Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry:
- 1 cup water
- 125g unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
For the Vanilla Cream Filling:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 200g unsalted butter (room temperature)
Topping:
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
1. Prepare the Pastry
- Preheat your oven to 200°C.
- In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil.
- Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Let it cool slightly.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the baking powder until the dough is smooth and glossy.
- Divide the dough in half. Spread each half into a greased baking tin (the surface should be uneven to create “mountain” peaks).
- Bake each layer for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven during baking, or the peaks will collapse. Let them cool completely.
2. Make the Pudding Cream
- Mix 1/2 cup of milk with the flour and cornstarch until smooth.
- Boil the remaining milk with the sugar and vanilla.
- Slowly pour the flour mixture into the boiling milk, whisking constantly until it thickens into a heavy pudding. Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface) to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Cream the room-temperature butter until fluffy. Gradually add the cooled pudding, one tablespoon at a time, beating until you have a smooth, silky cream.
3. Assembly
- Place one pastry layer back into the tin.
- Spread the vanilla cream evenly over the base.
- Top with the second pastry layer (the one with the best “mountain” peaks).
- Refrigerate for at least 3–4 hours (or overnight) to allow the cream to set.
- Before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar to simulate “snow” on the mountains, as seen in 1000008064.jpg.
