Decadent and festive Cream Puff Tower (Croquembouche) with Dulce de Leche Cream! Perfect dessert for holidays!

Are you ready to learn how to make the perfect cream puffs?

I know it sounds quite intimidating but it’s really easy to make perfect puffs if you have a good recipe and respect exactly the measurements. Yes, that’s the big secret! Quantities and measurements 🙂

My mom has been making these choux shells since I can remember. Every birthday party or every other occasion, we will all ask for large quantities of puffs. She loves to serve them with savory filling! I should actually do a post about 3 different ways to serve savory choux! You are going to love them and possibilities are endless when filling these puffs, right?!

But, this will be another story, another time. Soon, I promise!

Now back to today’s recipe. Have I mentioned that these puffs are filled with a generous spoonful of one of my favorite, decadent treats in the world?

Dulce de leche. Glossy, rich and sooooo gooooood!

Cream Puff Tower (Croquembouche) is made of choux shells, filled with Dulce de Leche assembled in a tower with some Dulce de Leche cream, because there was just not enough of it :)….such a decadent , festive showstopper! Make no mistake, it is rich and sweet 🙂…BUT PERFECT!

If you are wondering just how fantastic this Dulce de Leche cream could really be….well, it is the most perfect cream filling that I have ever tasted!

While you could make your own dulce de leche, I used a really good quality store bought jar this time. Next time, it will be homemade, but this time was really difficult to stop myself from drooling over these little lovelies. Not quick enough was this Cream Puff Tower (Croquembouche) with Dulce de Leche Cream ready.

Cream Puff Tower (Croquembouche) with Dulce de Leche Cream

Ingredients

Choux shells/ Cream puffs
250 ml water
100 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
200 g all purpose flour
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
Dulce de Leche to fill them
Dulce de Leche Cream
2 cups store bought or homemade dulce de leche
1 cup heavy cream
Powdered sugar, for dusting to serve

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/ 200C and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
In a medium saucepan, combine water, salt, sugar, and butter. Place over medium high heat and stir until the butter has melted. Bring the saucepan to a simmer, add the flour all at once and use a wooden spoon to vigorously stir the flour into the liquid. As the dough thickens, continue stirring until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly dried out, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside. Quickly whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until the batter is smooth and very thick and the previous egg is completely incorporated into the dough.
Place the choux batter in a piping bag and pipe small rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Dip your finger in a bit of water and press down to smooth the peaks on the circles because the peaks can burn during baking.
Bake at 400F/ 200C degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350F/ 180C and bake for almost 25 minutes. You shouldn't bake them for more than 40 minutes in total.
The choux shells should be golden and should feel stiff and hollow when tapped gently. Remove the puffs from the oven and allow cool to room temperature before filling them.
Make the dulce de leech cream: Add heavy cream to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently incorporate in dulce de leech and mix to combine. Transfer the filling to a piping bag.
Using a knife, poke small holes at the bottom of each puff and add no more than 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche. Repeat with the remaining puffs.
To assemble the cream puff tower, separate puffs according to size and shape, choosing the flattest ones for the bottom layer and the smallest ones for the top. Add a layer of dulce de leche cream to a round serving platter and add puffs forming a solid circle.Add dulce de leche cream to help you build the second layer. Continue building the tower until you have finished all puffs. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g