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Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns

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Has your choux pastry always sunk or gone hard? Want to really impress your friends? Then you need these gorgeous salted caramel choux buns! Choux pastry isn’t actually that difficult to get right. Just follow the guide below, and you’ll see how easy it really is…

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

If you’ve never made choux pastry before, don’t be alarmed. It really isn’t as difficult as everyone says it is. It’s actually very easy once you know the basics. So just follow my step by step guide and I promise you good results!

Not a confident baker? Brush up on your basic skills first with baking for beginners.

This recipe does take a good few hours from start to finish. So if you need some quicker bakes, you might prefer these caramel shard cookies or salted caramel brownie ice cream cake.

Salted Caramel Choux Buns – Step by Step Picture Recipe

Right, here is what you will need to make 14 of the most incredible Salted Caramel Choux Buns in the whole world – EVER:

Ingredients

The Salted Caramel

  • 75g Unsalted Butter
  • 50g Soft Light Brown Sugar
  • 50g Golden Caster Sugar
  • 100g Golden Syrup
  • 125ml Double Cream
  • approx 2 tsp Sea Salt

For The Choux Pastry

  • 220ml Water
  • 80g Unsalted Butter
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Generous Pinch of Sugar
  • 125g Plain Flour
  • 220g Beaten Egg (approx 4 Eggs) Room Temp *

For the Filling

  • 750ml Double Cream
  • 1 Portion of Salted Caramel (Ingredients above)

The Caramel Icing

  • 60g Unsalted Butter
  • 110g Soft Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 120g Icing Sugar

The Chocolate Drizzle (Optional)

  • 75g Dark Chocolate
  • 1-2 tbsp Milk

*I do recommend that you weigh the beaten egg rather than just using 4 whole eggs. Obviously eggs come in various sizes but weight is absolute and will guarantee a good outcome.

Salted Caramel Instructions

* Place a large glass bowl into the fridge to chill ready for the choux pastry later *

To make the salted caramel,  place the butter, both sugars and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a medium heat and melt together. Bring it to the boil and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. (Swirl once or twice if you need to.)

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Turn down the heat, add in the cream and give it a good stir. Now, half a tsp at a time – add the salt, stirring well and tasting in-between each addition. (WARNING – be very careful not to burn yourself as it will still be hot!)

When it’s right for you, decant into a bowl, cover with cling film and pop into the fridge to chill until needed later.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Choux pastry instructions – making the batter

Lightly grease two large baking sheets (or line with silicone baking mats) and preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 190°C.

In a medium sized saucepan, add the water, butter, salt and sugar. Heat until the butter has melted and it just comes to the boil.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

With the pan still over the heat, dump in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until it comes together to form one lump of dough.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Remove from the heat and tip the dough into that bowl you chilled in the fridge earlier. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Now you need the elbow grease!

A little at a time, add the beaten egg to the dough and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon in-between each addition.

At first it will split and seem like it is never going to come together – but it will, trust me. Just keep going.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

You are after what they call a ‘dropping consistency.’ This basically means that when you lift up a large amount of the dough, it should drop back to the bowl within 5 seconds.

It will look a little something like this…

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Pour the pastry into a large piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.

Evenly spaced out, pipe 14 ‘blobs’ about 5cm in diameter. Try and keep them all the same shape and size if you can but don’t worry too much. I actually find the sporadic irregularity of choux pastry quite charming.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Choux pastry instructions – baking

Gently dampen the tops with a little cold water. (If there are any ‘spikes’ of pastry, carefully pat them down a little.)

Pop them straight into the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

Take them out of the oven. Using either a skewer or a sharp knife, poke an air hole into each one then place straight back into the oven for a further 10 minutes. This will help to dry out the inside and prevent them from collapsing.

When they are crispy and golden – remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Filling instructions

You could use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment but I like to do this by hand as you can very easily over whisk cream and it will begin to churn into butter. Not what you want!

So, ideally using a large bowl and whisk – whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Remove the salted caramel you made earlier from the fridge and add to the cream in thirds. Carefully fold in using a spatula until it’s all smooth and blended together.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

I used a piping tube nozzle (affiliate link) which made life a lot easier but if you don’t have one, just use your judgement and pick one you do have. So, prepare your piping bag with your chosen nozzle and add in the filling.

If you need to, expand those air holes you made earlier. Then insert the nozzle and squeeze in the filling. Be careful not to over do it though or they may burst.

When they’re all filled, leave to one side whilst we make the caramel icing.

Caramel icing instructions

In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar and milk. Bring it to the boil then simmer for 2 minutes.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Remove from the heat and add in the icing sugar. Beat until smooth.

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

If it starts to set before you’ve covered all your Salted Caramel Choux Buns – just pop it back over the heat again to melt a little and stir well.

Spoon the warm icing over each bun then allow to set at room temperature. (This should happen relatively quickly.)

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Chocolate drizzle instructions (optional)

Now if you want to make your Salted Caramel Choux Buns look really tempting, make this quick chocolate drizzle.

Simply break the dark chocolate into a large bowl and add in the milk. Then either in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water – gently melt until shiny and smooth.

Pour into a piping bag and snip the end. Pipe zig zags over each bun, stand back, and marvel at your beautiful creations…

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

Ok, you’ve waited long enough. Cram some Salted Caramel Choux Buns STRAIGHT INTO YOUR FACE!! Hahahaha! They’re good right?? I told you they were worth it.

These are honestly one of the nicest things I have ever baked in my kitchen and salted caramel is, hands down, one of my all time favourite flavours.

I really hope you enjoyed the post, so much so – you give it a go yourself!

Indulgent Salted Caramel Choux Buns | Pastry | Cream Cake | Bun

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Trang

Friday 3rd of October 2014

These look divine girl!

Miss KitchenMason

Friday 3rd of October 2014

Haha thanks!

mapandearly

Friday 3rd of October 2014

These look so fun! I may just have to cross the math barrier and try them out. The only thing I don't have is the cream. Maybe I could try using a different filling. I'm getting excited...

Miss KitchenMason

Friday 3rd of October 2014

Aww thank you! Let me know how you get on :)

HELEN

Monday 29th of September 2014

oh wow, so nice!

Miss KitchenMason

Monday 29th of September 2014

Thank you! x

SweetCarolineRVA

Monday 29th of September 2014

Oh my gosh, those look amazing... wow! You might like some of the dessert recipes I've shared too - like salted caramel pecan pie!

http://sweetcarolinerva.com/category/cooking/dessert/

Miss KitchenMason

Monday 29th of September 2014

Lovely! Thanks Caroline :) x

Baking With Gab

Monday 29th of September 2014

These sounds heavenly!

Miss KitchenMason

Monday 29th of September 2014

Aww thanks Gab! X

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