This glamorous salted caramel and chocolate profiterole dessert will take centre-stage at your Christmas feast.

Prep Time : 0:20 | Cook Time : 0:30 | Total Time : 0:50 | Serving : 30 person.

Ingredients

• 90g plain flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons 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 tablespoons golden syrup

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 450ml thickened cream, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Method

• Step 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.

• Step 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.

• Step 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.

• Step 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.

• Step 5

  For the salted caramel filling, place the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon 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.

• Step 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.

• Step 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.