Ingredients
• 90g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
• 80g unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• Edible gold leaf, (see note) to serve
Salted caramel filling
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 450ml thickened cream, at room temperature
• 2 tbs icing sugar, sifted
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C and lightly grease 2 large baking trays. Sift flour, sugar and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place butter and 220ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rapid boil. Add the flour mixture to the saucepan, then remove from the heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes until the mixture forms a thick paste. Place over low heat and beat for a further 1 minute or until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan.
3. Transfer dough to an electric mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until you have a smooth, glossy dough with a thick dropping consistency.
4. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle with the dough. Pipe 3cm-wide rounds, 2cm apart, on the prepared trays to make 30 profiteroles. In batches, bake on the top shelf for 15-18 minutes until risen, golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and pierce the bottom of each profiterole with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Cool completely on a wire rack.
5. For the salted caramel filling, place the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature. In a bowl, whisk cream with icing sugar and vanilla seeds until soft peaks form. Fold cream into cooled caramel, then chill for 10 minutes until cold and firm.
6. Meanwhile, place cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
7. Spoon caramel filling into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain nozzle. Insert the nozzle into the pierced hole in each profiterole and gently pipe in the filling. Stack the profiteroles in a tower on a serving plate (secure with a few toothpicks, if needed). Drizzle over the chocolate sauce, garnish with gold leaf and serve immediately.
