Custard Cream Horns are a classic bakery-style dessert made with crisp, golden puff pastry wrapped into delicate horns and filled with smooth, creamy custard pudding. Light, elegant, and irresistibly creamy, they look fancy but are surprisingly easy to make at home using ready-made puff pastry.
Perfect for holidays, tea time, or whenever you want a dessert that looks impressive but takes very little effort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses store-bought puff pastry
- Crispy outside, creamy inside
- Simple custard filling with pudding
- Bakery-style result at home
- Great for make-ahead desserts
Ingredients
For the Puff Pastry Horns
- 1 package puff pastry sheets (thawed)
- Metal cream horn molds
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp milk
For the Custard Pudding Filling
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp butter
Optional Garnish
- Powdered sugar
- Melted chocolate (for dipping ends)
How to Make Custard Cream Horns
1. Prepare the Custard
In a saucepan, whisk milk, sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool completely.
2. Prepare the Puff Pastry
Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
Roll out puff pastry slightly and cut into 1½ cm (½-inch) strips.
3. Shape the Horns
Wrap pastry strips around metal horn molds, slightly overlapping.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Egg Wash
Whisk egg with milk and brush over the pastry.
5. Bake
Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
Cool completely, then gently remove molds.
6. Fill
Transfer cooled custard to a piping bag and fill each pastry horn generously.
7. Finish
Dust with powdered sugar or dip the tips in melted chocolate.
Tips for Perfect Cream Horns
- Pastry must be cold before baking
- Custard must be fully cooled before filling
- Don’t overfill or pastry may soften
- Best filled just before serving
Storage
- Unfilled horns: store airtight up to 2 days
- Filled horns: refrigerate and enjoy within 24 hours
Final Thought
These Custard Cream Horns combine flaky puff pastry with silky pudding for a dessert that’s light, elegant, and completely irresistible. One bite and they’ll taste just like your favorite bakery treat—only fresher.