Christmas Tree Profiteroles

Ingredients

For the dough:

Water 450 ml

Flour 200 g

Butter 200 g

Eggs 5

Salt 1/2 tsp

For the first frosting:

Egg yolk 4

Lemon 1

Lemon juice 4 tbsp

Sugar 1/3 cup

Flour 1 tbsp

Milk 1 cup

Vanilla sugar 1 package

For the second frosting:

Mascarpone cheese 250 g

35% heavy cream 200 ml

Cherries 1 cup

Sugar 1/3 cup

Optional:

White chocolate 400 g

Prepare the cone in advance: cover a large sheet of paper with foil and roll it into a cone with the foil inside. Glue it together and trim the edges to make it even. You should get something like a magic hat.

Heat the water with a stick of butter until it boils. Then add salt and all the flour. Stir quickly until the dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides. Let it cool slightly (so your hand can handle it) and beat in 5 eggs, one at a time. Mix each egg thoroughly into the dough until smooth, then add the next one; do not beat it.

Next, check the consistency of the dough. If it's too thick, you can add half an egg (in a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork and pour half into the dough). Now spoon the dough or use a pastry bag onto parchment paper (you'll make about 100 profiteroles).

Bake for 20-30 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C until golden brown. Remove the profiteroles, let them cool, make a small slit, and return them to the oven for another 5 minutes to dry. Then, place them on a wire rack to cool.

Now let's make the cream. Here are two types: one is a classic croquembouche lemon custard, and the other is made with mascarpone.

Bring the milk to a boil, whisk all the remaining ingredients, then gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Then return everything to the heat and, stirring, bring to a boil until the first bubbles appear. Then let them cool, placing a circle of parchment or cling film on top to prevent a skin from forming.

Now for the second cream:

Puree the cherries and sugar in a blender. Whip the mascarpone with the cherry puree, add the whipped cream, and whisk again until everything is combined. That's it, the second cream is ready.

 Now fill the profiteroles with cream (if the profiteroles have become soft, dry them in the oven for another 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt 4 bars of white chocolate. Then lightly dip each bun in the chocolate and place it tightly into a cone (the cone should be placed in a vase or a liter jar). Alternatively, you can drizzle chocolate over each layer of profiteroles. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.

Now it's time to decorate. Invert the cone onto the prepared stand and decorate as desired.

Enjoy!