I know profiteroles are traditionally filled with pastry cream, ice cream, or another soft cream. But cheesecake is made from cream cheese, so it counts as a filling — and if you want to bend the rules a little, that’s fine. Pâte à choux, whether made into profiteroles or éclairs, is simply a vessel for delicious fillings.
This version uses a baked strawberry cheesecake — not a no-bake mixture — which gives a richer flavor and firmer texture. After baking and cooling, the cheesecake is scraped from the pan and lightened with whipped cream so it pipes smoothly. I could have left them simple, or dusted with powdered sugar, but I usually prefer a little extra finish. The final touch includes a pink glaze, a contrasting white stripe, and a sprinkle of graham-cracker crumbs for texture.
Now it’s your turn — make these!
Strawberry-Cheesecake Filled Profiterole
Ingredients
- Pâte à choux
- 1 cup water
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 ½ cups bread flour
- 3 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
Strawberry-cheesecake filling:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup pureed strawberries (or strawberry jam)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preparation: Heat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the bread flour, and stir until combined. Return to the heat and stir in a circular motion until the dough forms a ball in the center of the pan. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Fit the mixer with a whisk or paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough should be smooth and free of lumps.
- Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 1½-inch rounds onto the prepared parchment. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and pierce each puff with a paring knife to release steam.
To make the strawberry-cheesecake filling:
- Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and pureed strawberries until smooth. Pour into an 8×8-inch pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30–35 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center still jiggles slightly. Cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. When the cheesecake has cooled, scrape it from the pan with a large spoon (avoiding any browned edges), break it into pieces, and fold it together with the whipped cream until well blended. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a long round tip and set aside.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the glaze in a sealed plastic bag with one corner snipped for piping. Add a drop of pink food coloring to the remaining glaze if desired and mix until evenly colored. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Puncture a small hole in the bottom of each profiterole with the pastry tip and pipe in the strawberry-cheesecake filling until the shell is full.
- Dip the filled profiterole into the pink glaze, then stripe the top with the reserved pale glaze. Sprinkle graham-cracker crumbs over the top. Optional: pipe a small dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a quartered strawberry.
Notes
A few notes:
- The pâte à choux can be made a day ahead and stored loosely covered at room temperature.
- The strawberry-cheesecake filling can be made up to two days ahead and kept refrigerated.