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Japanese Shu Cream (Japanese Cream Puff)

Shu cream puff on a grey dessert plate.

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Rich and delicious shu cream or Japanese cream puff is made with the basic ingredients, featuring delicate choux pastry dough on the outside and delectable custard filling or sweetened whipped cream on the inside.

Ingredients

Scale

For the choux pastry:

  • 1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon (125 g) water
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 oz. (60 g) unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) whole eggs, room temperature

For the egg wash:

  • 1/2 small egg

For the sweetened whipped cream:

  • 1 2/3 cups (400 g) heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) icing (confectioners') sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean

For filling:

  • 12.4 oz. (350 g) fresh strawberries

For dusting:

  • 1/4 cup (30 g) confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  1. To make the choux pastry, 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 eat eggs with a mini whisk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, sift the flour. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. Add the beaten eggs little by little, and mix the dough well after each addition, using the wooden spatula or a hand whisk. Alternatively, you can mix the eggs into the cooked dough using a hand mixer. 
  5. 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. 
  6. 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. 
  7. 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
  8. To make the cream filling, whip the cold heavy cream, icing sugar, and scraped seeds of the vanilla bean with an electric or stand mixer until firm.
  9. To assemble shu cream, transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped tip. Using a serrated knife, cut each pastry shell at 1/3 or 1/2 from the top. Cut washed, dried, and hulled strawberries into cubes. Place the strawberry on the bottom of the cream puffs, pipe the cream, and arrange some strawberries over the cream. Place the top of the choux pastry on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Notes

  1. Consult the recipes for Choux a la Cream and Chantilly Cream for more tips and tricks.
  2. To assemble shu cream puffs with pastry cream, make the cream and follow the pipe-in technique outlined in the Italian cream puffs recipe.
  3. For the best baking results, check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer for an error in the heating power.
  4. Ensure to measure ingredients with a kitchen scale that provides the most accurate measurements.
  5. 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.

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