Strawberry Cream Puff Cake

I know my posting has been a little sporadic recently. We finally, finally got rid of our snow, and we've had lots of sunny (but still cold) days, so we've been spending some much needed time outdoors. And that's pushed everything else back. But I can't apologize. We've had too much fun to be bothered with silly things like cooking and cleaning. I hope this recipe makes up for lost time though!

After making several other recipes, I was left with 1 cup of whipping cream (not quite enough to do Chicken Alfredo like I'd planned), so I went searching for something to use it up. And then I saw the strawberries I'd gotten on sale a few days ago and remembered this Strawberry Cream Puff Cake that we'd made a few months ago. Jackpot! We absolutely love this one. It looks amazing and sophisticated, but it's pretty low on the difficulty scale. I think the only problem I had was that I didn't have a springform pan (it's been on my wish list forever, but I'm still waiting). No matter. I used a pie dish. All in all, it was a fabulous spring/summer dessert.

Printable Recipe

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake 
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups fresh strawberries (or 16 oz. bag frozen strawberries, thawed)
1 tsp. sugar

Cream Puff Base:

5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs

Cream Cheese Mixture:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar


Hull and slice strawberries.

Mix with 1 tsp. sugar.

Store in fridge while you are preparing the cake.

(If you are using frozen strawberries, mix the thawed strawberries and juice with 1-2 teaspoons sugar and bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened. Cool completely.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (or a 9-inch pie plate or circle cake pan). 

Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth.

Let cool for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don’t overbeat (but it will take a bit of stirring until it comes together).

Using a spatula, spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. (Our oven is a little too hot, so I start checking at 20 minutes to make sure the bottom hasn't puffed up too much.)

Remove from the oven and prick pastry with a toothpick 10-12 times.

Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown but not overbaked (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven).

Cool completely.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form.

Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.

Top with fresh sliced strawberries.

Makes 6-8 servings.