Old Fashioned Cream Puff Cake

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Choux crust bakes up golden and puffy, layers stack perfectly, and the pudding never clumps. This crowd-pleaser Cream Puff Cake is easier than it looks.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 310kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

½ cup salted butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

FOR THE FUDGE FILLING:

2 ounces semisweet chocolate (Hershey’s Special Dark would work)
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons hot water

FOR THE PUDDING:

8 ounces cream cheese softened
3 cups milk
5.1 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (one large box)

TOPPING:

8 ounces cool whip thawed
Hershey's chocolate syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add the flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan.
½ cup salted butter, 1 cup water, 1 cup all-purpose flour
Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
4 large eggs
Spread in bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely.
Melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk well.
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons salted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and able to be drizzled. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over the bottom of the crust.
3 tablespoons hot water
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and ¼ cup of milk. Beat until smooth. Continue to add the milk in ¼ cup increments, mixing between each addition. This will help you not have cream cheese clumps.
8 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups milk
Once all 3 cups are added in, add pudding mix and mix well until it starts to thicken.
5.1 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
Spread this mixture over the fudge-topped crust. Allow to refrigerate and set for 10 minutes. Top with Cool Whip and then drizzle chocolate syrup over the top. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
8 ounces cool whip, Hershey's chocolate syrup

Notes

Timing note: The 35-minute bake time for the crust is followed by a required cooling period before assembly. Plan for at least 2 hours total from start to finish, or make the crust the morning of and assemble later.

Ingredient note — cream cheese: Full fat, softened to room temperature. Cold cream cheese will not beat smooth and will cause clumping in the pudding layer regardless of technique.

Ingredient note — pudding: Use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve. Cook-and-serve pudding will not set the same way with the cream cheese mixture and will result in a filling that is too loose.

Storage: Covered in refrigerator up to 3 days. Do not freeze.

Make-ahead: Fully assembled cake can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before serving.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition