Cream Puff Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Cream puffs just don't get enough attention. Who makes them? No one that I know. I have literally never gone to someone's house and been offered a cream puff. It's just not a thing that happens.

Honestly, it's one of life's great injustices. Lack of cream puffs. Sad.

I think one of the most common misconceptions about cream puffs is that they are difficult. They absolutely aren't! The dough, called "choux" sounds awfully fancy, but that's just a front. It's a trick by the French to make us feel unsophisticated and inferior, I'm sure of it. In reality, "choux" is just a very thick "roux" with eggs beaten in.

What I'm saying is, if you can make homemade gravy, you can make cream puff dough. And any Southern girl worth her salt can BS her way to an amazing cream gravy. It's just a gift we have.

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind. Anything with a silent "x" in the name is bound to be a bit finicky, but it's nothing we can't handle! First off, choux + humidity = sticky mess. I'm not a scientist, so I can't tell you WHY, it's just how it is. Personally, I think it's the Devil's work. Because we all know that rainy days stuck inside is when you need cream puffs the most.

The other thing? Make the dough as close to serving time as possible. Same day is great, next day, not so much. The dough puffs up and becomes hollow inside with a crisp, chewy exterior. But tack 24 hours onto that, and things aren't pretty. It's a sad, soggy sight that you should never expose yourself to.

Lastly, don't fill until it's close to time for serving. Filling makes the dough soggy. Soggy = sad. You see where this is headed.

So make your dough on a dry day and serve the same day. Fill just before serving. Easy peasy? I think so.

This dough comes together in minutes and bakes up quickly. It truly is a wonderfully impressive last minute dessert. And served as a layer cake instead of individual cream puffs is an spectacular time saver, not to mention SO lovely looking.

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Cream Puff Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 cups whole milk
2 large package instant vanilla puddings, 5.1 ounces each

For the Ganache:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons corn syrup, or honey

For the Cake:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Directions

For the Filling:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
Add 1/2 cup of milk, scraping the sides of bowl, and beat on medium until smooth.
With the mixer on low, add remaining milk.
Once smooth, beat in pudding mix until smooth and thick.

For the Ganache:

In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and heavy cream for about 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir until smooth.
Stir in corn syrup or honey. Set aside to cool and thicken.

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low.
Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the pan – this will happen quickly. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg until a smooth dough forms.
Spread dough evenly into two 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and dry to the touch.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then run a sharp knife along the edges of the pan and turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When ready to serve, place one cream puff cake on a plate.
Top with half of filling mixture, then top with other cake.
Top with remaining filling mixture and chocolate ganache.
Garnish with whipped cream or fruit if desired.