Chocolate Eclairs

If filling with dairy-free whipped coconut cream – place a tin of coconut milk into the fridge the day before needed. (See tip)

Preheat your oven to 220°c /200°c fan oven / 425°f / gas mark 7.

Place the dairy-free margarine into a saucepan with 125ml cold water and a pinch of salt

and sugar.

Sieve the gram flour into a small bowl.

Bring the water to the boil. The dairy-free margarine should have melted by the time the water boils.

Turn off the heat and stir in the gram flour. Place back on the heat and beat with a wooden spoon for 20 seconds.
Leave to cool until you can place your hand on the mix comfortably.

Mix the ‘No egg’ with a small amount of the water until smooth. Add the rest of the water until all combined.

for the eclairs
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and brush with oil.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain nozzle and fill with the choux pastry. Pipe lines on the tray spaced apart. Try to pipe them all the same size.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Check at this time, the tray may need turning round or placed on a lower shelf to finish cooking.

The eclairs are cooked when they look firm and golden. After this time, take them out of the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Make a small slit along the base of each bun and scoop out the mixture inside and discard.

Place the eclairs back into the oven for 4 minutes to dry out the inside. Leave to cool.

Melt the chocolate and dip the top of each éclair into the chocolate.
Leave to dry on a cooling wire. The éclairs can be frozen at this stage.

Whisk the dairy-free cream (see tip). Fill a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle. Open up where you scooped out the insides and pipe the cream into each eclair.

Best eaten on the same day.