Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (2024)

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December 1, 2022September 30, 2023 | SJ

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Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (1)

Written by our local expert SJ

Sarah-Jane has lived in Croatia for 10+ years. SJ, as she is known, has been traveling the Balkans & beyond since 2000. She now shares her passion for traveling with her husband & kids.

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Crispy pastry and custard. Yes, please….!

Kremšnite is also known as krempite – which is a mix of crispy pastry and a wobbly type of custard. I have been known to eat way too big a serving of this sweet treat. Regularly. And by that, I mean my behind is wobbly for a reason. But let’s move on.

Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (2)

This type of custard dessert is popular in Croatian cooking and in many other European countries. Within Croatia, the regional recipe variations are many. However, two things stay the same. They all include a puff pastry base with custard inside.

Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (3)

Some have a layer of cream added to the top; others have two layers of pastry, and so on. No matter how you pronounce it or in what variation it comes, they’re all rather complicated to say no to. Trust me on this…

One of my food goals (yes, fat people have goals about food) was to learn how to make this as soon as I arrived here in Croatia. I can’t say that I make Croatian food without knowing how to make this custard slice of heaven.

I had no idea that making Kremšnite could be so simple, and now that I know, I wanted to share it with you.

Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (11)

Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Custard Slice)

Here is how to make Croatian Kremšnite. This recipe has a crispy pastry and soft custard.

Ingredients

  • 500 gram puff pastry sheets (we buy them, but you can make them fresh if you have time)
  • 485 ml fresh milk
  • 50 gram all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
  • 100 gram white sugar
  • 30 gram vanilla sugar
  • 10 ml rum
  • 395 ml whipping cream
  • Icing sugar

Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
    • Place the puff pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and prick with a fork a few times and bake for 10 minutes - see the notes for more detail about the size
    • Use a blender to mix eggs, yolks, flour, 250 ml of milk, 70 gr sugar, and 15 gr of vanilla sugar, and set aside
    • Into a saucepan, pour 235 ml milk, 15 gr vanilla sugar, and rum and heat until boiling. Add the above mixture, stir and then cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, constantly stirringly until the mixture is thick as a pudding - make sure it doesn't burn
    • Place the first slice of puff pastry in a serving dish (we used one 25x25cm) and pour in the hot mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes
    • Add 30 grams of sugar to the cream and whip till light and fluffy
    • Remove the dish from the fridge and arrange a thin layer of whipped cream on top of the cream
    • Place the second baked puff pastry on top and sprinkle with icing sugar to taste
    • Cut the kremsnite into your desired-sized slices. We made them big and sliced them into six pieces - of course; you can make them much smaller

    Notes

      • When baking the pastry, we find it easier to precut the puff pastry to the size of the final serving dish. In the photos, we used a dish that was 25x25 cm. So we baked two pieces 24x24cm.

    Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (12)

    MORE CROATIAN & BALKAN RECIPES

    • Meat and Cheese Burek
    • Stuffed Peppers {Punjene Paprike}
    • Klipići {rolls}
    • Under the bell {Ispod čripnje}
    • Pasticada Recipe
    • Octopus Salad
    • Prezgana Soup (Brown Roux Soup)
    • Lazy Apple Pie {Lijena Pita s Jabukama}
    • Stuffed Vine Leaves (Japrak)
    • Zagorje Cheese Strukli
    • Juha Od Rajčice s Taranom (Tomato Soup With Grated Dough)
    • Slavonian Freshwater Fish Stew
    • Gulaš (Traditional Goulash)
    1. This looks good. I might have to try to make it some time.

      Reply

      1. Yes, do and blog about it as a guest on my site… wanna?

        Reply

    2. No? What do they put in it?

      Reply

    3. Oh these look lovely

      Reply

      1. Hvala {thanks} for stopping by Alison.

        Reply

    4. Mmmmmmm! Voooolim kremšnite!

      Reply

    5. Mmm, I LOVE a good custard slice. I made some creme patisserie for a recipe the other day and did wonder if I could get it thick enough to use in a recipe like this. Looks great.

      If you’d like, I’d love you to pop over and link this up to my weekly food linky, #recipeoftheweek. You’ll find it under ‘Food’ on my menu bar x

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the invite Emily. I added it, and will come and link up again this weekend and say hi over at your blog xx

        Reply

        1. Pinned! Thanks so much for linking up to #recipeoftheweek. There’s a new linky live now, so I do hope you’ll pop over and join in :)

          Reply

          1. Thanks, I did again this week. So many great recipes…YUM

            Reply

    6. Custard slices are quite popular in England too but that looks yummy!! I’m looking forward to seeing your photos of the home-made version ;)

      Reply

    7. Wow that sounds so yummy! I love good recipes, even if it is safer if I just don’t try to cook them…

      Reply

      1. Be brave…. you can’t burn the kitchen making custard…. wait, can you?

        Reply

    8. I’ve never heard of this, but the idea of being able to make my own is very tempting. I can never say no to a good custard.

      Reply

      1. Ohhh Jess, the other version that have cream would be MUCH more to your liking.

        Reply

    9. I’m a chef and caterer, but I tell clients to keep puff pastry in their freezers at all times. It’s so handy and easy to use, I’ve probably lost jobs by spreading this advice.

      Reply

      1. Tina, do you have a Croatian recipe you’d like to share?

        Reply

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    Croatian Kremšnite Recipe (Croatian Custard Slice) (2024)

    FAQs

    What is a Kremsnita in English? ›

    During carnival time, when most Croatian towns turn into a parade of colourful costumes and street parties, in continental Croatia, alongside doughnuts also often eaten are kremšnita (custard cream slices), the original recipe of which has been preserved all these years.

    What pastry are custard slices made from? ›

    This vanilla slice has a thick creamy custard filling sandwiched between a base layer and top layer of flaky puff pastry, and then topped with a sweet icing glaze.

    When was Cremeschnitte invented? ›

    In 1953, the original Bled Cream Cake (called cremeschnittein German or kremna rezina in Slovenian) was developed by their own in-house pastry chef, Ištvan Lukačević. The hotel and cafe owner cleverly decided to launch a marketing campaign based around it, and to say that this worked would be a vast understatement.

    What's the difference between vanilla slice and custard slice? ›

    Not to be confused with a Custard Slice either!

    A vanilla slice is usually a very thick slab of custard sandwiched between two thin puff sheets. A mille feuille is more decorative, could have multiple custard (or diplomat cream) layers and looks very sophisticated.

    What's the difference between a Bavarian slice and a custard slice? ›

    Bavarian slice differs a little from custard slice or vanilla slice in that it has an extra layer of puff pastry with jam sandwiched between two of them then the layer of custard and another layer of puff pastry. Bavarian slice also has a two tone icing with a chocolate icing swirled through the vanilla icing.

    What are the 3 types of custard? ›

    There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.

    What is a custard pastry called? ›

    Canelés (Cannelés) de Bordeaux are delicious French pastries that have a crispy caramelized crust and a soft custard interior. Not everybody is familiar with them and definitely they are not as popular as macarons but still very impressive and once you've discovered them you keep wanting for more.

    What is a custard pastry? ›

    Custard tarts or flan pâtissier/parisien are a baked pastry consisting of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard.

    Is a custard slice a mille feuille? ›

    A mille-feuille (French pronunciation: [mil fœj], "thousand-sheets"), also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Marie-Antoine Carême.

    What is custard pie made of? ›

    Combine sugar, milk, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl; mix well. Beat in eggs until well blended. Pour filling into partially baked pie shell. Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

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