Vanilla Orange Churros

(3)
"Celebration Churros. These little cake churros turned out better than I thought ! Delicious vanilla churros covered in Demerara and caster sugar, topped with a rum and orange whipped cream with slices of fresh orange, pomegranate and beautiful blue corn flowers to make them look even more festive topped with a little churro they can't get any more dreamy , these are such a treat for your guests during the holidays. I dedicate this recipe to a very special lady my grandma Tita as yesterday was her birthday and I wished I was there to celebrate with her "
-- @holasus

Recipe Intro From holasus

These little cake churros topped with rum and orange whipped cream are so festive and look addictive. @holasus has done it once again!

Ingredients

Churros

2 1/4 cup of water
6 tbsp of organic butter
1 tsp of organic ground vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp of Maldon salt
2 1/4 cup of organic plain flour
1 free range egg
1 lt of canola oil (for frying)
3/4 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar

Whipped cream
2 cups whipping cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 oranges (zest)
1-2 tsp dark aged rum

Garnish
3-4 oranges (supremed) 
1 pomegranate (seeds)
Blue corn flowers

Method

In a sauce pan add the water, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt to a boil, stir with a wooden spoon and once is boiling add your flour and stir energetically until your dough forms, stops sticking on the sides, there is no flour bits left and all the ingredients are well incorporated. 

Once your dough is ready, remove from the heat and transfer it to a mixing bowl add your egg, and mix with the hook attachment on, until the egg is incorporated into the dough and it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.

Get your pipping bag ready cut the end of it and put a star shape tip in (I like using a small one, I prefer having small churros for little bites for everyone and they cook faster too), fill in your pipping bag 3/4 of the way with your dough, and twist the end until it pushes your dough to the tip. 

Prepare a deep sauce pan with the canola oil and heat it up until it reaches a temperature of 375F to 400F, check this with the help of a kitchen thermometer, the temperature is very important because the right temperature will allow your churros to crisp up on the outside without absorbing the oil and cooking your churros thoroughly quicker. 

Now prepare a tray with a baking sheet and with your pipping bag ready start pressing on the surface forming churro discs, that will be the base for your cakes, make 6 - 7 bases, then place in the freezer for 25 min, so they won't loose their shape when frying.

Once your oil is ready start pressing your pipping bag (with the remaining dough) into the hot oil and when you have small size churros coming out you want cut the other end with kitchen scissors to release them into the oil, repeat until you have 5-6 churros frying at the same time, move them around a little bit and once they get a good color, remove them from the oil and place them over kitchen paper to get rid of excessive oil. 
Repeat the same process until you use all your dough.

Pass them through the sugar mix (Demerara-caster) and coat them well. It's important to let them cool down on a big tray spread to avoid them become soggy. 

Get your churro bases from the freezer and fry as well they'll take a bit longer than the normal churros but once they are golden brown they are ready, place them on the kitchen paper, then cover them in the sugar and they are ready, let them cool down with the rest.

Then add your cream into the mixer, with the icing sugar, orange zest and rum, whip until stiff and place it on a pipping bag with a round tip, this would help you to have more control over your filling.

Get your churro discs, and add a bit of orange supremes at the bottom, then pipe on top the orange rum whipped cream, decorate with an orange supreme, pomegranate seeds, blue corn flowers and a little churro on top, these are such a treat I guarantee you would love them.