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Smooth + rich Cream Puff Cake is a take on the popular cream puff dessert. Drizzle it in chocolate for a perfect bite!

If you love desserts like Cream Puffs and Eclairs, then you’ll love this cake version. Cream Puff Cake is like one giant cream puff in cake form!

A slice of cream puff cake drizzled in chocolate sauce.

Cream Puff DESSERT

This Cream Puff Cake is an ALL-TIME favorite dessert!!

I have my mom make it for my birthday each year, because it’s my favorite, and I’ll tell you why I LOVE it so much. It’s because it’s like a GIANT Cream Puff, and I LOVE Cream Puffs!!

If you like them too, then I promise you will love this Cream Puff Cake Recipe. It’s the perfect combination of crust, cream, and pudding, and I think I could eat it all day long.

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How to Make Cream Puff Cake

This Cream Puff dessert is easier to make than you’d think. The crust is the hardest part and that’s not very hard either – it just takes getting used to.

PREP. Prepare a 9×13 ceramic or glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

CRUST. Boil the margarine and water in a medium saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Remove from heat and add eggs – ONE AT A TIME (this is important). Mix well and spread the dough into a greased 9×13 dish.

Bake the crust at 400° for 30 minutes. The crust will puff up the sides, which is what you want. Let cool.

FILLING. In a large bowl, mix pudding, milk, and cream cheese. beat until lumps disappear. Pour the pudding mixture into the cream puff crust. Top with Whipped Cream and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Before serving, drizzle with chocolate syrup. We love to drizzle it with our homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce. You can also top it with a chocolate ganache or sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.

RECIPE Tips

Pudding. Use INSTANT vanilla pudding or white chocolate, or it won’t set. Only use the pudding powder. Do not make it into pudding.

Room temperature ingredients. The butter, cream cheese, and eggs all need to be at room temperature so that they mix together smoothly.

Pastry. Cool the pastry crust completely before adding the filling or the cream will melt and not set. A hot shell will also get soggy more quickly. 

Toppings. Add berries to the top of the slices of cake. Use the homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce to create a pretty design on the top of the cake.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Make your own Whipped Cream using 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

  • Chill your metal mixing bowl then add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl.
  • Use an electric mixer and whip on low speed then increase to medium-high. Mix until soft peaks form.

Use Cool Whip instead of Whipped Cream. Cool Whip is an easy substitute for whipped cream. Make whatever is best for you and be sure to still have some homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce on hand to drizzle over it – you won’t regret it!

Storing Info

Make ahead of time. Up until you add the Whipped Cream, this can be covered and placed in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance. If you don’t want to mess up the whipped cream with Saran Wrap, just leave that off until right before serving.

STORE. Covered and stored in the fridge, this Cream Puff Cake can last up to 5 days. Keep it refrigerated when not being eaten because the dairy products need to stay cool.

A slice of cream puff cake drizzled with chocolate syrup.

For more Cake recipes:

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4.99 from 156 votes

Cream Puff Cake Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Smooth + rich Cream Puff Cake is a take on the popular cream puff dessert. Drizzle it in chocolate for a perfect bite!
Servings: 12
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla or white chocolate pudding
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping, or 2 cups whipped cream
  • chocolate syrup or white chocolate curls

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Combine butter and water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce the heat to low, add flour and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from the heat.
  • Cool dough slightly, then beat in eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. After adding the last egg, the dough will come together and will be smooth. Spread into a greased 9×13-inch baking ish.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, then cool completely. (NOTE: The dough should rise up the sides of the dish during baking).
  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk together until smooth. Add whipped cream cheese and beat until combined and smooth. Pour into the crust.
  • Spread whipped cream on top of pudding and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
  • Serve drizzled with chocolate syrup or topped with white chocolate curls.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead. This cake’s components can be made 24 hours in advance and stored separately.  Make the crust, and once cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap (while still in the pan) and store on the counter.  Make filling and store in an airtight continer in the refrigerator.  When ready to assemble, add filling to the crust and top with whipped cream. 

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 250mg, Potassium: 169mg, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 900IU, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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4.99 from 156 votes (105 ratings without comment)

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287 Comments

  1. Lorelie Sarauer says:

    Not great. Crust was tough and too much pudding to cream cheese ratio.

  2. Mirjam says:

    Not being in the US myself, I was wondering how much a large box of instant vanilla pudding weighs? Also, do you let the milk warm to room temperature before use as well?

    1. Linda C says:

      5.1 oz for the large box and 3 point something for the smaller package. I am sorry I don’t know the metric conversions. Hope that is helpful anyway.

      1. Mirjam says:

        It is, thanks!

  3. Arlene Hinn says:

    5 stars
    Made it. Love it!

  4. Paula Mattis says:

    5 stars
    This is my absolute go to dessert that my family always wants.

  5. Nancy Glista says:

    My mom used to make this. It’s so good. Can’t wait to try it again. Thanks

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