Ultimate Cream Slices with Puff Pastry and Vanilla Cream

Cream slices are pure indulgence in four layers: A delicate puff pastry base, topped with velvety vanilla cream and fluffy whipped cream. The finishing touch? Another fine, flaky pastry layer, dusted with powdered sugar or decorated with icing.

What Are Cream Slices & Why You Need to Make Them

If you've never tried a cream slice before, it's time to change that! The combination of textures is simply heavenly: crispy, flaky, creamy, and airy all at once. The first time I had a cream slice was during a trip to Croatia, where it's known as Kremšnita. As you can see, this delightful pastry, somewhere between a cake and a dessert square, is beloved in many countries. While it's unclear who exactly invented the original cream slice (Krempita), Austria, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia all claim their own versions.

I won’t say this is the quickest and easiest recipe, especially compared to simple muffins. But I’ll guide you through every step so that your cream slices turn out perfectly. Trust me, it’s worth it! Just look at how beautiful they are!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Recipe Recommendation

Strawberry Cream Cake – This delicious summer cake takes a little time to make, but it's easy – and worth the effort! Bake shortcrust pastry and sponge cake together for the base. An eye-catcher on any cake buffet!

Alongside basics like eggs, sugar, milk, and heavy cream, here’s what makes this recipe special:

Puff Pastry: This forms both the base and the top layer. Use a classic 275g refrigerated puff pastry roll, the same kind you’d use for sweet pastry pinwheels or apple turnovers. While homemade dough is great, I highly recommend using store-bought puff pastry for this recipe—it saves time and effort while delivering excellent results.
Vanilla Pudding Powder: This thickens the vanilla cream, enhanced further with eggs. Choose a high-quality pudding mix with real Bourbon vanilla—just like with vanilla sugar, you can truly taste the difference compared to artificial flavors. For an even stronger vanilla note, you can add some vanilla paste.
Cake Glaze Powder: My secret to making the cream slices firm without using gelatin! You’ll need 1.5 packets of clear cake glaze, the kind typically used for fruit tarts, found in most supermarkets. Each packet should be enough for 250ml of liquid. This contains starch and carrageenan, a vegetarian gelling agent.

How to Get the Puff Pastry Just Right

Puff pastry should be light and flaky—but for cream slices, it shouldn’t puff up too much. Otherwise, the layers become too bulky and difficult to eat. The trick? Weigh down the pastry while it bakes using a second, smaller baking tray or a lightweight baking dish. This ensures it rises just enough without becoming overly puffy.

Some recipes suggest pre-cutting the top pastry layer before baking. I tested this and wouldn’t recommend it—the pastry shrinks unevenly and loses its nice flaky structure. Instead, bake the entire sheet and cut it afterward!

The Creamy Vanilla Filling

While the pastry bakes, you can start on the filling. First, make a vanilla pudding, enriched with egg yolks, just like in Swedish almond cake. Be careful not to let the mixture boil, as the eggs might curdle. To make the filling light and airy, gently fold in beaten egg whites. Even if some air escapes, the pudding will still be fluffier this way. The final layer is slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Storage Tips

Cream slices are delicate, so cut them carefully with a sharp knife and use a cake lifter to transfer them. They taste best fresh, but you can store them airtight in the fridge for 1–2 days. The pastry might soften slightly.

For storage, place them on a cake tray with a lid or in a container lined with parchment paper so you can lift them out easily. Freezing isn’t recommended, as the cream may turn watery upon thawing. But honestly, they’ll disappear quickly—whether you eat them layer by layer or enjoy them bite by bite with a fork!

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Cream Slices

A heavenly combination of crispy puff pastry, silky vanilla cream, and airy whipped cream

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Baking Time: 15 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours

Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

For the Pastry Layers

275 g (1 sheet) refrigerated puff pastry

For the Vanilla Cream

2 medium eggs
80 g sugar
40 g (1 packet) vanilla pudding powder
20 g all-purpose flour
500 ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1.5 packets clear cake glaze powder (for 250ml liquid each)

For the Whipped Cream

300 g heavy cream
25 g vanilla sugar
2 packets whipped cream stabilizer

Instructions

Bake the Pastry Layers

Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) top and bottom heat. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it in half. One half will be the base, the other the top layer. Prick both sheets multiple times with a fork to prevent excessive puffing. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and weigh down with a second baking tray or a lightweight baking dish. Bake for 13 minutes with the weight on top, then remove the tray and parchment and bake for another 2–3 minutes if needed. Let cool.
Make the Vanilla Cream

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding 20g of sugar. Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 60g of sugar until creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the pudding powder and flour with 150ml of milk until smooth. Heat the remaining 350ml milk with the vanilla paste and cake glaze powder until it simmers. Temper the egg yolk mixture by stirring in a few tablespoons of the hot milk, then add it all to the pot. Stir over low to medium heat until thickened, but do not boil. Let cool slightly, then gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Assemble the Cake

Place a square baking frame around the baked pastry base. Spread the vanilla cream evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Whip the Cream

Beat the heavy cream with vanilla sugar and whipped cream stabilizer until stiff. Spread evenly over the vanilla cream layer.
Finish & Serve

Chill the cake for at least 1 more hour. Cut the top pastry sheet into 8 pieces and place them on top of the whipped cream. Cut the cake into 8 slices and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes
- For the best flavor, use vanilla pudding powder and vanilla sugar made with real Bourbon vanilla.
- The cake glaze powder replaces gelatin, making the cream slices vegetarian. However, gelatin can also be used.
- Store airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freezing is not recommended.
- Ingredient substitutions: Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!