If you’re ever looking for an impressive dessert to make for any special occasion, this is the one. Cake is great and all, but choux pastry is supremely underrated (at least in the US) as a dessert! It puffs up so beautifully in the oven and you end up with a crispy but soft pastry that is just delicious when paired with jam and whipped cream. In Denmark, they are a popular dessert/pastry in many forms, whether it’s these simple vandbakkelser or this vandbakkelseskrans. You may even find swan-shaped cream puffs in some Danish bakeries!
We love regular vandbakkelser, but this krans (or wreath) is really a masterpiece. Because instead of filling lots of small cream puffs, you only have to fill one big one! Much easier, even if it does take longer to bake. There’s no doubt that I’ll be making this several times this spring/summer and filling it with lots of fresh fruit! It’s just so beautiful, fresh, and delicious.
There are two absolutely essential steps in this recipe. 1. Make sure that your dough is the right consistency before piping! The dough should make a “V” shape when you lift the spoon/spatula out of it. If it falls off immediately, it’s probably too runny, and if it doesn’t drop at all, it’s probably too thick. Make sure to correct for this because it will make a difference in the final texture of the pastry dough! 2. Do NOT open the oven for at least an hour when baking this pastry! If you do, the ring will collapse and you will be left with a pastry that is doughy and has no air in it whatsoever. Apart from those two steps, it really isn’t too tricky and should turn out absolutely delicious. Let us know in the comments how it goes for you!
Vandbakkelseskrans (Choux Pastry Ring)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 237 ml (1 cup) water
- 100 grams (7 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 0.5 tsp fine salt
- 150 grams (1 + 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs (if using medium eggs, you might need a little more than 3 – beat an extra egg in a separate bowl and add a tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency)
FILLING
- Strawberry jam (or any jam you like!)
- 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
ICING
- 75 grams (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (taste the icing after adding two tablespoons, and adjust as needed!)
- A splash of water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) – you can make these on either regular or convection oven settings. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and place on the stove on medium to medium-high heat. Note: you want to bring the mixture to a point where it is just boiling so that when you add the flour, it will thicken to the right consistency!
- Once the butter mixture melts, add the flour in all at once and stir vigorously. You should hear the mixture sizzling slightly as the flour absorbs the liquid. Keep stirring over medium to medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the saucepan and comes away cleanly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Next, add the 3 eggs to the cooled dough mixture, one at a time! Mix vigorously after adding each egg. The mixture should become homogeneous before you add the next. Once all 3 eggs are in, continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and you get a “V” shape when you lift up the spatula from the batter. If your dough is too thick, you may need to add part of another egg – do this by beating the egg into a separate bowl and adding a little at a time until you get to the right consistency.
- Add the mixture to a piping bag – you can also use a gallon bag and cut the corner off to pipe!
- Brush the parchment paper with a little bit of water before piping. You can also add some dough underneath the corners to stop the paper from lifting up when you pipe.
- Begin piping a ring on a baking sheet about 8-10 inches in diameter. Create a second ring around the first one, either on the interior or exterior of the ring. Depending on the size of the piping nozzle, you may have to add more rings to each layer!
- Pipe a third ring on top of the two other rings to create a taller ring. If you have leftover dough, distribute as evenly as you can.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 390 F (200 C), then lower the oven temperature to 350 F (175 C) for about 20 additional minutes. The choux pastry should be golden brown at that point. It may need an additional 5 minutes. Be careful to not open the oven before it looks evenly golden brown, as your choux pastry may collapse! Once it is done, transfer to a baking sheet and let cool completely.
- When your pastry is almost cooled off, whip your heavy cream together with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. When whipping you are aiming for stiff peaks so the filling won't ooze out.
- Prepare your icing by mixing together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and a splash of water to get a thick but flowy icing consistency.
- Once your pastry has cooled, cut in half using a bread knife.
- Add jam of your choice (or even fresh fruit!) to the bottom of the ring.
- Pipe your whipped cream on top of the jam and add the top half.
- Ice the top of the pastry ring. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
