Shu Cream (Japanese Cream Puff)

Rich and delicious shu cream or Japanese cream puffs are made with the basic ingredients, featuring delicate choux pastry dough on the outside and delectable custard filling or sweetened whipped cream on the inside. Nobody can resist trying these classic delights with a modern twist.

Japanese shu cream, a staple of Japanese culture, is made of classic French choux pastry dough with a unique twist. They are similar to German cream puffs yet daintier, frequently having strawberry filling.

Jump to:

• What is shu cream?
• Why you should try this recipe
• Ingredients
• Recipe variations
• How to make shu cream
• Expert Tips
• Storage instructions
• Recipe FAQ
• Love choux pastry? Try these next!
• Recipe card
• Comments

The Japanese are obsessed with shu cream. Why? Ayako Watanabe, who worked as a sous-chef at a bakery in Tokyo, says,

I think shu cream are loved by Japanese people because of their texture and flavor, as [well as] the ease of eating them.

The shu cream recipe makes up to 15 choux cream puffs, enough for a small birthday party. Need more? Simply double or triple the recipe and assemble them the next day.

What is shu cream?

Shu cream (シュークリーム in Japanese) is a Japanese cream puff made with traditional choux pastry (pâte à choux) and filled with custard cream or whipped cream. Japanese people call it cream puff シュークリーム, but in France, it is called "choux a la crème." 

Japanese innovators have twisted classic desserts with their unique versions. They have taken the beloved Mont Blanc dessert and given it a creative twist. The same applies to traditional choux a la cream.

Japanese cream puffs have a wide variety of customizable delights, from the traditional Hokkaido cream puffs from Kitakaro confectionary shop to the globally-renowned Beard Papa cream puffs from Japanese Beard Papa and American Beard Papa's stores and the indulgent Hokkaido Ice Cream Puffs Miri.

Why you should try this recipe

• Shu cream is a Japanese specialty, one of the most-consumed desserts sold in cake stores, coffee shops, and even vending machines throughout Japan.

• The Japanese puff is a member of the choux pastry dessert family, which includes a delightful array of treats such as eclairs, profiteroles, chouquettes, choux au craquelin, Paris Brest, croquembouche, and savory gougères.

• Japanese cream puff recipe is made with basic ingredients and is customizable.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Water: Tap, filtered, or mineral water is essential for making choux pastry dough.

• Salt enhances the flavor of the pastry.

• Unsalted butter at room temperature is another essential ingredient of the pate a choux.

• All-purpose flour is used to make cream puff shells. Opt for wheat flour with a protein content of 11 to 14%.

In Japan, low-gluten flour (also known as cake flour 薄力粉) or thin-force flour is used for making choux pastry dough. Its protein content is less than 8%. You can easily find this flour in a Japanese grocery store.

• Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the eggs. You may need to beat eggs with a mini whisk and then measure how much of the egg mixture you need. Half of the small egg is used for the egg wash.

• Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat content is a must to whisk the cream.

• Icing sugar (aka powdered or confectioners' sugar) is used to make creme Chantilly (aka sweetened whipped cream).

• Vanilla bean is optional and adds flavor to the sweetened whipped cream. Replace it with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.

• Strawberry: Opt for fresh strawberries and decorate your cream puffs as you desire.

Recipe variations

Let's discover new types of cream puffs with a Japanese taste:

• Crispy almond shu cream: Sprinkle choux mounds with chopped almonds or top them with a crunchy craquelin, known as a cookie crust.
• Soy milk cream puffs: Make choux pastry with soy butter and stuff it with your favorite cream.
• Two layers cream puffs: Stuff your choux puffs with plenty of custard filling and whipped cream.
• Cake-style Japanese cream puffs: Fill choux puffs with vanilla custard cream, whipped cream, and many fresh fruits.

How to make shu cream

Making Japanese shu cream consists of a few steps: making the choux pastry shells, sweetened whipped cream, and assembling cream puffs.

Make choux pastry

Consult the Choux a la Cream recipe for step-by-step photos, helpful tips, and tricks.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Take two pieces of parchment paper and draw about 1.5 inches (4 cm) circles with a distance of approximately 2 inches (5 cm) between them. Flip the paper over and put each on a baking sheet.

Beat the eggs with a mini whisk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, sift the flour.

Bring water, salt, and cubed butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat.

Remove the pot from the stove and immediately add sifted flour all at once. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon, flattering the lumps.

Then bring the pot over low to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough comes away from its sides.

Remove the pot from the heat, transfer it to a clean large bowl, and let it cool for 3-5 minutes. Flatten it with a rubber spatula to increase the surface area and help chill the dough faster.

Add the beaten eggs little by little, and mix the dough well after each addition, using the wooden spatula or a hand whisk.

Pro tip: Alternatively, you can mix the eggs into the cooked dough using a hand mixer.

When the dough reaches the right consistency, it becomes shiny and smooth. Lift the spatula and look at how the dough falls. It is done if it falls slowly and forms a letter V or a sharp inverted triangle.

Place the dough in a pastry bag with a round tip - Ateco plain pastry tip 809. Squeeze it onto the paper-lined tray to make it 1.5 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Make sure to space the choux mounds out.

Use a fork dipped in the beaten egg or water to make a checkerboard pattern on top of each dough mound, and spray with water 1-2 times from a distance of about 30 cm.

Pro tip: Adding a grid pattern to the dough prevents it from swelling into an irregular shape. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, one baking tray at a time, until golden brown. Don't open the oven door while baking!

After 30-35 minutes, open the oven door and prick each shell with a bamboo skewer or toothpick, making 3-5 holes at the bottom. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes longer. Then, remove the shells from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

Make the cream filling

Choose one of the following cream fillings:

• Rich egg and vanilla-flavored custard cream
• Sweetened whipped cream (creme Chantilly)

To make vanilla custard cream, follow the recipe for Italian pastry cream. This timeless and authentic cream recipe remains consistent with the version commonly used by Japanese pastry chefs.

To make sweetened whipped cream, follow the recipe for Chantilly Cream.

Assemble cream puffs

Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped tip. Using a serrated knife, cut each pastry shell at ⅓ or ½ from the top. Cut washed, dried, and hulled strawberries into cubes.

Place the strawberry on the bottom of the cream puffs (photo 1), pipe the cream (photo 2), and arrange some strawberries over the cream.

Place the top of the choux pastry on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Pro tip: To assemble shu cream puffs with pastry cream, follow the pipe-in technique outlined in the Italian cream puffs recipe.

Expert Tips

1. For the best baking results, check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer for an error in the heating power.
2. Ensure to measure ingredients with a kitchen scale that provides the most accurate measurements.
3. Make-ahead option: Bake the cream puffs in advance and keep them unfilled in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Fill them with cream before serving or a few hours prior.

Storage instructions

Japanese cream puffs with custard cream filling or whipped cream are best eaten on the same day. Due to the dairy nature of the cream ingredients, don't store them for longer than 24 hours, even refrigerated.

Can you freeze shu cream? It is not advisable to freeze the already assembled shu cream. However, freezing raw and baked choux pastry is possible.

• Unbaked choux puffs. To freeze choux pastry mounds, place them on baking paper and freeze them for 2-3 hours. Once solid, transfer them into labeled freezing bags and store them for up to 3 months.

Simply bake them straight from the freezer when ready to serve, adjusting the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes for optimal results.

• Baked, unfilled, and unglazed choux puffs. Simply store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw them at room temperature and pop them in the oven preheated to 355°F (180°C) for approximately 5-7 minutes.

Recipe FAQ

Love choux pastry? Try these next!

• Paris-Brest Dessert
• Sugar-free Cream Puffs
• Nun's Farts
• Cream Puff's Dessert

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.