Chocolate Choux Wreath with Baileys Cream and Chocolate Sauce

• milk↗75 ml
• unsalted butter75 g

  cut into small cubes

• golden fine sugar↗1 tsp
• all-purpose flour↗140 g
• eggs↗3
• toasted almond slices

  golden pearls and powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

• chocolate↗100 g
• butter↗15 g
• heavy cream100 ml
• Baileys↗1 tbsp

  or another Irish cream liqueur

• powdered sugar↗25 g
• heavy cream300 ml
• Baileys↗50 ml

  or another Irish cream liqueur

• vanilla extract↗1/2 tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 10 cm cutter, draw a circle in the center of the paper, then with a 6 cm cutter create nine circles evenly spaced around the large circle (lightly touching is acceptable).

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C for convection/gas 6). For the choux pastry, pour milk, 75 ml water, the cubed butter, ¼ tsp salt and sugar into a medium saucepan, place over medium‑high heat and bring to a rolling boil. When it boils and the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return the pan to the heat and whisk for 1‑2 minutes to dry slightly. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and whisk for another 1‑2 minutes until it cools a little.

3. 3

   Add the eggs one at a time to the dough, whisking with an electric mixer until fully incorporated before adding the next. Pipe the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe uniform mounds onto the marked small circles, just touching each other. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the wreath rises and turns light‑brown. Turn off the oven and leave the wreath inside with the door closed until completely cooled.

4. 4

   When the wreath has cooled, remove it from the oven and set aside. The dough can be prepared a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. To make the chocolate sauce, place all ingredients in a bowl and gently heat over a saucepan of nearly boiling water or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring thoroughly after each addition until the sauce becomes glossy. Set aside.

5. 5

   For the cream, add all ingredients into a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until the mixture reaches a firm consistency – this will take longer than it seems, so be patient; the cream will eventually thicken and hold its shape. Transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

6. 6

   The easiest way to assemble the wreath is to take each bun, cut it in half, generously fill with cream, place the top half back and position it in place. Drizzle the entire wreath with the sauce so each bun is evenly coated with a neat droplet effect, sprinkle toasted almond slices and golden pearls if using. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, offering extra sauce on the side.