Cream Puff Cake

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5 from 40 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
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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.

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.

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.

Cream Puff Cake

5 from 40 votes
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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Video

Prep Time : 20 minutes
Cook Time : 35 minutes
Total Time : 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Author: Christina Hitchcock

Equipment

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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

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.

Christina’s Notes

  • 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.
    Helpful Tips for All RecipesThese quick tips will help you get perfect results every time.

    • Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
    • Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
    • Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
    • Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
    • Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.

    For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.

    Click here to add your own private notes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 252mgPotassium: 124mgSugar: 7gVitamin A: 650IUCalcium: 91mgIron: 0.8mg
    The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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    86 thoughts on “Cream Puff Cake”

    3. This looks beautiful! My dad would absolutely love this cake, eclairs are his fave… definitely bookmarking this one!

      Reply

    4. I’m definately saving this one! It looks like it would be difficult to make but you made it sound so easy that maybe even I could do it! Thanks for linking this up to Gettin’ Krafty With It!

      Reply

    8. What a wonderful recipe – it looks and sounds so good! And I just love what your sister did for your bridal shower with the recipes – that has to be one of the best gifts ever!

      Reply

      • Well, I’m happy you clicked too!! 🙂 Thank you for the kind words about my blog. I stopped by yours too — love it! 🙂 I’m now following you, too! can’t wait to see what you have coming up!

        Reply

    13. This looks amazing. I used to make a vegan version of chocolate eclair cake. I’m not vegan anymore though. I should try your version!

      Reply

      • Welcome, Sheila! I’m now following your blogs too! I just emailed you about Site and Blogged. Looking forward to hearing back from you. 🙂

        Reply

    18. New follower here from Blog it Forward Tuesday!

      The cake sounds AWESOME! I think I gained 5 pounds just reading about it! Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply

      • Welcome, Brea! Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to come back often! 🙂

        This cake is so light — and, if you make the sugar free version, it’s not really that bad for you! 🙂

        Reply

    20. OMG, my mind is just spinning with the possibilities for this dessert!
      Consider cheesecake pudding mix with strawberry ice cream topping — yummm…
      Maybe finely chopped nuts…
      Chocolate pudding… Caramel topping…
      I think I just found a dessert recipe for my sister’s baby shower ;~))
      Barb

      Reply
    5 from 40 votes (37 ratings without comment)

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