Favourite Cream Puff Cake

Cream puff cake is a clever potluck dessert that turns the fussy individual eclair into a sliceable sheet pan affair. The pate a choux dough goes straight into a 9 by 13 pan and bakes into a puffy hollow shell. Once cooled, a vanilla pudding cream cheese filling spreads across the top, then whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle finish it off.

The choux base is the make-or-break step. Butter and water come to a boil before the flour goes in, and you have to stir hard until the dough pulls into a single mass and pulls away from the pan sides. Take your time beating in the eggs one at a time; if you dump them all in the dough won’t come back together.

The filling tastes far richer than its parts because the cream cheese cuts the boxed pudding’s sweetness and gives body that holds up against the airy choux base. Use cold milk and instant pudding so it sets up firm enough to slice cleanly.

Pro Tips

• Spread the choux batter in an even layer with a wet offset spatula. Thick spots stay underbaked and thin spots burn.
• Don’t open the oven door during the first 25 minutes. Choux relies on steam to rise, and a draft will collapse it.
• The shell will sink slightly as it cools, leaving a natural well for the filling. That’s a feature, not a flaw.
• Chill at least an hour before slicing. The pudding needs time to firm up against the cream cheese for clean cuts.

Variations

• Use chocolate pudding in place of vanilla for a deeper double-chocolate dessert.
• Top with sliced strawberries or raspberries before the chocolate drizzle for a fruit version.
• Stir a teaspoon of espresso powder into the pudding for a tiramisu-style flavor.