Sweet yeasted buns filled with vanilla cream and dusted with powdered sugar, these Vanillekrapfen are a classic German bakery item perfect for an afternoon snack!
What are Vanillekrapfen?
Krapfen are a type of donut but these are baked rather than fried and rolled in sugar before being filled with vanilla cream.
Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast?
Either yeast can be used in this recipe and the amount will stay the same for both. The only difference is that with active dry yeast, the yeast must first be “bloomed” in the warm milk before the other ingredients can be added – as shown in the recipe. Whereas instant yeast can be added and mixed into the flour and sugar directly.
Vanilla Pudding from scratch vs. from a box?
Usually, I will always recommend making food from scratch. However, in this recipe I do use a box mix of vanilla pudding because it makes the recipe much simpler and I have been able to find box mixes without a lot of chemicals or add-ins.
Can these be made in advance?
Yes, the rolls can be baked the day before and kept in an airtight container but I recommend filling them on the same day you plan to eat them. Ideally I would only make the pudding the day before to let it set in the fridge overnight and then bake and fill them in the morning/next day.
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Tips for making Vanillekrapfen
- As with most yeast doughs, do not stop kneading until the dough is super smooth and the edges of the bowl are clean. This can take up to 10-15 minutes on low speed.
- When dividing and shaping the rolls, always start with the same portion of dough. This means that the first piece that is divided, is also the first to be shaped in a ball.
- Wait for the rolls to cool completely before trying to fill them.
- The vanilla pudding needs to be fully cooled before mixing it with the whipped cream. I recommend putting a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding as it cools to prevent it from forming a skin.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for these! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
- Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. This recipe uses one full egg and one egg yolk. The egg yolk adds extra richness to the rolls.
- Sugar: This recipe uses sugar in the dough as well as on the outside for decoration. There is also sugar in the vanilla pudding.
- Milk: The krapfen use milk as the liquid in the dough and the vanilla pudding; however, they will also work with non-dairy milks such as almond or light coconut milk.
- Butter: The butter adds moisture to the buns as well as makes them softer! It’s important that the butter is at room temperature, otherwise it will cool down the dough and be difficult to incorporate.
- Yeast: In this recipe, active dry yeast is used. However, if you are using instant yeast, add the flour, sugar and yeast into the bowl, whisk together, and then add the remaining ingredients
- Vanilla extract: I like to add a teaspoon of vanilla to give the buns extra flavor.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: As mentioned before this recipe can be made with homemade vanilla pudding, but when short on time, mix can be very helpful.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is used to make the whipped cream which is then folded into the chilled pudding to give it a light and airy texture.
How to make Vanillestange
Vanilla pudding
- If making instant vanilla pudding, follow the instructions on the box but use half as much milk as is called for on the package. Then chill in the fridge for an hour.
- If making cooked vanilla pudding, follow the instructions on the box but use half as much milk as is called for on the package. Cook until it thickens and then chill in the fridge for an hour. Place a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
Make the dough
- Start by warming the milk until it is just warm to the touch – it should not exceed 100 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour and sugar. Then whisk it together by hand and make a well in the center of the flour. Pour the yeast into the well and then add the warmed milk.
- Using a spoon stir in some of the flour/sugar mixture into the milk and yeast mixture. It should only be about 1/4 cup of the flour from the edges of the well.
- Then cover the bowl with a towel for 10 minutes.
- After the ten minutes you will notice that the mixture in the well is bubbling. Then using a rubber spatula give the whole bowl a brief mix.
- Now add in the egg and egg yolk, butter, and vanilla extract. Knead the mixture with the dough hook on the stand mixer for 10-15 minutes on low speed until it is smooth and the bowl is clean.
- Remove the dough and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl that you were just using and place the ball of dough back in. Then cover the bowl with a towel or plastic and place somewhere warm for 30-45 min. The dough should double in size.
Shape & Bake the Krapfen
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 325 F if baking on convection. Arrange two racks so that they divide the oven into thirds.
- Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- After the dough has grown, divide it into 12 equal portions. As you go, shape each portion into a ball by first flattening it slightly into a disk and then tucking all the edges of the disk under. Shape your hand into a claw over the ball of dough with the smooth side face up. Roll the ball around in your hand on a clean work surface to create tension on the dough and seal the seem on the bottom of the ball.
- Place 6 rolls onto each baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each roll.
- Leave the rolls to rest for 20 minutes somewhere warm to proof.
- After the 20 minutes have passed, bake the rolls for 15 minutes – rotate the baking sheets halfway through if not baking on convection.
- When the krapfen are finished baking, work one at a time and brush them with butter and then roll them in granulated sugar.
- Leave to cool before assembling.
Assemble
- Use an electric whisk to beat the chilled vanilla pudding until smooth if the pudding is very stiff. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the heavy cream on medium high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the stiff whipped cream into the vanilla pudding.
- Fill the cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a metal piping tip.
- Poke a hole in the side of each roll using the end of a spoon and wiggle it around to create a larger hole in the center of the bun. Be careful not to poke through the other side of the bun.
- Push the piping tip into the opening and fill until the filling starts to come back out.
Vanillekrapfen | Sweet Cream filled buns
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Vanilla Cream
- 1 packet vanilla pudding mix
- 250 ml milk
- 200 ml heavy cream
Dough
- 500 grams ap flour
- 50 grams sugar
- 15 grams instant yeast or dry active yeast
- 250 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 60 grams butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Sugar Coating
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 60 grams butter melted
Instructions
Vanilla Cream
- Follow the instructions for the instant or cooked vanilla pudding but use only half of the milk that is called for on the box.
- If you made cooked pudding, lay a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to keep it from forming a skin as it cools. Place the finished pudding into the fridge to chill for an hour.
Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour and sugar. Then whisk it together by hand and make a well in the center of the flour.
- Pour the yeast into the well and then add in the warmed milk.
- Stir some of the flour/sugar mixture into the milk and yeast mixture from the edges of the well – no more than 1/4 cup of the dry mixture.
- Cover the bowl with a towel for 10 minutes.
- After the ten minutes, use a rubber spatula give the whole bowl a brief mix.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, butter, and vanilla extract. Knead the mixture with the dough hook on the stand mixer for 10-15 minutes on low speed until it is smooth and the bowl is clean.
- Remove the dough and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl and place the ball of dough back in.
- Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic and place somewhere warm for 30-45 min. The dough should double in size.
Shape & Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 325 F if baking on convection.
- Arrange two racks so that they divide the oven into thirds and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
- Shape each portion into a ball by first flattening it slightly into a disk and then tucking all the edges of the disk under.
- Shape your hand into a claw over the ball of dough with the smooth side face up. Roll the ball around in your hand on a clean work surface to create tension on the dough and seal the seem on the bottom of the ball.
- Place 6 rolls onto each baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each roll.
- Leave the rolls to rest for 20 minutes somewhere warm to proof.
- Then bake for 15 minutes – rotate the baking sheets halfway through if not baking on convection.
- When the krapfen are finished baking, work one at a time and brush them with butter, then roll them in granulated sugar.
- Leave to cool before assembling.
Assembling
- If the vanilla pudding is very stiff, use an electric whisk to beat the chilled vanilla pudding until smooth.
- Then whisk the heavy cream on medium high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the stiff whipped cream into the vanilla pudding and fill it into a piping bag fitted with a metal piping tip.
- Poke a hole into the side of each bun with the end of a spoon and wiggle it around to create a whole inside the bun.
- Push the piping tip into the hole of each cooled bun and fill until the cream starts to come back out of the opening.
Notes
Nutrition
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Delicious, love the cream filling!
It’s the BEST PART!!!
Amazing recipe, first time making a baked donut and came out better than I could have imagined. So tasty, they didn’t last long in my household! Highly recommend giving it a go!
Thank you so much Elle! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!!!
Super yummy recipe! The cream filling is delicious and thick enough that it does not make a mess when you bite into it. I will definitely be making these again!
Yay! I’m so happy you like them!!!
Delicious, fun and easy recipe to make. I used creme patissiere for the filling and it was so tasty. The donuts are so light and pillowy, love this recipe!
Yay! Thank you so much Silvia, a creme pat filling sounds amazing!
Hello! I am planning on making these tomorrow but I was wondering if there was any way to make the dough ahead of time without baking it? If so what would be the method? Thank you!!
Hi I am so sorry I am just seeing this so it might be too late. But for next time, you can go all the way to the shaping step and then put them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Then place them in the fridge overnight and take them out in the morning. Allow them to come to room temperature and puff up before baking. Hope that helps!
Hi it’s me again! I’m the one that asked about pre making the dough 🙂 thanks for getting back to me don’t worry about being late on the reply I ended up making the dough the day of and it was fine! Everything was so simple that I didn’t have to stress to much about pre making! Not to mention they were absolutely delicious my whole family enjoyed them!
Hi Maddie! Thank you so much I’m so happy you all enjoyed them!