Cream Puff Dessert (+Video)
Cream Puff Dessert (also known as Cream Puff Cake) has a soft, puffy crust topped with a delicious vanilla pudding and all topped with whipped topping and chocolate syrup.
AN EASY CREAM PUFF INSPIRED DESSERT
If you like cream puffs, then you’re gonna love this Cream Puff Dessert. It has all the flavors of a cream puff without all the work! This dessert puts a neat little spin on the traditional cream puff. It has a light, soft, puffy bottom layer. Then it is topped with a delicious, creamy vanilla pudding layer and all of that is topped off with whipped topping and a little syrup to make it truly magical.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This is a perfect dessert to make in advance of when you want to eat it. Just cover it in some plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge.
A cream puff is a round, nearly hollow, light pastry shell made from choux pastry dough. The hollow inside is then filled with a cream filling.
The base layer that we are making here is called a choux pastry. Choux pastry has only four ingredients and it doesn’t contain any kind of leavening agent. It has a high moisture content (because of the eggs) so you are left with a light but slightly chewy dough. It’s unique and not at all sweet so it works perfectly with this filling.
The simplest way to describe it is puff pastry is layers of dough combined with layers of butter. The fat content in the butter gives you that puffy rise and crumbly texture that is associated with puff pastry.
Choux pastry, on the other hand, relies on the moisture content in the eggs to basically steam the pastry to give it a rise. This creates a chewy texture unlike what you get with a puff pastry which is more crumbly. Puff pastry is not what we want to use in this recipe so they shouldn’t be interchanged here.
Yes it can. But it has to be wrapped very well and I would not recommend freezing it with the whipped topping on top. If you wrap it very well with freezer safe wrapping, it should keep for about 2 months. Then thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, you can add the whipped topping and slice and serve.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- unsalted butter
- water
- all-purpose flour
- eggs
- instant vanilla pudding
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- milk
- whipped topping (Cool Whip)
- chocolate syrup
HOW TO MAKE CREAM PUFF DESSERT:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. In a medium pan, melt butter with water.
Bring to a boil (but don’t burn!) Turn off heat. If your burner is staying too hot after you turn it off, just remove the pan from the heat altogether. Add in flour and combine until it looks like a paste.
Add in eggs. Stir mixture until completely combined. This may take a minute or two to get it completely combined. Spread crust into a 9×13 baking dish. I like to spray my hand with some nonstick spray and then press it down evenly using my hand. It just makes it spread much easier. Bake crust for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow crust to cool completely.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese until smooth. Add in pudding, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined and mixture begins to thicken (this may take a couple of minutes). If your cream cheese has not come totally to room temperature, it will come out a bit lumpy (like mine.) It does not affect the taste of this dish though. Spread this pastry filling mixture on top of the cooled crust.
Spread whipped topping on top of filling.
Drizzle with chocolate syrup.
Cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Then slice and serve!
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Cream Puff Dessert (+Video)
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
FOR THE FILLING:
- 5.1 ounce (large) instant vanilla pudding
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups milk
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed
- chocolate syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter with water.
- Bring to a boil (but don’t burn!) then turn off heat. Remove pan from the heat.
- Add in flour and combine until it looks like a paste.
- Add in eggs – one at a time. Stir mixture until completely combined. This may take a minute or two to get it completely combined.
- Spread crust into 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Bake crust for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow crust to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in pudding, milk and vanilla extract.
- Mix until thoroughly combined and mixture begins to thicken (this may take a couple of minutes.)
- Spread ths pastry filling mixture on top of cooled crust.
- Spread whipped topping on top of filling and drizzle with chocolate syrup.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: September 2011
Updated & republished: May 2019
may I ask a question on the crust part. I know you said not to spray the sides of the pan, but could you just spray the pan bottom so it will not stick when you go to cut the crust ? I love your recipes and as a 76 year old lady, I enjoy trying new ones from you. Thank you for all the neat recipes !!!
The reason you don’t spray is there’s so much butter in the pastry, it’s not going to stick. 🙂
The recipe says just add the egg that are slightly beaten, but the video says add eggs one at the time. Which one is it? Thank you.
You know, this recipe has been on my site for over 10 years and I think you are the first person to notice that – ha! So, to be honest, it doesn’t really matter all that much. The goal is just to make sure the eggs are fully combined into the mixture. You can beat the eggs first then add them in or stir them in one at a time. As long as they are all fully combined in the batter, it will still turn out as you can tell from all the comments on here from the past 10 years. I did update the recipe card to match more closely to the video. 🙂
Good to know! The crust is in the oven now! Figures crossed, I followed the recipe to the letter and I always double/triple check the directions and my measurements. The center is puffing up but since its a puff pastry I know that’s normal. Thanks so much for the quick reply!
I have used your recipe several times over the last few years and it is wonderful as is, but I’ve always wondered if it would work with homemade vanilla pudding. I love homemade pudding, but wasn’t sure how it would work with the cream cheese. Any thoughts.
Made this today! Holy cow – so good!!
Oh c’mon. Stop it already with all these irresistible recipes! Now I have a craving for cream puff dessert and we all know what that means. Is this pastry supposed to be like a “chou” pastry?
Hahaha! Blame it all on me! And yes – the pastry bottom is like a chou pastry! 🙂
This is an amazing recipe! I make with French Vanilla Pudding and it is all the richer. I made this at my son’s graduation and everyone loved it!
I just made the crust for your delicious looking dessert and not sure what I did different but i didn't have to press it in. The consistency was like a thicker cake batter. The directions were very simple and I followed them to the letter but it was a bit runny. It formed a beautiful pasty ball and then I added the eggs. It became thinned then. Not sure what I did wrong. It still turned out good though! Yummy!
I made this using French Vanilla instant pudding. Yummy!
Keep in mind, it is a Cream Puff dessert so the crust will "puff" up. That's normal! It doesn't affect the tast at all. Jut continue with the rest of the steps. Everything else that goes on top will weight it down. Be sure *not* to spray the pan with nonstick spray. That will cause the crust to crawl up the sides. But if it does, no worry, it does not affect the taste at all. I just leave it on there. However, you could certainly cut off the excess edges if you like. 🙂
This looks so good! I love to make cream puffs but they are a lot of work. This recipe looks much easier and sounds absolutely delicious.
I have made several of your recipes Brandie and all have been great.
I love this site!!!
I had a problem the sides relally went up the sides can I push then down or cut them off?
The middle of the crust ballooned up. Not sure why. It is firm so I guess Ill have to push it down.
Hi there! Just wanted to let you know that your "pin" button on this page leads to your Pie Crust recipe! I cannot WAIT to try this one though, LOVE cream puffs!
Oh goodness, thank you Carrie. I appreciate you letting me know! ~Brandie
I also had an issue with the sides rising quite high and pulling inward. Used all purpose flour, and did not use any cooking spray on the pan. Letting it cool now and am planning to kind of "smush" the sides down before I add the pudding mixture. As long as taste is not affected, I'm not much bothered by the appearence.
WOW! The BEST looking recipes – all in one place! I'm going to be trying some of them. I might not ever have to leave your site when I'm looking for something good to serve for dinner. Thank you!
Hi! It's a 9×13 baking pan.
could you tell me what size pan you are using please
Thank you anonymous. I am revising the recipe. I think that spraying on the sides of the pan causes the crust to go up the sides a bit (not that it affects the taste at all). I appreciate all the sweet comments. Glad you like this one!
I should have read the comments first as I also sprayed the sides of the pan and the cream puff base came up the sides of the pan. At least I had it in a foil cake pan and the edges are all scalloped and it looks like i did it on purpose.
Can't wait to make it again. Maybe with chocolate pudding and drizzled white melted chocolate!
I am going to repin this it looks delicious!
WOW I JUST CAME ACROSS THIS SITE AND THE RECIPES GOT MY MOUTH WATERING. I CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE THEM I JUST LOSS 60 LBS ON WEIGHT WATCHERS AND I AM STILL GOING TO MAKE ALL THESE WONDERFUL DESSERTS AND ENJOY THEM OF COURSE IN MODERATION.
YUM YUM THANK YOU!!!!!