Cream Tartlet with Puff Pastry

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These cream tartlets are the mini version of my beloved Crèmeschnitte. Crèmeschnitte is a traditional European dessert that has two layers of puff pastry sandwiched around a vanilla custard filling (I used Bavarian Cream). I turned that into mini little tartlets and topped them with some fruit.

puff pastry tartlets with bavarian cream

Why you’ll love these puff pastry cream tartlets

They’re so light and creamy it feels like you can just eat 10 of them by yourself!
They can be made with store bought or homemade puff pastry.
A great make-ahead dessert, they’re good for days and the puff pastry cups and the custard portion of the cream can be made in advance.

My family LOVES crèmeschnitte! But Sometimes it can be a little difficult to serve, especially at more formal parties, cuz it’s so creamy and rustic looking. So when I make it, I usually use just one sheet of puff pastry from the box and I’m left with an open box of puff pastry.

So I made a double batch of cream and decided to try something new with the puff pastry. I baked it in cupcake tins and filled it with the cream. PHENOMENAL. So essentially it’s the same recipe but different preparation.

puff pastry tarts filled with bavarian cream

Ingredients

Sugar: I use granulated sugar and this cream is not overly sweet so don’t cut the sugar. I haven’t tested it but I’m sure brown sugar would also work well.
- I also used some powdered sugar to dust on top. I recommend the kind that doesn’t dissolve but regular is fine, just dust it fresh before serving so it doesn’t melt.
Eggs: I use just egg yolks for this custard because you want it to be very thick and flavorful so it’s not too subtle or loose when combined with the whipped cream.
Butter: There’s technically no butter in Bavarian but I couldn’t resist a tad of salted butter for this custard slice. Unsalted works fine too. I would add a tiny pinch of sea salt if you use unsalted.
Heavy Cream: heavy whipping cream is used to make the whipped cream, I recommend something between 35%-45% fat.
- Make sure it’s cold straight from the fridge when you whip it.
Gelatin: you will need gelatin for the cream to firm up in the fridge.
Vanilla: See below for different flavor options but for vanilla, I like to use vanilla bean paste, vanilla beans or vanilla powder. Vanilla extract also works, the higher the quality the better the flavor.
Puff Pastry: I just used a store bought puff pastry but if you want to make your own, you can.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Custard for Bavarian Cream

Bring the milk to a simmer. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar aggressively for 1-2 minutes while the milk heats.
Stream the milk into the egg mixture, while whisking, to temper the eggs.
Add the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, while whisking continuously (doesn’t have to be aggressive, just keep the whisk moving the whole time), until the custard thickens just slightly.
Pour the custard back into a large bowl and set aside for a second.
Bloom the gelatin and then microwave it for 10 seconds. Mix and add it to the custard. Whisk the gelatin well with the custard and then cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until the custard feels somewhat set and still a little jiggly but not runny.

Puff Pastry Shell

Roll the puff pastry out until it’s almost doubled in size and fairly thin.
Use a large biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles out of one sheet of puff pastry. Sometimes I only squeeze 11 out so I let the scraps rest for at least 10 minutes (to let the gluten relax) and roll them out again to get 1-3 more circles. The puff pastry baked from the scraps will be less puffy and a shrivel a little more but they’re still good if you want the extra few.
Grease the muffin tins and place each circle of dough in one of the muffin tins. I like to press them down with a shot glass – make sure to try to get it even on each edge. If one edge is significantly higher, that side will puff up way more.
Freeze the dough in the muffin tins for 10-20 minutes while the oven preheats. Then place a cupcake liner inside each cup of dough (in my pictures I just cut out sheets of parchment but cupcake liners are way easier) and fill it with pie weights (or dried beans or dry rice).
Bake the puff pastry for about 10 minutes, then (carefully) remove the cupcake liners with the pie weights) and bake again for another 7-10 minutes until they’ve browned. I like to take them to a nice dark golden brown because I found the color lightens once you refrigerate it.
Allow it to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tins and then remove them and allow them to cool completely before finishing the Bavarian cream.

puff pastry filled with pie weights — puff pastry dough in muffin tin

Finish Bavarian Cream

When the custard is chilled and the puff pastry has cooled, whip the cream with the powdered sugar, just until stiff peaks form.
Remove the custard from the fridge and use a whisk to mix it until it’s smooth again. This will disrupt the gelatin a little but it will set again when we put it back into the fridge. Make sure you whisk it until there are no more lumps and the custard is smooth again. Feel free to use an electric mixer if you don’t want the arm workout lol. I also push it through a sieve if it’s not getting smooth.
Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the custard and whisk until it’s completely combined. Add another 1/3 of the heavy whipping cream to the custard and now use a rubber spatula to fold it in gently. Repeat with the last 1/3.
Use a piping bag with a large round tip to pipe the cream into the prepared puff pastry shells, filling them to the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Top with fresh fruit and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

custard whisked until smooth — custard chilled

How to flavor Bavarian Cream

You could turn these into different flavors. I think chocolate would be soooo good.

There’s a few different methods you can use to flavor Bavarian cream. The first is by whisking in 2-4 Tbsp (20-40g) cocoa powder with the sugar, egg yolks and butter. You can also mix in melted chocolate chips/chocolate bars with the finished custard (it should melt the chocolate if you mix them when the custard is hot.

Mix in lemon curd, citrus zest, freeze dried ground fruit, nutella, peanut butter, cookie butter, etc. If you’re adding something liquid-y, make sure it’s not more than a couple of tablespoons or increase the gelatin by ¼-½ tsp.

You can also steep the heavy whipping cream with vanilla, chai spices, teas, etc. before whipping it to give it flavor or steep the milk before even making the custard.

I was recently thinking of replacing some of the milk with reduced apple cider, then adding some apple butter to the finished cream and topping the puff pastry with cinnamon sugar.

Expert tips on getting the perfect cream

Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
Give the puff pastry sufficient time to chill before baking and make sure it’s cooled completely before filling.
Use the Bavarian cream fresh when it’s done to fill the puff pastry. Give it several hours in the fridge before serving – overnight is best.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make it ahead of time?

Bavarian cream needs a few hours to set in the fridge so this is the perfect dessert to make 1-2 days ahead of time. I feel like after a couple of days the cream starts to loosen up a bit so I wouldn’t make it too far in advance.

Can I make my own puff pastry?

Yes! You can use a homemade puff pastry or rough puff. I used a store bought because although I like to make almost everything homemade, that was not in the cards today LOL.

Can I make dairy free puff pastry tartlets?

Dairy free butter and milk works well but unless you have a dairy free heavy whipping cream you like then probably not. Coconut cream works well but it obviously tastes like coconut. You’d also have to make or find a dairy free puff pastry.

Can I use store bought whipped cream?

Yes! So to be honest, this recipe is much easier if you use an 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip just because that’s already stabilized and it holds up even better. Make sure you’re using Cool Whip and not something off brand and make sure it’s the full-fat version.
If you’re using Cool Whip, skip the sugar that gets mixed with the whipped cream and skip the gelatin.

puff pastry finished baking with raspberry

How to store these cream tartlets?

Store the tarts in the fridge, covered or in an airtight container for up to 3-4ish days. I have not tried freezing it (because it never lasts long enough in my house lol) but I don’t imagine it would freeze well. The pastry will likely get really soggy and/or tough and the cream will likely deflate when you thaw it.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.

If you make these cream tarts, I’d love it if you left a star rating or a review for me! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B