Cream Puff Cake
This Cream Puff Cake is seriously amazing and a total crowd-pleaser! So much easier to make than individual cream puffs, this sheet-pan cream puff consists of a flaky, buttery pastry crust and a super creamy filling for a retro hit of nostalgia!
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 4 large eggs
- 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
- Two (3.4 oz EACH) pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2½ cups milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- Chocolate sauce and strawberries, for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° degrees F. Grease a 13x9 light metal baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the butter, water, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes or until a ball of dough comes together. Remove from the heat and place the ball of dough into a large bowl.
- Using a handheld electric mixer, add an egg to the bowl with the ball of dough and beat the egg into the dough ball one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until a soft batter comes together. Press the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan (you may need to grease your fingers). Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Crust will bubble and rise significantly; this is normal. Do not puncture or deflate. Allow to cool completely.
- For the filling: In a large bowl, add both packages of pudding mix and the milk and whisk until combined and thickened. Set aside. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the pudding to the cream cheese and mix to incorporate until fully combined and no streaks of cream cheese remain.
- Spread the filling evenly over the pastry crust leaving a border edge of crust. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set before cutting into squares. (For the whipped cream: add the heavy whipping cream and confectioners' sugar to a stand mixer bowl and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes).
Notes
If you're using Cool Whip, use a thawed 12 oz tub and omit the heavy whipping cream and confectioners' sugar from the recipe.
Remember, you're using two (2) 3.4 oz packages of instant vanilla pudding mix and only 2 & 1/2 cups of milk total. Do NOT prepare the pudding according to package directions.