This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
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.
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.
For more Cake recipes:
More Collections: New Years Eve Desserts,
Cream Puff Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, or margarine
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 box instant vanilla or white chocolate pudding (large box)
- 3 cups milk
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz whipped cream
- chocolate syrup
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13 ceramic or glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious!
My family really enjoyed this cake. I was surprised at how easy it was to make, too….always a big plus😊👍
I have made this recipe several times with gluten free flour, and it turned out fine. Now my daughter is on a Keto diet and would like me to make it with almond flour. How do you think that would work?
I have never tried this recipe with almond flour, so I’m not sure! But if you do give it a try, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out!
THANK YOU, KRISTYN, FOR SHARING THIS
MY HUSBAND DOES ALL THE COOKING/BAKING IN OUR HOME
THAT SAID, I COULDN’T COMPETE AND HE HAS A NATURAL ABILITIES FOR IT!
BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!
Just made this and everything came out beautifully except the pudding mix. It came out gritty, no matter how long I whisked. The cream cheese was definitely at room temp, but somehow did not fully combine with the milk and instant pudding powder. Any idea why?
I’m sure that the milk was to cold and it set the cream cheese back up try having everything at room temperature, that should help. Also I would mix the pudding and milk together and whip the cream cheese separately then bring them together
This looks amazing and I just love cream puffs so I definitely wanna try your recipe. Which do you think tastes more like a traditional cream puffs, using the vanilla or the white chocolate pudding please?
Ooh I don’t think you can go wrong with either. They both taste great. Probably vanilla, but I love the recipe with either!
Thanks for recipe kristyn. I know we will all iJoy it. Going to make this tommrow.carolan
One of my favorite easy recipes!
Mine too! Such a good one. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake!
I absolutely love this recipe!!! I have made it several times, the first time it came out perfect. I am having an issue when cooking the crust. The crust is not rising on the sides. The first time I baked it the crust came out great, but haven’t had the same success since. What could I be doing wrong? The cake still tastes awesome but would love for the crust to rise on the sides. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The only thing I could think of is if the calibration of your oven has somehow gotten off recently. Puff pastry needs a temperature of at least 400 degrees F in order to rise correctly. If you have an oven thermometer it might be helpful to place it in the oven the next time you bake something to see if the temperature on the oven matches the temperature on your thermometer.
My grandmother said it was always necessary when making cream puffs, to use a wooden spoon to stir in the pan or they wouldn’t puff up-not sure if that makes a difference or not -worth a try?
Wooden spoons don’t heat up like metal ones do and they don’t sweat if they do.
Will have to try
Yes! Hope you enjoy! You’ll have to let us know how you like the cake. 🙂
I’m going to make this for a bake off competition. I have one question. Do you mix after adding each egg separately? Or just add each egg individually then mix?
You’ll add each egg then mix before adding the next. It totally makes a difference in the texture!