Who invented Cremeschnitte? We bring you a fascinating history along with a homemade recipe

Every town has that one old pastry shop remembered for a single cake. In mine, it was the kremšnita (cremeschnitte). Creamy, light, chilled, and dusted with a touch of powdered sugar, like little clouds in square form.

But cremeschnitte is more than just a dessert. It’s a symbol of celebration, of Sunday lunches, visits to grandma, long dining tables, and those glasses that were used only when guests came over. The cremeschnitte is the quiet queen of sweets, modest in appearance, but magnificent when done right. There’s no need for overthinking here, just the perfect balance between crisp puff pastry and rich, trembling custard.

But how did it all begin?

Cremeschnitte (cream slice) Photo: Depiano Depositphotos

THE HISTORY OF CREMESCHNITTE

The story of cremeschnitte begins long before it appeared in the display cases of our pastry shops. Its roots go back to European cuisine of the 17th and 18th centuries, a time when desserts began leaving the courts of nobility and entering the lives of ordinary people. The French mille-feuille, also known as “a thousand layers,” was a luxurious dessert made of puff pastry and cream that slowly spread across Europe.

But what we today call Cremeschnitte, especially in this region, took shape much later. Some sources claim that the first variation originated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where French elegance met Central European warmth. During the 19th and 20th centuries, variations began to appear under different names – krempita, krémes, Cremeschnitte – all built on the same idea: puff pastry, rich custard cream, and powdered sugar on top.

In Croatia, one of the most beloved and iconic versions came from the town of Samobor. In the 1950s, pastry chef Đuro Lukačić introduced a recipe that would become a local symbol. The Samobor Cremeschnitte stands out for its tall, airy cream that combines cooked egg custard with whipped egg whites, without using whipped cream. Today, it is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, and local pastry shops still prepare it according to the original formula.

A similarly famous version is the Bled Cremeschnitte in Slovenia, created in 1953 in the kitchen of Hotel Park by chef Ištvan Lukačević. The ingredients are similar, but the Bled version includes a layer of whipped cream, adding softness and volume. It has become an essential dessert for visitors to Bled. It is believed that over 15 million slices have been sold to date.

Cremeschnitte (cream slice) Photo: moussa81 Depositphotos

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and across the region, every household and every pastry shop has its own variation of the cremeschnitte, but no one would ever say theirs isn’t the real one. In some places, butter is added to the cream, somewhere whipped cream is used, and sometimes the custard is softer, sometimes firmer, but the core idea stays the same. A crisp base, rich vanilla cream, and that unmistakable scent of powdered sugar.

The cremeschnitte has quietly become part of the region’s collective culinary identity. It doesn’t require a pastry diploma, but it does ask for a bit of feeling.

Here’s how it’s made, just the way my mother still prepares it at home…

For the custard:

• 1.5 liters of milk
• 500 ml of water
• 8 eggs
• 15 tablespoons of sugar
• 3 packets of vanilla sugar
• 8 tablespoons of flour
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
• Juice of half a lemon

For the base and top layer:

1 package of puff pastry (500 g), rolled out into two thin sheets

To finish:

• Powdered sugar
• 500 ml of whipped cream

Preparation:

Puff pastry

Roll out both sheets of puff pastry to the size of your baking tray (approximately 20 by 30 cm). Bake them at 200°C until golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Leave one sheet whole — this will be the base. Lightly score the second sheet into squares before baking — this will be the top layer.

Custard

Bring 1.2 liters of milk to a boil with the vanilla sugar.

In another bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch, and the remaining 300 ml of milk until smooth.

When the milk boils, remove it from the heat and slowly pour in the yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return to low heat and cook until thickened, like a pudding.

Egg white foam

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and lemon juice until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the warm custard into the egg whites — start with a spoonful or two, then gently mix in the rest. You’ll get a light and airy, yet stable cream.

Assembly

Spread the custard evenly over the bottom puff pastry layer. Let it cool completely. Whip the cream and spread it over the set custard layer. Finally, place the pre-cut puff pastry squares on top. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours so the layers can set properly.

Before serving

Dust with powdered sugar and slice precisely along the scored lines so that each piece looks clean and neat.

Cremeschnitte (cream slice) Photo: vision.si Depositphotos

Cremeschnitte isn’t modern, it isn’t fancy, it doesn’t have mousse, chocolate or exotic ingredients. But the moment you bite through that crisp top and feel a warm memory melt into cool custard on your tongue, you know you’re home. Even foreigners fall in love with it.

If you make this version, trust me, your loved ones will ask when you’ll make it again. And you just say, whenever you want Sunday to last a little longer.