6 best recipes for kremeshe or puff pastry dessert with creamy custard filling

The more cream the better! Don’t be afraid to fill these kremesh recipes to the brim.

The amazing homemade custard cream softens the puff pastry, but does not make it soggy, and you will really enjoy the perfect combination of supple, fragile, but still crunchy dough.

Try this dessert with us in combination with fresh fruit or an irresistible hazelnut-hazelnut filling.

We guarantee your complete satisfaction.

Real kremeše made from puff pastry and cottage cheese

There’s nothing better than two layers of puff pastry filled with heavenly cream cheese and vanilla cream, that’s exactly what this recipe for a classic Napoleon cake is!

What will we need

1. 5 egg whites
2. 5 egg yolks
3. Pinch of salt
4. 300 g of granulated sugar
5. 100 g cornstarch (+ 1 tablespoon)
6. 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
7. Zest of ½ lemon
8. 250 g of fatty cottage cheese
9. 1 liter of whole milk
10. 200 g butter (chopped + 1 tablespoon)
11. 2 sheets of puff pastry

Method

1. Separate the eggs for the vanilla pudding
2. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff
3. While whisking, slowly add sugar and whisk until the egg whites are stiff and glossy
4. Gradually add the egg yolks to the whites one by one, carefully and slowly incorporate each yolk
5. Then add cornstarch, vanilla extract and finely grated lemon peel and mix with a plastic spatula
6. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a saucepan
7. Very slowly start pouring the milk over the egg mixture in a very thin stream
8. Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan where we heated the milk
9. Turn on the heat under the saucepan to moderate
10. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly
11. The mixture will begin to thicken and turn into a custard, which is the consistency we want to achieve
12. So we continue to whip until we get a thick pudding
13. We mix thoroughly so that the pudding does not stick to the bottom
14. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually add the chopped butter
15. Stir thoroughly to melt and incorporate the butter
16. When the butter is incorporated, put the filling aside and let it cool
17. When the vanilla pudding has cooled to room temperature, mix in the full-fat cottage cheese
18. Mix thoroughly to combine the ingredients well and set aside
19. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220 degrees
20. Place the sheets of puff pastry on a baking sheet
21. Then bake the dough one by one according to the instructions on the package, until golden, about 12 minutes
22. Let it cool completely
23. Place the baked sheet of dough on a rectangular serving plate, if it is too puffy, gently press it down
24. Spread the vanilla pudding evenly on top
25. Place the second sheet of dough on top and gently press the dough together
26. Put the cream in the fridge for an hour or two and sprinkle it with powdered sugar before serving

French custard with homemade vanilla pudding

This dessert is a French delicacy made up of two sheets of crispy puff pastry sandwiched between a rich layer of the best vanilla pudding you’ve ever tasted. There are many similar sweets around the world, but you will not forget this dessert!

What will we need

1. 2 sheets of puff pastry
2. 3 egg whites
3. 3 egg yolks
4. 800 ml of whole milk
5. 250 g of granulated sugar
6. 80 g cornstarch
7. 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
8. 40 g butter cut into cubes
9. Icing sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Spread the sheets of puff pastry on baking sheets lined with baking paper and pierce the tops of both sheets with a fork
3. Put them in the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and crispy
4. Remove the dough from the oven and let it cool
5. Line the bottom and sides of a mold approximately the same size or slightly larger than our baked puff pastry with baking paper
6. Place one cooled sheet of puff pastry on the bottom
7. Using a knife, cut the second sheet of puff pastry into 8 rectangles or 16 squares
8. Leave the cut rectangles/squares in the same arrangement and set aside
9. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form
10. Add 100 grams of sugar and continue whipping until thick and shiny snow is formed
11. Set the whipped snow aside
12. In a large saucepan, beat the egg yolks and slowly add the milk until you have a smooth texture and mixture
13. Add the remaining 150 grams of sugar and cornstarch and beat the mixture again until smooth
14. And heat this pot to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is very thick
15. Remove the saucepan from the heat and beat in the vanilla and butter until a smooth and creamy custard is formed
16. In several batches, add the whipped snow to the hot pudding and mix until you have a whole pudding
17. Pour the pudding onto the baked dough and smooth the surface
18. Place the cut pieces of the second sheet of puff pastry on top
19. We put the cream dessert assembled in this way in the refrigerator and refrigerate it for at least 2 to 3 hours so that it hardens completely
20. Before serving, dust the top of the dessert liberally with icing sugar and then serve

Grandma’s cookies with chocolate coating

What could be better than this tender, creamy, crunchy and soft dessert that literally falls apart under your hands. It is so fragile that in some pastry shops they serve it with both a fork and a knife in order to be able to eat it at all.

What will we need

For the dough

1. 300 g puff pastry

For the cream

• 500 ml of milk
• 100 g of sugar
• A spoonful of vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 35 g of cornstarch
• 50 g of butter

For decoration

1. 100 g of powdered sugar
2. A spoonful of milk
3. 20 g of chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Roll out the dough into three equal-sized rectangles
3. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and pierce them all over with a fork
4. Place in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the dough sheets are golden brown
5. Take it out of the oven and let it cool
6. Heat the milk and half the sugar together with the vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat
7. In a separate bowl, whisk the rest of the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch
8. We will prepare a bowl with a strainer, where we will pour the finished cream
9. As soon as the milk mixture is just about to boil, pour a little into the yolks and whisk quickly
10. The yolks need to be heated, but just enough so that they don’t start to cook
11. Slowly continue to pour in the milk and whisk until about two-thirds of the milk mixture is added
12. Now pour everything back into the pot and cook at a moderate temperature while constantly whisking
13. After a few minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken to a pudding consistency
14. Remove the pot from the heat and strain it through a sieve into the prepared bowl
15. Let it cool for a few minutes and then beat in the butter
16. Place a piece of cling film over the bowl and leave the mixture in the bowl to cool in the fridge for at least an hour until it is firm and thick
17. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave
18. Beat the milk and powdered sugar until a thick frosting is formed and add the chocolate
19. Spread half of the cream on the first baked sheet of dough
20. Put another layer of dough and the rest of the cream on top
21. Place the last sheet of dough on top
22. We put the chocolate coating in a decorating pastry bag and decorate the top layer of the dough with it
23. Place the finished kremeš with chocolate in the fridge for an hour and then serve

Homemade cream with strawberries

This strawberry dessert recipe takes a little effort and experience, but it tastes as good as it looks. A delicious dessert filled with custard and served with English strawberry sorbet.

What will we need

For white chocolate cream

1. 85 g white chocolate (chopped)
2. 250 g of sugar
3. 45 g plain flour
4. 45 g cornstarch
5. 3 eggs
6. 500 ml warm milk
7. A teaspoon of vanilla extract
8. 200 g of rolled puff pastry
9. A spoonful of sugar
10. 375 g quartered fresh strawberries (or raspberries)

For whipped cream

1. 310 ml of 35% cream
2. 60 g of sugar
3. A teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the frosting

1. 60 g of powdered sugar
2. A teaspoon of water
3. 125 g strawberry jam (or raspberry jam)

Method

1. Place the chocolate in a bowl and set it aside
2. Mix sugar, flour and cornstarch in a pot off the stove
3. Add eggs and beat until smooth
4. Gradually stir in the milk
5. Transfer the pot to the stove and over medium heat, whisking constantly, and bring the mixture to a boil
6. Cook for about 1 minute
7. Add chocolate and vanilla
8. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate melts
9. Cover the pot with cling film and let the cream cool, refrigerate until the cream cools down completely
10. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200 degrees
11. Line a baking sheet with baking paper
12. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into two approximately equal rectangles
13. Sprinkle the dough with sugar and roll it lightly with a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough
14. Place the dough on a baking sheet
15. Cover it with baking paper and place a second baking sheet on it so that bubbles do not form on the dough and it does not curl
16. Bake for about 20 minutes until the dough is golden brown
17. Finally, after taking out, remove the top tray and baking paper and let the dough cool on the wire rack
18. Meanwhile, whip the cream with sugar and vanilla in a bowl until stiff
19. We will place this in the refrigerator
20. For the glaze, mix sugar and water in a bowl
21. Pour this into a small resealable plastic bag and set aside
22. Cut the puff pastry in half
23. We take one rectangle and add ⅓ of the cream, which we spread over it
24. Add ⅓ of the strawberries and press them lightly into the cream
25. We cover them with the second part of the puff pastry, spread it again with cream and cover it with the third part of the puff pastry
26. Add the whipped cream and sprinkle with the remaining strawberries
27. Finally, cover the cream with the last piece of dough and spread it with marmalade
28. We cut off one end of the plastic bag where we poured the frosting
29. Draw straight lines parallel to the width of the puff pastry with the marmalade icing
30. We then use a skewer to trace these lines to create a marble motif
31. Place the custard slices in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving them

Coffee slices with hazelnut

This Napoleon cake recipe is the epitome of another memorable dessert. Especially for its novel combination of coffee cream and hazelnut cream with nougat.

What will we need

For the dough

1. 1 kg of puff pastry

For hazelnut pralines

• 35 ml of water
• 100 g of sugar
• 100 g of peeled and roasted hazelnuts
• Pinch of salt

For the nougat cream

1. 100 g hazelnut pralines
2. 40 g of heavy cream

For coffee creamer

1. 125 ml of espresso
2. 125 ml of milk
3. 60 g of egg yolk
4. 60 g of sugar
5. 10 g of flour
6. 15 g of cornstarch
7. ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
8. 25 g butter (cut into cubes)
9. 50 ml of heavy cream

For decoration

1. Cocoa powder
2. Caramelized hazelnuts

Method

1. Roll out the puff pastry and spread it on the work surface, cut it into two parts and place each part on a baking sheet lined with baking paper
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
3. Place the sheet with the dough in the middle of the oven and let it bake for about 30 minutes
4. Spread a thin layer of powdered sugar on the baked rectangles of dough using a sieve
5. Put the dough back in the oven and this time put it on the top rack and bake it for another 10-20 minutes
6. The dough is ready when it is completely baked (golden/light brown) and the sugar on top is almost completely caramelized
7. However, if the sugar has not completely caramelized, but the dough starts to brown, remove it from the oven so that it does not burn and let it cool to room temperature
8. For hazelnut pralines, roast a large amount of hazelnuts in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes
9. We then remove them from the oven and carefully transfer them to a tea towel, cover them and rub them thoroughly until most of them are peeled
10. Allow the peeled hazelnuts to cool at room temperature and then weigh out the required amount
11. For the caramel, mix water and then sugar in a pot, place the mixture in the pot on the stove and turn it on to medium heat
12. We stir the sugar to dissolve, as soon as the water starts to boil, we stop stirring
13. We keep the caramel at a medium temperature until it begins to acquire a light brown color
14. As soon as the caramel acquires the desired color, remove the pot from the heat and add the hazelnuts and salt to the pot
15. Stir until all the hazelnuts are covered with a thin layer of caramel
16. Pour the caramelized hazelnuts and all the remaining caramel onto baking paper and let them cool at room temperature
17. Break some hazelnuts (so that we have some left over for decoration) in the caramel into smaller pieces and transfer them to a food processor
18. There we grind them until we get a powder and then grind them again on high speed until we get a creamy hazelnut paste
19. For the nougat cream, bring the heavy cream to a boil and place a bowl with pralines and hazelnut paste next to it
20. As soon as the cream boils, immediately pour it into the praline bowl and mix well until the pralines have dissolved and we have a uniform mixture
21. We then keep it in the fridge for at least an hour
22. We prepare coffee, which we pour into a saucepan, add milk and vanilla to it
23. We start heating the mixture to a medium temperature and add about a third of the sugar
24. Add the rest of the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk immediately, then add the flour and cornstarch to the egg yolks and whisk again
25. As soon as the coffee mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and pour it into the mixture of egg yolks and sugar while constantly whisking.
26. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the pot
27. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy
28. When the cream starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and transfer the cream mixture to a clean bowl
29. Add the cubes of butter and mix until a uniform mixture is formed
30. Place cling film on top of the cream and let it cool in the fridge for about an hour
31. Spread ¾ of the nougat cream on the first sheet of puff pastry
32. Beat the remaining 50 ml of cold heavy cream until soft (be careful not to overbeat, the goal is to get a texture similar to thick yogurt)
33. Transfer a quarter of the whipped cream to the coffee cream and mix the rest into the nougat cream
34. Cover the first layer of dough with another layer of dough, add coffee cream to it, cover with another layer and add nougat cream and cover again
35. We put everything in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so that the cream hardens a little, finally dust the cream with sugar (or cocoa powder) and decorate with caramelized hazelnuts

A simple vegan version of a wheat tortilla

For lovers of all things sweet, as well as all things vegan, we have prepared this recipe for quartzite. It’s a really simple vegan version of the popular creamy dessert. In our case, it is a layered dessert made of wheat tortillas and sugar icing, decorated with either roasted walnuts or coconut strips.

What will we need

1. 10 tortillas
2. 450 ml soy milk (or other plant-based milk)
3. 3 tablespoons of almond flour
4. 125 g of coconut or cane sugar
5. A teaspoon of vanilla extract
6. 30 g of roasted walnuts

Method

1. Heat the tortillas in a pan until they are completely toasted on both sides and set aside on a plate
2. Mix soy milk, coconut sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan
3. We will start heating everything to a medium temperature
4. Stir in the flour and cook until the sauce thickens and forms a custard-like topping
5. Take the first tortilla and spread the pudding on it and cover it with another tortilla
6. We alternate the layers like this until we run out of tortillas
7. We have to have a frosting on top
8. Decorate with roasted walnuts

Video recipe for kremeshe

Making the dessert itself can seem complicated to some, so we have prepared a simple and clear guide for you on how to prepare this fantastic puff pastry dessert, without unnecessary stress!

How to make a simple French style vanilla slice in 30 minutes

Where did kremeš dessert come from?

Puff pastry dessert, or kremeše, is also known by names such as:

German: Cremeschnitte,

Hungarian: krémes,

polish: napoleonka,

Croatian: kremšnita,

Slovak: kremeš,

Slovenian: kremšnita

It is generally a custard and cream dessert commonly associated with the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

However, its exact origin is unknown. This dish remains popular in Central Europe and the Balkans in various variations, all of which include puff pastry and custard cream.

In Slovenia
In Slovenia, the kremeše recipe is commonly associated with the town of Bled, an alpine tourist destination in northwestern Slovenia.

In Croatia
In Croatia, the two most popular variants are Samoborska kremšnita from the city of Samobor and Zagrebačka kremšnita from the capital city of Zagreb. The extremely popular Samoborská kremšnita is characterized by a puff pastry top, mainly a custard cream filling and is finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Zagrebačka kremšnita has a characteristic chocolate coating instead of a puff pastry top, but the puff pastry base is left.

In Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, the dish is known as krempita “cream pie”. The filling is usually a clear thick pudding.

In Montenegro

Kotor krempita is the most famous in Montenegro. In addition to the original recipe, it differs from other custard recipes in that it is made of three layers of dough and two layers of cream.