Strawberry Cream Horns
Strawberry Cream Horns
These quick cream horns use soft flour wraps rather than puff pastry. Wrapped around metal molds and baked, they become lightly crisp cones for a vanilla-quark filling and fresh strawberries. Filling only after the shells cool keeps the cream thick and the cones intact.
Yield: 4 horns
Equipment: 4 metal cream-horn molds, baking sheet, pastry brush, piping bag
Time: 20 minutes preparation, 10–14 minutes baking
Oven: 350°F (180°C)
Ingredients
- 2 medium flour wraps, about 8 inches each
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Nonstick spray
- 125 g quark or well-drained Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 25 g white chocolate, melted and cooled
- 100 g strawberries, hulled and diced
Method
- Heat the oven. Spray the outside of each horn mold lightly and place parchment on the baking sheet.
- Cut each wrap into two semicircles. Starting at the pointed end of a mold, wind one piece around it with a 1/2-inch overlap. Keep the final edge underneath. Brush with beaten egg, press the seam, and sprinkle sparingly with sugar.
- Set seam-side down on the tray. Bake 10–14 minutes, rotating once, until dry, lightly golden, and crisp at the edges. Rest 3 minutes, then carefully twist molds free. Cool shells fully on a rack.
- Stir quark and vanilla smooth. Fold in cooled melted chocolate; if the filling loosens, refrigerate it for 15 minutes. Reserve four strawberry pieces and fold the rest into the cream.
- Pipe filling into both ends shortly before serving. Finish each horn with a reserved strawberry piece.
Working with the shells
Wrap cones are more delicate and less flaky than pastry horns. The overlap must run in the same direction as the spiral so it does not open in the oven. If a shell sticks, let it cool another minute and rotate the mold rather than pulling hard. A pale, flexible shell needs another 2 minutes; it should feel dry before removal.
Filling cues and fixes
Quark differs widely in moisture. Drain a loose product in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 30 minutes. The white chocolate should be fluid but no longer warm when folded in; hot chocolate can curdle dairy, while cold chocolate forms flecks. If that happens, the filling remains usable but will look less smooth. Pat berries dry after washing to prevent watery pockets.
Storage and substitutions
Keep unfilled shells airtight at room temperature for 1 day. Refrigerate filling below 40°F for up to 2 days, then assemble when needed. Filled horns soften within an hour and should not sit out more than 2 hours. Ricotta drained overnight can replace quark for a grainier filling. Raspberries or diced peaches work in place of strawberries. Ordinary dark or milk chocolate also works, but changes color and sweetness.
