water
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/8 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- as needed powdered sugar
- as needed strawberries
- as needed chocolate chips
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Hand whisk
Steps
First, prepare the choux pastry. In a small pot, pour in the water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture starts to boil, remove the pot from the heat and add all the flour at once.
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, homogeneous dough that detaches from the sides of the pot.
Put the pot back on the heat and cook the dough for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously, until a slight film forms at the bottom.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool slightly.
Incorporate the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough should be smooth, shiny, and well blended.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and with the piping bag, form a circle about 10 inches in diameter.
Form two more concentric circles inside the first one.
Create little mounds of dough along the entire circumference of the circles.
Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 374°F and continue baking for another 20 minutes.
Turn off the oven and let the Paris-Brest cool inside with the door slightly open.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream. Heat the milk in a small pot.
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a smooth and frothy cream.
Add the cornstarch and mix well. Pour the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Transfer the mixture to the pot and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the cream thickens.
Pour the cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and let it cool completely.
Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar (decide the amount of sugar) until you get a firm consistency.
Cut the Paris-Brest in half horizontally.
Fill the base with pastry cream using a piping bag.
Distribute the whipped cream over the pastry cream. Add chocolate chips. Close the Paris-Brest with the top part.
Decorate the surface with dollops of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It is best enjoyed fresh to appreciate its texture and flavor.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I add vanilla to the cream?
Yes, for a richer cream, you can add a vanilla bean while cooking the milk.
Can I use another cream?
You can vary the filling by using other creams, such as chantilly cream or chocolate cream.
Can I replace the strawberries?
Of course. You can use fresh seasonal fruit for the decoration.
