Cream Puff Cake

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This Cream Puff Cake is a family favorite. It’s just like cream puffs but a lot less fussier. This cake is an elegant and decadent treat that I’ve been making for years!

Easy, tempting and delicious, you will love this cake. This easy cream puff cake will become a signature dish at family get togethers.

Tasty cream puff cake.

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This Cream Puff Cake is so much easier than making the intimidating french pastry. The choux dough seemed very difficult.

However, baking it in one pan instead of piping out those individual tubes and trying to make them even and pretty convinced me that this recipe is a winner.

What is pate a choux? Find out about this pastry crust.

If you’re looking for more cake recipes, try these Pig Pickin Cake, Banana Cream Poke Cake and Ultimate Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Coconut.

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A tray of the dessert with a square taken out.

Why We Love This Cream Puff Dessert Recipe

This creamy cake will remind you of a boston cream pie but is in an easy to make cake form.

  • Easy Ingredients: All easy ingredients for an impressive dessert.
  • Family Friendly: This elegant dessert is a hit with the whole family.
  • Makes Great Leftovers: I doubt there will be any left, however, if there are, it is a great leftover that is why everyone will love this recipe.

Ingredient Notes for Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake

Pudding, whipped cream, flour, eggs, chocolate etc.
  • Flour: All purpose flour
  • Instant vanilla pudding: Make sure that it is instant pudding.
  • Cream cheese: Room temperature cream cheese.
  • Whipped topping : This whipping cream is stable and easy to use. But you can whisk together your own homemade whipped cream if you like.

See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Variations and Substitutions for the Best Cream Puff Cake

You can make the cream puff dessert with different variations. It is so much easier than individual cream puffs with it’s creamy pudding filling and layer of whipped topping it is a favorite dessert.

  • Different Pudding: Try a sugar free pudding, pistachio pudding or even butterscotch or cheese cake flavors. Adding pudding flavors will let your family love cream puffs recipe.
  • Berries: Top with fresh raspberries or other fresh fruit.

How to Make the Best Cream Puff Cake Recipe

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These are the basic steps for making . Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Creating the dough for the bottom layer.

Step 1: MAKE CREAM PUFF CRUST

First, bring the water, butter and salt to boil in a medium saucepan, next, add the flour all at once and cook and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir until the mixture leaves the sides of pan and forms a ball.

Step 2: BEAT IN EGGS

Next add eggs, one at a time. Beating thoroughly after each addition until completely smooth. The dough will form a ball and pulls away from the pan.

Making and baking the pastry crust.

Step 3: BAKE

Third, spread in an ungreased 10- by 15-inch pan and then bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Crust will puff up the sides of the pan while in the oven. When removed from the oven, prick bubbles with a fork. Let cool completely.

Mixing the cream layer of the cream puff cake.

Step 4: BEAT THE PUDDING AND CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Meanwhile, to make the vanilla filling, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese filling of instant pudding mix, milk and softened cream cheese together until thoroughly blended in a large bowl. Beat until smooth.

Step 5: TOPPINGS FOR THIS GIANT CREAM PUFF

Finally, spread pudding mixture over the baked and cooled crust and next, spread Cool Whip over pudding mixture and lastly, drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Assembling the finished cake with a drizzle of chocolate.

Recipe FAQs

Of course, you can use chocolate pudding for a different take on this delicious cream dessert.

Absolutely, this recipe to have easily accessible ingredients but you can get an instant pastry cream here. Traditional cream can replace the pudding mixture and chocolate ganache

Of course, you can use graham crackers as the base for this recipe, but this method is truly the closest to the decadent true french eclair.

Certainly, this recipe can be frozen, I like to precut the slices and then freeze. Before serving let sit out for just a little while for the slices to come out perfectly.

Refrigerate for two or three days but it must be in an airtight container or it will get soggy. You can make 24 hours in advance and store until ready to serve.

You’ll love to make this puff pastry treat your own by adding a sprinkle of powdered sugar, mini chocolate chips or candies, even crushed Oreo cookies.

The completed cake.

Expert Tips to Make This Recipe for Cream Puff Cake

The lush Eclair Cake is full of such great flavors. This cake has a classic cream puff bottom layer with a lush vanilla cream cheese layer, a creamy whipped cream layer, and a chocolate drizzle. 

  • This Recipe Can be Doubled: A great recipe for a crowd.  Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and split it into two baking dishes before baking.
  • More Chocolate Too: Shavings of chocolate or even a layer of chocolate pudding as well as vanilla make this recipe a chocolate marvel.
  • Cooking tip: Choux likes steam, so put a piece of slightly damp parchment under the Choux as it cooks. The steam will help it rise.
  • Temperature: Important to use room temperature ingredients when making the Choux, including the eggs, for best results.

What to Serve with this Easy Cream Puff Cake Recipe

Tasty cream puff cake.
5 from 40 votes

Cream Puff Cake

Yield: 12 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Cream Puff Cake is the perfect substitute for making those difficult french pastries. This cake is an elegant and decadent treat.
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup All-purpose flour
  • ½ cup Butter, 1-stick
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Water
  • 4 Large eggs
  • 6.8 ounces Instant vanilla pudding, 2 boxes
  • 2 ½ cups Milk, cold
  • 8 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature
  • 12 ounces Whipped topping, 1 container frozen topping-thawed
  • Chocolate syrup for drizzling
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Eclair Base

  • Bring the water, butter and salt to boil until butter is melted.
  • Add the flour all at once and mix rapidly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir until the mixture leaves the sides of pan and forms a ball.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until completely smooth.
  • Spread in an ungreased 10- by 15-inch baking pan.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Crust will puff up the sides of the pan while in the oven.
  • When removed from the oven, prick bubbles with a fork. Let cool.

Filling

  • Use an electric mixer to beat the pudding mix, milk and softened cream cheese together until thoroughly blended.
  • Spread pudding mixture over the baked and cooled eclair crust.
  • Spread Cool Whip over pudding mixture.
  • Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Expert Tips

  • This Recipe Can be Doubled: This is a great recipe for a crowd.  Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and split it into two baking dishes before baking.
  • More Chocolate Too: Shavings of chocolate or even a layer of chocolate pudding as well as vanilla make this recipe a chocolate marvel.
  • Cooking tip: Choux likes steam, so put a piece of slightly damp parchment under the Choux as it cooks. The steam will help it rise.
  • Temperature: Important to use room temperature ingredients when making the Choux, including the eggs, for best results.

    Estimated Nutritional Information

    Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 124mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
    PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!Follow Me: @ItsAKeeperBlog or tag #itisakeeper
    Author: Christina Hitchcock
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American

    86 thoughts on “Cream Puff Cake”

    2. My neighbor gave me this recipe yrs ago. I must say there was a learning curve on the pastry part for me. But now I get it. We use hot fudge for the chocolate part. I scoop some out of jar into a small bowl , microwave it for 20 sec at a time , stir til can melted enough to drip from a wire whip and swirl all over the cool whip.

      Reply

    4. 5 stars
      Thank you so much for sharing this very helpful recipe! It tasted really good and super easy to make! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!

      Reply

    6. I dont know when the last time I had an eclair was – i think i need this to satisfy my craving. Thanks so much for sharing this at the Friday Frenzy!

      Reply

    9. Oh my gosh! Where has this cake been all my life?! I can’t wait to make his recipe over and over again…thanks for sharing on Made From Pinterest’s Super Saturday Party 🙂 Consider me hooked on your blog from here on out! I’ve gotta check out that BLT pasta recipe for sure…

      Reply

    10. Looks delicious! I have a similar recipe but it’s not as elegant-looking. Yours looks easy but so much prettier!

      Reply

    12. This sounds delicious, Christina! I found you through the Wonderful Wednesday link party. Hope you’ll stop over at my blog and see what I cooked up!

      Reply

    14. This is a recipe my friend Daisy makes and it is Divine. I had to Google it because she moved out of state before I remembered to get the recipe and I want to make it now! One extra thing she always does that I think is a must…she adds fresh sliced Strawberries. Oh my goodness. I am going to follow your blog. I am constantly making new recipes. I too have several absolutely amazing keeps. When I tell people that I never really cook the same thing twice 5/7 days a week. They look at me like I only have one eye! But I absolutely love to cook. Thanks for the post!

      Reply

    15. Found you on pinterest & am making this tonight for our family reunion tomorrow! Can’t wait to sneak a taste 🙂

      Reply

    17. This looks wonderful! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites! I’m featuring you this week! Come by and grab my featured button if you’d like one!

      Reply

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