Showstopping French Paris-Brest With Hazelnut Praline Cream

Paris-Brest is the ring of choux filled with hazelnut praline cream, built to look like a bicycle wheel. I fold toasted praline into the cream so the nut flavor runs all the way through.

The French Paris-Brest recipe is straightforward and involves preparing the choux pastry, piping it into a ring shape, and filling it with a luscious cream, making it a rewarding cooking project.

Decadent Paris-Brest with Hazelnut Praline Cream

The Paris-Brest features a crispy, golden ring of choux pastry that’s filled to the brim with a creamy, nutty hazelnut praline mixture. This recipe takes about 1 hour from start to finish and serves 8 people.

Ingredients

For the choux pastry:
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
For the hazelnut praline cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup hazelnut praline paste
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For garnish:
Chopped hazelnuts
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare Choux Pastry: In a saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring it to a boil, then add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Cool and Add Eggs: Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth and shiny.

Form the Ring: Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe a ring onto the prepared baking sheet, making another smaller ring inside it to create a border.
Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and puffed. Let cool completely.
Make the Cream: In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gradually fold in the hazelnut praline paste, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Fill the Pastry: Once the choux ring is cool, cut it in half horizontally. Fill the bottom half generously with the hazelnut praline cream and replace the top half.
Garnish and Serve: Dust with powdered sugar, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, and slice to serve. Enjoy your decadent French Paris-Brest!