Elegant Strawberry and Cream Profiteroles || Classic French Cream Puffs
By Rebecca St.Clair
These soft and sweet homemade strawberry and cream profiteroles are delightful little choux pastry puffs, each filled with silky strawberry cream. The light, crisp exterior is filled with a smooth, creamy centre, creating a dessert that feels both elegant and indulgent.
For an extra decadent finish, dip the profiteroles in dark or white chocolate, or dust them lightly with powdered sugar. You can even stack them into a dramatic croquembouche for a truly show-stopping dessert centerpiece—perfect for holidays, dinner parties, weddings, or special occasions.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Classic dessert – Profiteroles or cream puffs are a beloved French pastry that everyone loves.
Rich and flavourful – The rich and flavourful cream adds the perfect burst of fruity flavour.
Elegant dessert – Homemade bite-sized treats perfect
What Are Profiteroles?
Profiteroles are small pastries made from pâte à choux (choux pastry). The word choux translates to cabbage in English, as the baked pastries resemble tiny cabbages once puffed.
Choux pastry is unique because it is cooked on the stovetop before baking, creating a dough that bakes up incredibly light, airy, and hollow inside. This makes profiteroles the perfect vessel for creamy fillings like whipped cream, pastry cream, or custard. The same dough is also used to make éclairs.
Because they’re bite-sized, profiteroles are easy to pick up and eat, making them ideal for parties and dessert tables served alongside finger foods and appetizers.
Filling Profiteroles
Profiteroles—also known as cream puffs—are traditionally filled with pastry cream or whipped cream, but their hollow centers make them incredibly versatile.
Sweet Filling Ideas:
- Strawberry cream
- Chocolate mousse
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Ice cream
- Lemon curd
Savoury Filling Ideas:
- Garlic and herb cheese
- Bruschetta
- Spicy chicken
- Smoked salmon spread
For soft, creamy fillings like whipped cream or pastry cream, use a piping bag to fill the profiteroles neatly. If you don’t have one, a plastic sandwich bag works perfectly—just snip a small corner off to pipe the filling.
For chunkier fillings, slice off the top third of the pastry, spoon in the filling, then replace the lid.
How to Store Strawberry Cream Profiteroles
Room Temperature
Store unfilled profiteroles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator
Store filled strawberry cream profiteroles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keep in mind that the filling may release moisture over time, causing the pastry to soften.
Freezer
To freeze strawberry cream profiteroles:
- Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Freeze for 1–2 hours, until firm.
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
This prevents the soft filling from oozing out when stacked. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.
Making Strawberry Cream Profiteroles in Advance
For the best texture, it’s ideal to store the profiteroles and filling separately when making them ahead of time. Refrigerating filled profiteroles will soften the pastry, losing that signature crisp shell.
- Store unfilled profiteroles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days
- Prepare the strawberry cream filling up to 1–2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator
- Fill just before serving for the best flavour and texture
Croquembouche
A croquembouche is a tall, dramatic tower of profiteroles held together with hot caramel that hardens as it cools, creating a strong and stable structure.
This strawberry cream profiterole recipe makes enough for one medium croquembouche. Using a cone form helps guide the shape and keeps the tower evenly structured for a professional finish.
How to Make Strawberry Cream Profiteroles
Pastry
- In a medium sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup water, 2/3 cup butter, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in 1 2/3 cup flour.
- Stir, until the flour is incorporated and is a smooth soft dough ball that cleans the sides of the pot.
5. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with beaters, place the dough into the bowl and mix on medium for about a minute, to cool down the dough enough to add in the eggs.
6. With the mixer still going, add in 5 eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition to incorporate the eggs.
7. Transfer this mixture to a very large piping bag with a large circular tip. Or you can use a large freezer bag and cut a small hole in one corner to make a DIY piping bag.
8. Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
9. Pipe about a Tablespoon worth of dough onto a lined baking sheet, about 1 ½ inches apart.
10. Dip your finger into a small glass of water and smooth down any points at the top of the dough that were left from the piping bag.
11. Bake the profiteroles for 10 minutes at the high temperature to give them a big burst of heat, which will help them puff up.
12. Reduce the temperature to 375 °F (190 °C) and continue to bake for 15 minutes, or until the profiteroles are golden brown and feel very light and airy. (If profiteroles are not baked long enough, they will collapse as they cool.)
13. Cool completely before filling.
Strawberry cream filling
- Add 2 cups of washed and cut fresh strawberries, or the same amount of frozen strawberries, to a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
- Mash and cook for 3 -5 minutes or until soft.
- Add in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
- Stir and cook until reduced and thickened.
- (optional) Use an immersion blender to purée the strawberries.
6. Set aside in the refrigerator to cool.
7. In a large bowl beat 1 cup of heavy cream until soft and thickened.
8. Add in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
9. Beat again, until the mixture holds a stiff peak. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in evenly.
10. Add in the cooled strawberry purée and beat into the cream mixture until the mixture is thick.
11. Transfer to a piping bag.
12. Poke the tip into the profiterole, (you should be able to see a weak spot in the pastry). Pipe in the filling until the pastry feels noticeably heavier in your hand.
13. Continue with the rest of your profiteroles.
14. For an added flourish profiteroles can be drizzled with melted chocolate, dipped in caramel, or dusted with icing sugar.
Strawberry and Cream Profiteroles
Classic light and airy, bite-sized pastries filled with fluffy strawberry cream. Perfect for parties where finger foods will be served!
Ingredients
Pastry
- ¾ cup milk 175 ml
- ¾ cup water 175 ml
- ⅔ cup softened butter 150 g
- 1 Tablespoon sugar 12 g
- ½ teaspoon salt 2 g
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 250 g
- 5 eggs
Strawberry cream
- 2 cup strawberries 560 g
- 1/4 cup white sugar 50 g
- 2 cups 35% cream 500 ml
- 1/4 cup icing sugar 32 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
- (optional) garnish of choice like melted chocolate, icing sugar, pink sprinkles, or pink decorating sugar
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add 3/4 milk, 3/4 cup water, 2/3 cup butter, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the 1 2/3 cup flour.
- Stir it with a strong wooden spoon, until the flour is incorporated and is a smooth soft dough ball that cleans the sides of the pot.
- Using a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with beaters, place the dough into the bowl and mix on medium-low for about a minutes to cool down the dough enough to add in the eggs.
- With the mixer still going, add in 5 eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition to incorporate the eggs.
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
- Transfer this mixture to a very large piping bag with a large circular tip. Or you can use a large freezer bag and cut a small hole in one corner to make a DIY piping bag.
- Pipe about a Tablespoon worth of dough onto a lined baking sheet, about 1 ½ inches apart.
- Dip your finger into a small glass of water and smooth down any points at the top of the dough that were left from the piping bag.
- Bake the profiteroles for 10 minutes at the high temperature to give them a big burst of heat, which will help them puff up.
- Reduce the temperature to 375 °F (190 °C) and continue to bake for 15 minutes, or until the profiteroles are golden brown and feel very light and airy. (If profiteroles are not baked long enough, they will collapse as they cool.)
- Cool completely before filling.
- Add 2 cups of washed and cut strawberries to a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
- Mash and cook for 3 -5 minutes or until soft.
- Add in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
- Stir and cook until reduced and thickened.
- (optional) Purée with an immersion blender.
- Set aside in the refrigerator to cool.
- In a large bowl beat 1 cup of heavy cream until soft and thickened.
- Add in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Beat again, until the mixture holds a stiff peak. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in evenly.
- Add in the cooled strawberry purée and beat into the cream mixture until thick..
- Transfer to a piping bag.
- Poke the tip into the profiterole, (you should be able to see a weak spot in the pastry). Pipe in the filling until the pastry feels noticeably heavier in your hand.
- Continue with the rest of your profiteroles.
- For an added flourish, profiteroles can be drizzled with melted chocolate, dipped in caramel, or dusted with icing sugar.
Pastry
Strawberry cream filling
Notes
The pastries and filling can be made 1 - 2 days in advance and stored separately. Fill right before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
30Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 137Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 62mgSodium 92mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 0gSugar 6gProtein 2g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
