Vanilla Cream Puff Ring

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A cream puff ring is a generous choux pastry shell split and filled with cooked vanilla pastry cream. Its lift comes from steam, so the oven needs time to expand the ring and then dry its inner walls.

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Make the filling first and chill it while the shell is prepared. Both parts must be cool before assembly. A final short refrigerator rest helps the filled ring hold together when it is cut into portions.

Why make it

• Cooking flour in hot butter-water creates the paste that holds steam during baking.
• Gradually added eggs let the batter reach a thick glossy texture.
• A cooked cornstarch custard makes a filling that stays inside the split ring.

Ingredient notes

• Flour and water: Heating flour’s starch in the butter-water mixture creates a cohesive paste. In the oven, moisture turns to steam and expands the pastry; the setting walls must then dry enough to hold their shape.
• Temperature before eggs: Let the cooked paste cool below 125°F (52°C), as the method specifies. This keeps the eggs from cooking on contact. Beat in the first three eggs individually, fully incorporating each before continuing.
• The final egg: Beat it separately and add gradually. You may not need all of it: stop when the paste is thick and glossy, falling slowly from a spoon in a broad V rather than running off.
• The filling: Milk, yolks and cornstarch form a cooked custard. Keep it bubbling while whisking for the stated minute, then chill it. Fill only when both custard and pastry are cold.

Dishvera

Vanilla Cream Puff Ring

A cream puff ring is a generous choux pastry shell split and filled with cooked vanilla pastry cream.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Cooling and setting 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Calories: 308

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 240 ml water for pastry
• 100 g butter for pastry
• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs for pastry, last egg beaten separately
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 400 ml milk for filling
• 3 large egg yolks
• 70 g sugar
• 30 g cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15 g butter for filling

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Baking tray
• Piping bag
• Electric whisk
• Cooling rack

Method

 

1. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch with 100 ml milk. Heat remaining milk until steaming, whisk into yolks, return to the pan and cook, whisking, until bubbling for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla and filling butter; chill covered in a shallow container for at least 60 minutes while making pastry.
   3 large egg yolks, 70 g sugar, 30 g cornstarch, 400 ml milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 15 g butter
2. Preheat a conventional oven to 425°F (220°C). Bring pastry water, pastry butter and salt to a boil. Add flour off heat, stir firmly, then cook 2 minutes over medium heat until a smooth ball forms. Cool for about 10 minutes to below 125°F (52°C).
   240 ml water, 100 g butter, 1/4 tsp fine salt, 150 g all-purpose flour
3. Beat three eggs into paste one at a time. Add enough beaten fourth egg for a thick glossy paste. Pipe a thick ring following a 9-inch (about 23 cm) circle on parchment, leaving an open center.
   4 large eggs
4. Bake 15 minutes, reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake about 30 minutes more, until the ring is well risen, deep golden brown and firm. Bake a little longer if needed before making small side slits. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes to dry. Cool on a rack for about 30 minutes, or longer until completely cold.
5. Split ring horizontally with a serrated knife. Stir chilled pastry cream smooth, spread inside and replace the top. Refrigerate 60 minutes before cutting into eight portions.

Notes

Yield: 1 ring; 8 portions

Practical tips

• Do not open the oven during the first expansion stage.
• Check a cut section for wet raw paste; the shell should be dry enough to support its filling.

Substitutions

• Use lemon zest in the cooked cream instead of vanilla if a citrus filling is desired.

How to serve it

Serve cool in moderate portions; no extra cream or fruit topping is required.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: Refrigerate the assembled ring promptly and use within 2 days.

Freeze: Freeze unfilled cooled shell for up to 1 month; freezing the filled ring is not recommended.

Reheat: Refresh an unfilled thawed shell briefly at 325°F (165°C), cool fully, then fill with refrigerated cream.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the ring collapse?

Its inner walls may not have dried sufficiently. Continue the lower-temperature bake and drying stage.

Can I fill it while warm?

No. Warm pastry softens the filling and traps steam. Cool the shell and chill the cream first.