Black Sesame & Passionfruit Cream Puffs
These black sesame & passionfruit cream puffs are little bites of luxury—crispy shells filled with silky cream that’s both nutty and bright. The roasted depth of black sesame meets the tropical tang of passionfruit for a dreamy balance of flavors and textures that’s indulgent yet refreshing.
Ingredients
Choux Puffs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Black Sesame Diplomat Cream (Stabilized)
- 4 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 30 g cornstarch
- 460 g milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 120 g black sesame butter/paste I get mine from a nearby Asian food store (but also super easy to make at home!)
- 240 g heavy cream
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
- 4 tsp cold water
Passionfruit Curd
- ½ cup passion fruit pulp (from 3 – 4 passion fruits)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks (from large eggs)
Instructions
Make Passionfruit Curd (Ideally the day before your cream puffs)
- Add the the passion fruit pulp and sugar to a small saucepan, and place the saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely.
- In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks and lemon juice into, and whisk vigorously until it forms a smooth paste and turns a pale yellow.
- While whisking the egg yolks, slowly stream in the warm passion fruit and sugar to temper the eggs. Do NOT go too quickly or stop whisking - or you will cook your eggs.
- Once the passionfruit mixture is fully incorporate, pour the full mixture back into the saucepan, and return the saucepan to medium low heat on the stove, still whisking continuously.
- Add the unsalted butter to the saucepan, and whisk continuously. Be sure to intermittently scrape the bottom and sides of your pan so that the curd cooks evenly and doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Stir or whisk frequently until the passion fruit curd thickens (passion fruit curd registers 160° F/71° C). This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes - depending on the heat level of your stove. Watch carefully. When the passion fruit curd registers 160° F, it’s ready!
- Add to an airtight container to cool completely, then move to the fridge for at least 4 hours before piping into your puffs.
Bake Choux Puffs
- Preheat your oven to 425˚F / ~220˚C. Line a rimmed baking sheet parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, add water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, remove from heat, and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
- Once your flour is incorporated, place the pan back over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to partially cook the flour. You will see a thin film form on the bottom of the pan, and the dough will come together into a smooth ball.
- Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat for 1 minute to cool the mixture slightly.
- Add each of your 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate between additions. Once they are added, beat for one more minute until the dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up. Tip: To confirm your choux paste is the right consistency, perform the "V-test". Dip a rubber spatula or paddle attachment into the dough. Slowly lift the spatula straight up, allowing the paste to hang from it. Observe the shape of the dough hanging from the spatula and the dough left in the bowl. If it forms a V-shape and slowly separates, the consistency is correct.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2" tip. Most people use a round tip - I like use an open star tip to make a pretty texture on the outside of the puffs.
- Pipe puffs, each 1 1/2” diameter and 1/2” tall rounds. Keep them 1" apart. If you accidentally pipe peaks on top, wet a finger tip slightly with water and tap them down.
- Bake at 425˚F~220˚C for 10 minutes in the center rack of the oven. Without opening your oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 20-22 min longer or until golden brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Black Sesame Diplomat Cream
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is pale yellow.
- In a small saucepan, heat your milk, vanilla, and salt over medium-low heat until it just comes to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat.
- Whisking your egg yolks constantly, slowly stream the milk into egg yolks to temper the eggs. Once the mixture is fully incorporated, return everything to the saucepan.
- Place the pan over medium heat, and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick like a pudding, and has come to a boil (you will see thick bubbles rise from the bottom and pop).
- Remove from heat and strain over a fine mesh sieve into a heat-proof bowl.
- Whisk in your black sesame paste until smooth. Fine, yes, go ahead and taste it - I couldn't help myself either.
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream and refrigerate until cold. This will take up to about 4 hours. In the meantime, you can proceed to make the choux pastry.
- Once cold, loosen with a whisk.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, let the cold water and gelatin powder sit for 5 minutes until the gelatin blooms. Microwave 20 seconds (just until the gelatin melts) and stir until smooth - set aside to cool while you continue.
- Begin whipping your heavy cream until slightly thick. Still whipping, beat in your gelatin. Whip at high speed until you reach stiff peaks.
- Fold in your black sesame cream to your stabilized whipped cream.
- Transfer to a large piping bag and refrigerate till ready to use.
Assemble Black Sesame Passionfruit Cream Puffs
- Using a serrated knife, slice the top of the choux puffs to open them up.
- Using a teaspoon or a small piping bag, add a small amount of passionfruit curd to the bottom of the each puff.
- Pipe in black sesame cream on top of the passionfruit Curd.
- Sprinkle puffs with powdered sugar, and enjoy!