Cream puffs are one of the loveliest and most popular desserts in Croatia. Learn how to make them.
Have you ever made cream puffs? They can be considered one of Croatia’s staple desserts. Here we call them “princess doughnuts”, which is a literal translation. They are very pretty and resemble cute little princess cakes, don’t you think?
Basically, we are big on cream puffs – and there’s a whole arsenal of recipes for this dessert. It’s almost a science. Why? Because of the pastry or pâte à choux. It is a bit tricky to make. It should rise (be puffed) enough during baking, its interior shouldn’t be dense and doughy but hollow (empty) with a cavity that can be filled, it shouldn’t burn but still be baked enough so the inside is dry and it should be light when baked. How to achieve this?
The secret to the right dough is the right ratio between fat, eggs, flour and water. Maja’s advice is to always use vegetable or sunflower oil instead of butter or margarine, as they contain 20 % water, which might influence the consistency of the dough and possibly ruin your cream puffs. Play safe and use oil. Another problem can be eggs-eggs come in different sizes, so it’s best to measure them with your measuring cup. The perfect measurement is 1 cup (250 ml) eggs- 1/2 cup (125 ml) oil- 1 cup (250 ml) water- 1 1/5 cup (150) g flour. If you reduce or increase the amount of one ingredient, make sure to proportionally reduce or increase the rest of them.
I understand that Americans and French often fill these with ice cream and cover with melted chocolate. These are then called profiteroles. When it comes to filling, in Croatia we always make them with custard made of egg yolks, milk, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla and butter. Cornstarch is preferred over flour, as it gives the filling lightness and beautiful texture. Butter is preferred over margarine here because it makes the filling extra smooth, silky and rich. Oftentimes, we add a layer of whipped cream over the custard filling, although this can be omitted. A dusting of powdered sugar is always added on top. A lot of custard and whipped cream-it’s nice when these layers are visible, especially when you pipe them with pastry bag and star tip. Our cream puffs are always mile high.
PrintHow to make the perfect cream puffs
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 cream puffs 1x
Description
These Croatian cream puffs, known as ‘princess doughnuts’, feature a light and airy choux pastry filled with rich custard and topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 cup (250 ml) eggs (this is about 4 eggs size S)
- 1 cup (250) ml water
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 1/8cup (150 g) all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 3 tsp sugar
For the filling
- 4 cups (1 l) milk
- 3 sachets vanilla sugar (or 3 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 1/8 cup (150 g) cornstarch
- 4.2 oz (125 g) butter, softened, room temperature
- 1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream + some powdered sugar
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oil, a pinch of salt, and 3 tsp sugar. Heat over medium-high until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add 1 1/8 cup flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Let the dough cool slightly, then transfer it to a mixing bowl. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe small mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the puffs are golden brown and crisp. Do not open the oven door during baking.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the custard filling, heat 2 cups milk in a saucepan until just simmering.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup cornstarch until smooth. Gradually whisk in the hot milk.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp butter until smooth. Let cool completely.
- Whip 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- To assemble, cut the tops off the cooled puffs. Fill each with a generous spoonful of custard, followed by a dollop of whipped cream. Replace the tops and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Use vegetable or sunflower oil instead of butter for a better dough consistency. Measure eggs by volume to ensure accuracy. Cornstarch is preferred for a lighter custard texture. Store filled cream puffs in the refrigerator and consume within 2 days for best freshness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Croatian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 100
Creampuffs are the best, and this feels like THE best cream puffs recipe!
So your list of ingredients is wrong??
All ingredient amounts have been updated and reflect the correct numbers now. Thank you!
These look so delicious! Where do I position the oven racks?
your recipe is good. i have tried it before and by mistake i had lost it and could not find the same wordings to come to your site again. today i searched for empty puff shells oil and again reached to your site.
take care and God bless you.
i am questioning the eggs. you say 4 eggs but then say 2 cups witch is about 8 eggs it this an eara
Hai.. I’m from Singapore.. I tried your recepi “how to make the perfect cream puff” it turns out, super… Perfect… I’m so happy… Thank u very much….
Hi there,
So exciting to heard something about Croatian desserts. I’m just wondering if you have recipe for lepinja?
And how to make the broth dip to go along?
Many thanks.
Your cream puff recipe looks like the recipe we used when we were kids. I think I will make this one later.
I would like to point out the size of the piped pastry on the baking pan. I think it should be 1.25 inches. Not 12.5 inches. That would be one big cream puff. Hmmm… I would like that, too, please. :)
Hvala for sharing. :)
hvala, drago mi je! pozdrav iz Karlovca :)
BravobTamara,ovo je jedini pravi recept!Sve je ispalo super ,posle mnogo pokusaja…
Pozdrav iz Londona.