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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: September 2011
Updated & republished: May 2019
Hi Elf! Thank you for your comment. That is a great question! To be honest, I've never tried it so I'm not 100% sure how that would work. It seems like it might work though but you never really know until you try. If you do decide to make it with the puff pastry, I'd love to know how it turns out for you!
Hi! This looks so delicious and easy, I completely drool over your recipes every time!
Do you think, to save time, a frozen puff pastry would work for the bottom layer? 🙂
Thank you so very much! I'm so glad to have you here. I really hope you love all the recipes you try!
I have to say, I think I found a new "Best Friend"! I am making the Oreo Poke Cake this weekend! The kids will love it! I was looking through your recipes and every time I find one I like and just know that's the one I want to make, I see another one I want to make just as badly!! LOL Forget dieting! We are going to eat! Thank you for some really awesome recipes!!
I used all purpose flour. Maybe I will try only spraying the bottom of the pan and not the sides. I've had another recipe in the past for which I had to limit the sprayed area because of the same type of problem, but I thought I'd first see if anyone else had this happen. Other than that, it looked like a great recipe!
Bonnie, I have no idea what could've happened. There is no rising agent in the crust (like baking powder or baking soda) so it shouldn't have done that. Did you by chance use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose?
So I just finished baking the crust, but while it was rising the edges climbed over the top of the 9 x 13 and then curled inward towards the middle and slightly burned. Kind of an ocean wave look. Any ideas?
What size pan did you use?? Sorry if I missed it in the comments — the recipes says 9×13, but your pan looks smaller. I want to make this tomorrow to bring to work on Monday — looks diving!
Hi Michelle, for some reason the picture makes it look smaller but it is a 9×13 pan. Hope that helps and hope your co-workers like it!
Made it – perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!! 🙂
Yummy dessert! My husband and boys attend this also. They watch in Bristol! 🙂
This was SO good! I sent a lot of my friends to your site to get the recipe!
I just HAVE to try this! It looks amazing!!!I am your newest follower. You have great recipes on here!
-Robyn
Oh my goodness! That looks absolutely amazing 🙂
Stopping by from TMT Tuesday.
Oh Wow! what amazing comments! Have I told y'all lately how much I love ya. I really do!! Jeanna, that just warms my heart like you wouldn't believe. I'm just providing the recipes but you are making them and providing the love. And there really is no better ingredient than that!
Betty, thank you SO much for pointing that out. Sometimes when you write recipes up, you get to typing it out and forget something. I truly appreciate you picking up on that & letting me know! I've added it in now 🙂
Betty said:
Brandie you mentioned 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in the filling ingredients, but you don't mention it in the directions. Is it to be left out? Just wondering what to do before I make it. Sounds delicious.
Oh. My. Goodness…. that looks/sounds incredible!!!
What a great idea! My mom used to make us cream puffs and I remember all the fuss! I think that maybe I could handle these.
Just thought that I would let you know my husband loves you–well at least he loves your recipes. I love to cook and try new recipes. Lets just say not always with the best results. Since finding your site I have had no complaints. So far I have made fourteen of your recipes and each and everyone has been a hit. So I just wanted to say thank you.
OMG! This looks so good! I can use all sugar-free products so that even I (I'm diabetic) can have a piece. I might just make this for a brunch I am having this weekend. Thanks so much for posting!!
Holy cow, how good does THIS look??? I'm pretty sure it might be illegal in NY, but I'm gonna risk it anyway! Thanks for sharing!!
oh my! This looks so good! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful! Thanks so much!!
I swear you are like the queen of simple and delicious desserts! I love cream puffs and am dying to try this one!
I'd say this was magical!!! And so beautiful and tasty, too! Looks fabulous, Brandie!