Cremeschnitte — the Austrian and German custard slice

i. Origin & history

Cremeschnitte belongs to a large family of puff-pastry-and-custard slices descended from the French mille-feuille, the 'thousand-leaf' pastry that took shape in Paris in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as puff pastry was perfected. As French pastry fashions spread to the courts and cafés of Vienna, Munich and Prague in the nineteenth century, local confectioners adapted the idea: thicker layers of custard, fewer layers of pastry, and a slice designed to be cut from a large tray rather than assembled individually.

The result became a fixture of Austrian and German baking. In Vienna, Cremeschnitten are sold in nearly every Konditorei and coffee house; in Germany they are a bakery staple, especially in the south. The same pastry spread through the whole of the former Habsburg world under local names, with local pride attached. Slovenia's kremna rezina from Bled, Croatia's kremšnita from Samobor and Poland's kremówka, made famous as the favourite of Pope John Paul II, are all regional versions of the same idea.

The name is straightforward. Creme (or Krem) means cream, and Schnitte means slice, so Cremeschnitte is a 'cream slice'. In Austria it is sometimes written Kremschnitte, and in Switzerland and parts of Germany the closely related iced version is called a Cremeschnitte or simply a Napoleon.

How does it differ from a mille-feuille? The French pastry usually has three thin layers of pastry and two thin layers of crème pâtissière, with a feathered fondant top. The Central European slice has two layers of pastry and one very thick layer of custard — often five centimetres or more — and in Austria, unlike in Slovenia, the custard is usually lightened with whipped cream rather than topped with a separate cream layer.

ii. How to keep the pastry flat and the custard standing

A Cremeschnitte has two technical challenges: making flat, crisp pastry sheets and making a custard that stands tall and slices cleanly. Puff pastry naturally rises unevenly in the oven, so for this slice it is pricked all over with a fork (docked) and often baked with a second baking tray or a sheet of baking paper and a weight on top. That restrains the rise, giving a thin, even, crisp sheet that is easy to stack and cut.

The custard is a thick vanilla pastry cream made with milk, egg yolks, sugar and a generous amount of cornflour. To make it stand several centimetres high without collapsing, Austrian bakers add a little gelatine or fold in whipped cream that has been stabilised with gelatine. The custard must be cooked thoroughly — brought to the boil and kept bubbling for a minute — so that the starch is fully gelatinised; undercooked custard thins out as it cools.

Assembly happens in a frame or a lined tin. The bottom pastry sheet goes in first, the custard is poured over while it is still warm and smooth (or folded with cream once cooled), and the top sheet goes on. The top is often cut into individual portions before it is placed on the custard, the same trick used for Bienenstich: it lets the slice be cut cleanly without squeezing out the filling.

Many Viennese Cremeschnitten are finished with a thin white fondant or icing glaze over the top sheet, sometimes feathered with chocolate; German bakeries more often simply dust the top with icing sugar.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 640 g all-butter puff pastry (2 ready-rolled sheets)
• 750 ml whole milk
• 130 g caster sugar (custard)
• 70 g cornflour
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla pod, split, or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tsp powdered gelatine
• 300 ml cold double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar (cream)
• 150 g icing sugar mixed with 1–2 tbsp water or rum, to glaze (optional)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar, to dust

Use all-butter puff pastry; it browns better and tastes far better than pastry made with vegetable fat. Cornflour is the main thickener; the gelatine helps the tall custard layer hold its shape when cut, and is standard in Austrian bakery versions. A vanilla pod gives the most aromatic custard, though extract is fine. The proportion of whipped cream controls the texture: more cream gives a lighter, mousse-like filling; less gives a denser, more classic custard slice. For a Slovenian-style slice, spread the whipped cream as a separate layer on top of the custard instead of folding it in.

iv. Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F), conventional heat. Lay each puff pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with baking paper and prick it all over with a fork. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and a second baking tray on top to stop it rising unevenly.
2. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the top tray and paper, and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until deep golden and crisp all the way through. Cool, then trim both sheets to the same size as your tin, about 23 × 33 cm. Cut one sheet, the top, into 12 portions.
3. Sprinkle the gelatine over 3 tbsp cold water and leave to soften.
4. Heat 600 ml of the milk with the sugar, salt and vanilla pod. Whisk the remaining 150 ml milk with the cornflour and egg yolks. When the milk is boiling, remove the vanilla pod and whisk in the yolk mixture. Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until very thick and bubbling for 1 minute.
5. Take off the heat and whisk in the softened gelatine until dissolved. Press cling film onto the surface and cool for about 30 minutes, until barely warm and starting to set.
6. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks. Whisk the custard briefly to loosen it, then fold in the cream.
7. Line the tin with cling film or set a rectangular frame on a board. Lay the uncut pastry sheet in the base, spread the custard cream over it in a thick, even layer, and arrange the cut portions on top. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. If glazing, spread the icing thinly over each top portion and let it set. Otherwise dust generously with icing sugar. Cut along the lines with a sharp serrated knife.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Bake the pastry until truly crisp. Pale pastry turns soggy under the custard within hours. It should be deep golden right through.
• Weigh down the pastry. A second tray stops uneven puffing and gives flat, compact layers that stack neatly.
• Boil the custard properly. Cornflour must bubble for a minute to thicken fully. Underboiled custard sets soft and weeps.
• Fold in the cream only when the custard has cooled. Warm custard melts the cream and the filling turns runny.
• Pre-cut the top layer. Cutting through a whole sheet of crisp pastry squashes the custard out of the sides.
• Chill overnight if you can. A fully set custard gives clean, sharp-edged slices.

vi. Variations

Across Central Europe the same slice has many local forms. Slovenia's kremna rezina has a tall custard layer topped with a separate layer of whipped cream; Croatia's Samoborska kremšnita is famous for its towering custard; Poland's kremówka has a thick, simple custard and icing-sugar top. In Germany, Sahne-Cremeschnitte is filled mainly with cream, and in Switzerland the slice is often glazed with fondant feathered with chocolate.

Its relatives include the French mille-feuille, the Russian Napoleon cake with many thin layers, and the Portuguese custard tarts. For other Viennese coffee-house pastries, see Kardinalschnitten and Punschkrapfen.

vii. Serving & storage

Cremeschnitte is served chilled, in tall rectangular slices, with coffee in the afternoon. In Austria it is eaten with a fork from a small plate, often with a Melange or Verlängerter. It needs no accompaniment.

It is best on the day it is assembled, while the pastry is still crisp. Kept covered in the refrigerator, it lasts up to two days, but the pastry softens as it absorbs moisture from the custard. To make ahead, bake the pastry sheets up to two days in advance and keep them airtight at room temperature, and make the custard the day before; assemble on the day. Cremeschnitte does not freeze well, because the custard weeps and the pastry turns soggy on thawing.

ix. More from Austrian & German

• Kremna Rezina — Bled cream slice
• Kremówka — Polish cream cake
• Napoleon Cake — many-layered puff cake
• Kardinalschnitten — meringue and sponge slices
• Punschkrapfen — Viennese rum cakes
• Bienenstich — German bee sting cake