Learn how to make this light and fluffy homemade Cream Puff Cake with beautiful layers resembling your favorite eclair dessert. This recipe is made with vanilla pudding and cream cheese, this pudding dessert is all on top of an egg based pastry crust. Easy to make and delicious to eat!
Make this easy pan cream puff for a cool summer treat or for your favorite holidays like birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. You won't go wrong and it will be a crowd favorite.
Be sure to check out our other delicious creamy desserts like our Chocolate Cream Pie, or Oreo Pie.
Ingredients
- Water
- Butter, unsalted
- Eggs
- All Purpose Flour
- Dairy Milk
- Vanilla Pudding
- Cream Cheese
- Cool Whip
- Melting Chocolate
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- On high heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Add flour and salt and mix until a sticky dough forms.
3. Add one egg at a time to the dough and mix into the dough. Mix until smooth. Repeat for all 4 eggs.
4. Make sure dough is smooth and together after adding the eggs in.
5. Press the dough into a greased 9x13 pan. Make sure to push the dough to each side and edge.
6. Cook the dough for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top. The dough will puff up and may raise over the edges, that's ok! The crust will deflate as it cools.
7. As the crust cools, mix together the pudding packages and softened cream cheese. Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
8. Add in the milk one cup at a time and mix until completely smooth.
9. Once the crust in completely cooled, spoon in the pudding mixture and spread to the edges of the pan.
10. Top with desired layer of whipped topping in order to cover the pudding mixture.
11. Melt chocolate and drizzle on top of the cool whip before serving.
Hint: Make sure to add one egg at at time when mixing the eggs into the dough. It will be tough to mix in at first but keep working the dough until the dough is smooth and formed together again.
Substitutions
- Gluten Free - use gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour. There will be a texture change, and the crust may not rise the same way as directed.
- Chocolate pudding - substitute vanilla pudding for chocolate pudding.
- White Chocolate Pudding- substitute vanilla pudding for white chocolate pudding.
- Chocolate Syrup- Use chocolate syrup instead of melting chocolates for a quick chocolate topping.
Variations
- Berry Topped - top this creamy dessert with sliced strawberries or your favorite berries like blackberries, or raspberries.
- Caramel Sauce - Serve topped with caramel sauce instead of chocolate syrup or both.
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- 9x13 cake pan
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Electric Hand Mixer
Storage
Store leftover dessert in an airtight container or with plastic wrap covering the top in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Best eaten the day of, chilled.
Freeze cream puff cake in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving, or serve frozen. Texture of crust may vary slightly.
Top tip
Use melted chocolate chips to get a more authentic chocolate shell top. If you are in a pinch and serving immediately, you can use chocolate syrup for ease and convenience.
Recipe
Cream Puff Cake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Learn how to make this homemade Cream Puff Cake layered with cream cheese and vanilla pudding. This recipe is like your favorite eclair.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup salted butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
Filling
- 3 cups milk
- 2 instant vanilla pudding packages (3.5 oz. each)
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 1 container cool whip
- ½ cup melting milk chocolate, or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 cake pan.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat bring the water and butter to a boil. Add the flour and mix until a dough is formed.
- Adding one egg at a time, mix the eggs into the flour water mixture until you make a runny dough. It should be smooth. Spread the dough in the pan covering all the edges and sides.
- Cook the dough for 20 minutes, or when the top of the dough is golden brown. The dough will rise while cooking and may rise above the height of the pan. That's ok!
- When the crust is done, remove and let cool.
- While the crust is cooling, mix together the softened cream cheese and vanilla pudding packages. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until smooth. Add in the milk and beat again until smooth and set.
- Spread the pudding mixture in the cooled, puff crust. Spread it all the way to the edge of the crust. Top the pudding mixture gently with cool whip.
- When ready to serve, melt chocolate and drizzle on top of the cool whip. Or use chocolate syrup.
Notes
- The egg will seem tricky to mix into the dough. Keep mixing and it will form into one dough ball again.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, French
Keywords: Cream Puff Cake, Eclair cake, sheet pan cream puff, pudding dessert
FAQ
Yes! You can freeze this creamy dessert for up to 2 months. Serve frozen or thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
A combination of pudding, and cream cheese.
Darla
I'm really anxious to make this for my family and my women's group but I couldn't find where it said how much butter to use for the crust. It just says 1/2 salted butter. Is that a half cup? Thank you!
Andrea
Thanks for bringing that to our attention! Yes that is 1/2 cup salted butter. Let us know how it goes!