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Cream Puff Cake

Heather, Sprinkle Bakes

This cream puff cake has a buttery, golden crust that puffs high in the pan as it bakes, which forms the perfect container for creamy custard filling. A drizzle of scratch-made chocolate ganache is a common cream puff garnish, and it gives the cake extra richness. What makes it extra delicious? Real butter. Butter gives the ganache a beautiful shine and smooth consistency while keeping the choux batter rich and fluffy.
1 hr 20 min Prep Time
25 min Cook Time
  • Prep Time: 1 hr 20 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Servings: 12 servings

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • Pastry crust:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs

  • Fillings:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 3 packages (3 ounces each) instant white chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Ganache and toppings:

  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
  • Maraschino cherries (optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Step 2

For the crust, add the water and butter to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once and stir constantly over heat until a smooth ball forms. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Use a spoon to break the ball into pieces to release steam and aid cooling. Let cool 5 minutes.

Step 3

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition. The finished pastry should have the appearance of buttery mashed potatoes. Spread the pastry into a greased 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until well puffed and golden. Allow the crust to cool in the pan completely.

Step 4

For the fillings, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, milk and pudding mixes together in a large bowl until smooth. The mixture will be thick. Spread the filling over the crust in the dish. Beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a separate chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the filling and chill for 25 minutes.

Step 5

For the ganache, combine the chips, heavy cream and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 30 second intervals until melted (about 1 minute total). Let stand for 1 minute and then whisk together. Let cool slightly. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate ganache over the cake, or use a pastry bag with the end snipped to pipe on the ganache. Sprinkle the cake with the chopped nuts. Serve chilled with maraschino cherries on the side, if desired.