Hungarian Cream Puff (Képviselőfánk)

Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-assisted). In a saucepan, bring 250 ml of water to a boil with the butter and a pinch of salt. Once the butter has melted, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one by one, incorporating each egg thoroughly before adding the next, until you have a smooth, shiny dough. Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe 12-16 even mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake the cream puffs at 200°C (180°C fan-assisted) for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C (150°C fan-assisted) and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. It's crucial not to open the oven door during baking! Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

In a saucepan, heat the milk. In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the egg yolks and cornstarch until light and fluffy. Gradually add half of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the cream thickens (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract and the 50g butter. Cover with cling film directly touching the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cut the cooled cream puffs horizontally in half. Whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Loosen the chilled vanilla cream with a whisk. First, fill the bottom half of each cream puff with vanilla cream, then pipe a dollop of whipped cream on top. Place the top half of the cream puff back on, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until serving.