When I think of celebrations, I think of Princes Krofne. No, neither cake nor savory delicacies come to mind. There’s something about Princes Krofne that makes me so happy. Even when the person making them isn’t very experienced, they still come out beautiful. A tray of these will take any dessert display to another level.
Princes Krofne, translated into English mean “Princess Donuts”. However, this dessert is very much a cream puff and not at all a modern-day donut as we know it. Golden choux pastry is piped onto a tray, baked until puffed up and hollow, then filled with delicious vanilla custard and sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar. They come in various sizes and can be eaten with your hands or with a fork if they are on the larger side.
These days, there are many variations of this dessert. Some like to add berries, some add berry syrup, and some even do it all: cream, custard, and berries. While those are also delicious, today I’ll be sharing the original, traditional version. You can then add anything else you’d like.
One important thing to remember when making Princes Krofne is to make sure not to open the oven door while they’re baking. That will ensure they rise and become nice and hollow in the middle.
While these may take some time to make, they are totally worth it. You can make them big or small and they’re ideal for a bake sale or party. Who doesn’t like a cream puff?
Looking for more dessert ideas? Check out the dessert section!
Princes Krofne / Cream Puffs
Course: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian12
pieces30
minutes45
minutesPrincess Krofne/Cream Puffs are a traditional dessert found on most dessert displays.
Ingredients
- Choux Pastry
1 stick + 2 tablespoons (120 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar
1 cup (120 g) flour
4-5 large eggs (depending on the size of egg)
- Vanilla Custard
2 cups (500 ml) milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream (slatka pavlaka)
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla sugar (I use 1 packet)
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (g) vanilla extract
1 cup (120 g) flour
- Topping
Powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (200 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Choux Pastry
- In a large pot, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar. Heat on medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted.
- When the butter is completely melted, add in the flour (all at once) and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pot. It will turn into a smooth dough ball.
Continue cooking the dough, moving it around, and stretching it with your spoon for another 2 minutes, this will ensure the flour is slightly cooked and any extra moisture is released. A thin film will form on the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat after 2 minutes. - Transfer the dough into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Mix the dough every couple of minutes so it cools faster.
- Once the dough has cooled, use a hand or stand mixer to incorporate the eggs, one at a time, into the dough. A hand mixer is best for this step.
Add in one egg, then beat until the egg is incorporated. Repeat this step with all eggs. You should end up with a sticky, thick, dough that is able to be piped and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up with a spatula. Depending on the size of your eggs you may need 4 or 5 to achieve the proper texture.
A note of caution: It will not look good when you start adding in the eggs. In fact, it will look like you did something wrong. But it will be ok, the mixture just needs some whisking and it will turn into a sticky, thick, dough. - Transfer the pastry dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe as many puffs as you’d like, but keep them all the same size so they cook evenly. I get 10-12 larger puffs from this recipe. Pipe the dough in a circle and work your way up, but avoid making a peak. It will burn in the oven. If you end up with peaks, just flatten them down slightly.
- Bake the pastry for 30 minutes, and do not open the oven during the baking time. After 30 minutes, the pastry should be golden brown. If they are not quite golden brown after 30 minutes, cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Vanilla Custard
- Add in half of the milk to a medium pot and reserve the other half. To the pot with the milk add in the granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Heat on medium heat until just starting to boil.
- While the milk heats up, to a mixing bowl add in the reserved milk, egg yolks, and flour. Whisk very well until the flour is combined and there aren’t any lumps.
- When the milk begins to just boil, add in the milk and flour mixture and whisk quickly. Continue whisking and cooking the custard until it becomes very thick. It will be slightly thicker than pudding. Once it has become very thick, continue cooking it for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Taste the custard for sweetness and add any additional sugar if you’d like at this point. Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the top of the custard (so a skin doesn’t form). Cool to room temperature and then in the refrigerator until cold. Transfer to a piping bag when cold.
- Assemble the Princes Krofne
- Cut each pastry puff horizontally, pipe in the vanilla custard on the bottom piece and top with the top piece. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Do not open the oven while the pastry is baking. If you open the oven door, the pastry will not puff up.
- Taste the custard when it’s cooked. If you’d like it sweeter, add in additional sugar while the custard is still hot. The heat will melt the sugar right into the custard. If you add sugar once the custard is cool, it will be grainy in texture.
- Store leftover assembled Princes Krofne in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.
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