Chocolate cherry cream buns

Makes 12 Desserts and puddings

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Method

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the butter in a saucepan with 150ml cold water.

Sift the flour and sugar on to a piece of greaseproof paper and break the eggs into a jug.

Put the saucepan on a low heat and don’t stir. When the butter melts, raise the heat and when it begins to boil, take off the heat, add the flour mix and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue beating for 1-2 minutes until the lumpy mass forms a smooth dough that leaves the sides of the saucepan.

Lightly beat the eggs and add to the saucepan a bit at a time, beating each addition until absorbed and glossy.

Butter an oven tray and run it briefly under the cold tap, then shake off any surplus water and spoon out 12 well-spaced dollops of the pastry dough. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, raise the temperature to 220C/425F/Gas 7 and bake for a further 25 minutes until crisp and brown.

Remove from the oven, halve them horizontally and allow to cool, cut-side up on a rack.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a small bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and brush the tops of the buns with the melted chocolate.

To serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar and spoon some into each base, fill with the stoned cherries and cover with the chocolate-coated tops.