Baileys cream & chocolate choux wreath

Method

• step 1

  Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Use a 10cm cookie cutter to draw a circle in the middle of the parchment, then use a 6cm cookie cutter to draw nine circles evenly spaced around the edge of the 10cm circle (touching slightly is fine).

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the choux, put the milk and 75ml water, the butter,¼ tsp salt and the sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, and bring to a full rolling boil. Once boiling and the butter has melted, remove from the heat, tip in the flour and immediately beat together with a wooden spoon to a smooth paste. Return to the heat and beat for 1-2 mins to dry it out a little. Tip the paste into a large bowl and beat for 1-2 mins to cool down slightly.

• step 3

  Pour the eggs onto the paste, one at a time, beating or whisking with an electric whisk until fully combined before adding another. Put the dough in a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle, then pipe even mounds of dough onto the smaller circles around the large circle so they are just touching. Bake for 40 mins, or until the choux wreath is well risen and light brown. Turn the oven off but leave the wreath in the oven with the door closed until fully cooled.

• step 4

  Once the wreath has cooled, remove from the oven and set aside. Can be made up to a day ahead and kept in an airtight container. To make the chocolate sauce, tip all the ingredients into a bowl and warm gently over a pan of barely simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring well between each addition until you have a glossy sauce, then set aside.

• step 5

  For the cream, tip all the ingredients into a large bowl and use an electric whisk to beat everything together until it holds it’s shape – this takes longer than you think, so persevere and the cream will eventually thicken and hold. Scrape into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

• step 6

  The easiest way to assemble is to take one bun at a time, cut it in half, generously fill with the cream, pop the top back on and place on the serving plate back in its original spot. Spoon the sauce over the wreath so that each bun is coated on top with a neat drip effect, scatter with the flaked almonds and gold pearls, if using. Dust with icing sugar and serve straightaway with extra sauce on the side.