Italian Vanilla & White Chocolate Sporcamuss

This Sporcamuss recipe may seem unfamiliar to you but it is basically a combination of puff pastry and custard that is cut into squares to serve. With origins in Puglia in Italy, sporcamuss is super flaky and sweet, and can be served for breakfast or dessert.

To make sporcamuss, you begin by baking squares of puff pastry in the oven. Then, you make a pastry cream by cooking the milk with sugar, vanilla pudding powder, and cornstarch until thick. After that, white chocolate is melted into the custard before the entire mixture is whipped with heavy cream until it is very velvety and thick. Finally, to assemble the sporcamuss, the puff pastry squares get layered with the cream in a baking dish before being placed in the fridge to set. The combination of flaky pastry and sweetened cream is so refreshing and delicious!

What is Sporcamuss?

Sporcamuss is a type of dessert that originated in Puglia, Italy. They are usually individual sized pastries consisting of two layers of puff pastry that are filled with Italian cream. However, this version involves layering baked puff pastry with the Italian custard before setting it in the oven. The results are a sliceable dessert full of cold, creamy custard.

Pro Tips

• Keep the puff pastry cold in the fridge before you bake it. This will ensure the pastry puffs up in the oven.
• Use a measuring tape to ensure the puff pastry squares are even sizes.
• When you make the custard, make sure you continuously whisk it so it doesn't scorch or become lumpy.
• Allow the assembled dessert to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving it.

What to Serve with Sporcamuss?

This sporcamuss is excellent served with a dusting of powdered sugar. Served with a cup of coffee or tea, it makes a perfect dessert!

Why Isn’t My Puff Pastry Rising?

If you find that your puff pastry doesn’t rise as much as you would like in the oven, it could be that the pastry was too warm when you started with it. For puff pastry to rise, the butter in it needs to be very cold so that when it melts in the oven, it creates pockets of steam in the dough.

Can I Make Chocolate Custard Instead?

Yes, if you would like to make a chocolate custard rather than a vanilla custard for your version of sporcamuss, you can replace the vanilla pudding powder with chocolate pudding, and the white chocolate with chopped dark chocolate.

How Do I Fix Lumpy Custard?

If your custard has lumps in it, there is a way to fix it. Simply pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer to separate the lumps from the custard. This will take some elbow grease as you will need to continuously work the custard to ensure it goes through the holes of the strainer.

How to Store Sporcamuss

This sporcamuss dessert can be covered and stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. It is best eaten within the first few days as you don’t want the puff pastry to soften too much.

How to Make Sporcamuss

Step 1: Arrange the puff pastry squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them in a 360 F/180 C oven for 20 minutes.

Step 2: In a pot, whisk the milk with the sugar, vanilla pudding, and cornstarch until combined. Cook it on the stove while whisking until it is thickened. Remove the custard from the heat.

Step 3: Whisk the white chocolate into the custard until thickened.

Step 4: Add the whipped cream to the custard and beat until thoroughly mixed and thickened.

Step 5: To assemble, cover a cake tray with plastic wrap and place a mold on top. Arrange half of the puff pastry squares in an even layer.

Step 6: Spread the pastry cream on top in an even layer.

Step 7: Arrange the remaining puff pastry squares on top in an even layer. Allow it to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Step 8: Dust it with icing sugar, and slice and serve!