Desserts

Puff Pastry Cream Cones Recipe

Puff pastry cream cones are a Turkish dessert made with shop-bought puff pastry wrapped around metal cone moulds, filled with a vanilla cream and coated in pistachios, hazelnuts and coconut. Flaky, crisp shells with a cold, thick filling.

The pastry needs to be cold when you wrap it. If the puff pastry thaws too much, it goes soft and sticky, won’t hold its shape around the mould, and the layers fuse together instead of puffing up separately. I take the sheets out of the freezer and wait just until they bend without cracking, about 5-6 minutes. Any longer and they’re too warm to work with.

The cream sets properly only if you chill it before and after filling. Whipping the cream, milk and pudding mix together gives you a thick custard-style filling, but it firms up in the fridge. Half an hour in the fridge before piping makes it stiff enough to hold inside the cone without running out the bottom. Another hour after filling lets everything set so you can coat the tops without the cream sliding off.

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Puff Pastry Cream Cones Ingredients

For the Cones

5-6 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry (frozen)
A little vegetable oil or butter, for greasing the moulds
12 metal cone moulds (kulah kalıbı)

For the Cream Filling

1 sachet instant vanilla pudding mix (no-cook type)
250ml (9fl oz) double cream
250ml (9fl oz) milk

For Decoration

2 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp crushed pistachios
2 tbsp crushed hazelnuts
Icing sugar, for dusting

How To Make Puff Pastry Cream Cones

Prepare the pastry: Remove the puff pastry sheets from the freezer and leave them at room temperature for 5-6 minutes, just until they bend without cracking. Cut each sheet into 4 equal strips. Each sheet makes 2 cones.
Wrap the moulds: Lightly grease the outside of each metal cone mould with oil or butter. Take 2 pastry strips and wrap them around each mould, starting from the pointed end and spiralling upward, overlapping slightly so there are no gaps. Press the edges gently to seal.
Bake the cones: Place the wrapped moulds on a baking tray, seam side down. Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F/Gas Mark 8) until the pastry is puffed, golden and crisp all over. This takes about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before carefully sliding the pastry off the moulds.
Make the cream filling: Pour the double cream, milk and pudding mix into a bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until the mixture thickens and holds its shape. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
Fill the cones: Spoon or pipe the chilled cream into each cooled pastry cone, filling them right to the top.
Decorate and chill: Dip or roll the cream tops into crushed pistachios, hazelnuts or desiccated coconut. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 1 hour until the cream is fully set. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Recipe Tips

Work fast with the pastry. Puff pastry that gets too warm loses its layers. If the sheets start feeling soft and sticky, put them back in the freezer for 3-4 minutes before continuing.

Grease the moulds lightly. Too much oil makes the pastry slide off during baking. Too little and the pastry sticks and tears when you try to remove it. A thin coat wiped on with kitchen roll is enough.

Let the cones cool fully before filling. Warm pastry softens the cream on contact and the filling melts and runs out the bottom. Patience here saves you a mess.

Chill the cream before piping. Freshly whipped cream filling is too loose to hold inside a cone. The 30 minutes in the fridge lets the pudding mix set and gives the filling body.

Make extra cream. The recipe filling is enough for 17-18 cones. If you’re only making 12, you’ll have leftover cream, which is better than running short halfway through.

What To Serve With Puff Pastry Cream Cones

These work best on their own as a dessert or afternoon treat. A cup of Turkish coffee or tea alongside is all you need.

For a dessert table or celebration, arrange them standing upright in a tall glass or cone holder. They look impressive next to other small bites like baklava or truffles.

How To Store Puff Pastry Cream Cones

Fridge

Store filled cones in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 day. The pastry softens over time as it absorbs moisture from the cream. They’re best eaten within a few hours of filling.

Reheat

Not applicable. These are served cold.

Freeze

Freeze the baked, unfilled pastry cones in a sealed container with greaseproof paper between layers for up to 2 weeks. Thaw at room temperature and crisp in the oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 3-4 minutes before filling. Do not freeze the cream filling.

Puff Pastry Cream Cones Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 cone): Calories: 245kcal, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Carbohydrates: 22g, Sugar: 8g, Sodium: 130mg. Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.

FAQs

Can I make my own puff pastry for these puff pastry cream cones?

You can, but shop-bought works just as well and saves several hours. The pastry is a vessel for the cream, so the time is better spent on getting the filling and decoration right.

Why did my pastry cones lose their shape?

The pastry was too warm when you wrapped it, or the strips weren’t overlapping enough. Keep the pastry cold and make sure each spiral overlaps the one below by a few millimetres so it holds together.

Can I use whipped cream instead of the pudding mix filling?

Whipped cream alone is too soft and melts quickly. The pudding mix gives the filling structure so it holds inside the cone. Without it, the cream runs out within minutes.