Go Back
–+ servings

Air Fryer Pastry Cups

Overhead shot of large round navy blue platter, with 2 circular rows of small an dlarge, puff pastry cups, with cream or lemon curd and fresh berries.
Easy and quick to make, dessert pastry cups, using ready-made, shop bought puff pastry, filled with cream and berries.
Caro @ Caroline's Easy Baking Lessons
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time/Inactive Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Serving Size 12 cups*

Equipment

  • Baking/parchment paper
  • Rolling Pin & flour (only for block of pastry)
  • Knife (or at least 3"/7.5cm round cookie cutter)
  • Greasing (Frylight, Cake release spray, etc*)
  • Air Fryer (or regular oven)
  • Cupcake tray (4-hole/cup, 6, 9 or 12 Or mini muffin tray*)
  • Cooling rack
  • Electric whisk (optional, for whipping cream)

Ingredients

  • 320 gram Ready-made Puff Pastry Sheet (11¼ oz, or pastry block*)
  • 12 tsp Raspberry jam (60g, 2 oz jam, preserve)
  • 270 ml Whipping Cream (9 fl oz, Double/Heavy/Whipping cream*)
  • Fresh fruit (Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc*)

Instructions

Preparing Equipment:

  • What size cupcake/mini muffin trays you have, will determine if you use a basket air fryer, larger open-front air fryer or regular oven. Please refer to the step-by-step instructions and equipment section, before this Recipe Card, for more details.
  • Well grease the bottom of the cupcake tray/cases, with cake release spray, homemade lining paste (cake goop), or my favourite, Frylight cooking spray. **We will be baking with the cupcake tray/cases turned upside-down.

Prepare The Pastry Cases:

  • If you have a ready-rolled puff pastry sheet, simply unroll it and place on top of some baking/parchment paper. If you have a block of pastry, roll out between 2 large sheets of paper, into a rough rectangular shape, 26cm x 38 cm (10 inches x 15 inches) and about 3mm (⅛”). thick **Make sure bigger than the cupcake/muffin tray.
  • Use a 3" (7½cm) round cookie cutter if you want round edged pastry cups. You should get about 15 pastry circles.
  • For larger cases, you can divide the pastry into 12 rough squares. If using a 24-hole mini muffin tin, cut into 24 rough squares.
  • Make sure you turn the cupcake tray upside-down & lift one of the pastry pieces on top of the bottom of one of the cupcake holes. Gently press the pastry down the sides, trying not to thin or stretch the pastry. Does not need to be perfect or even. Just mould it round the cupcake hole. Repeat with all the pastry & use a fork to ‘dock’ holes into the base of the pastry cup.

Bake The Pastry Cups:

  • The pastries must be weighed down, regardless of if using air fryer or oven. Place some baking/parchment paper on top of the pastry cases, before laying something heavy on top, such as a heavy baking tray. For the air fryer, ensure minimum amount of paper is used, as paper moving about can be a fire hazard. Place something like a crisper tray on the bottom of the air fryer basket first. And add something heavy to hold down the pastries, like a shallow casserole dish.
  • For regular ovens, bake the pastry cups in the centre of the oven, pre-heated to 200°c, 180°c fan oven, 400°f, Gas Mark 6, & bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden and baked through.
  • For large, open-front air fryers, bake like in a regular oven, with a 9-cup cupcake tray or silicone cupcake case(s).
  • For small basket air fryers, ensure there is something on the bottom of the basket (like a small drip tray), before placing the upside-down cupcake tray on top. Place a small amount of baking/parchment paper on top & hold in place with something heavy like a shallow casserole dish (**Do not let any paper move as it can be a fire hazard in air fryers). Bake @ 200°c, 180°c fan oven, 400°f, for 12-15 minutes. The cases should be golden or deep golden in colour, and a bit lighter on the sides. ***Do not open the air fryer part-way through baking, even if your air fryer beeps to get you to turn the food. **Preheat the air fryer if your machine requires this.

Once baked:

  • Leave the baked pastry cups on the cupcake tray & place on a cooling rack to cool down. Wait at least 30 minutes before very carefully removing the pastries.
  • If not filling and serving soon, place cooled pastry cups in a tin or air-tight container, not in the fridge, but at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Filling The Pastry Cups:

  • When ready to serve the dessert cups, spoon on 1 – 2 tsp of jam at the bottom, followed by some whipped cream. Then simply top with some fresh berries.
  • Alternatively, fill with some cream mixed with lemon curd, some homemade blueberry orange curd, clotted cream, ice-cream, pastry cream, or even a scoop of tirimasu.
    Extra close front on shot of a puff pastry cup, filled with cream, raspberry, blueberries and half strawberry.

Serving & Storing:

  • Once filled, serve the pastry cups as soon as possible, and enjoy with a favourite hot or cold drink.
  • Left-over pastry cups are best stored unfilled. Fill the pastries as and when needed, as the cream and fruit can start to soften the texture of the pastry. Unfilled pastries, stored in a tin or air-tight container, will be fine for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

Puff Pastry - use either ready-made pre-rolled puff pastry sheet (the easiest), or a ready-made block of pastry.  (Weight given in ingredient section above, ).  Note, pastry sheets are about 320g, Farmfoods pastry block is 340g (12 oz), & most shop-bought puff pastry blocks can be as much as 500g (17.6 oz).  So can yield more pastries, or freeze the excess.
Berries - Use any fresh brnries you cna get or enjoy.  Use ones you harvest form your own garden even!  I have used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries.  An estimate of about 12 small strawberries, 12 raspberries & 36 bluebrries for nutritional calcs below.
Overhead shot of large round navy blue platter, with 2 circular rows of small an dlarge, puff pastry cups, with cream or lemon curd and fresh berries.
Alternative Fillings -  Fill with whipped cream, homemade lemon curd or pastry cream.  Other good and quick fillings are ice-cream and even a scoop of tiramisu (see photo examples nearer the beginning of this recipe page).
Equipment -  this depends on if using an oven or air fryer.  Either way, cupcake, muffin or mini muffin trays/cups are required.  Please see detailed equipment section above.
Air fryer or Oven? -  Use a regular oven and make in one batch.  or use an air fryer and make in batches.  You can even make in a small basket-style air fryers, with a 4-hole cupcake tray.  (More info above).
Extra close shot on pink plate, a very flaky puff pastry cup with whipped cream, blueberries, strawberry and halved back cherries.
Cream - there will be plenty cream, enough for 2 heaped tsp of whipped cream per pastry cups.  With lots left over.  The yield will be about 1.5 cups when whipped.
Recipe Yield - 24 mini one-bite sized cups, using mini muffin tin.  15 round cups, or 12 slightly larger square-edged cups, both using cupcake trays, (assuming a 320g/ready-rolled puff pastry sheet is used).
Nutritional Information - I am not a qualified nutritionist and all values are approximate.    Based on an average serving of one pastry cup, with whipped cream, half strawberry, 1 raspberry & 3 blueberries, from a yield of 12 pastry cups (from regular sized cupcake cases).    Make smaller or larger cups, these values will change. Values calculated at MyFitnessPal.com.
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Pastry Cups
Serving Size
 
1 Cup
Amount per Serving
Calories
180
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
8
g
50
%
Sodium
 
80
mg
3
%
Potassium
 
27
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
13
g
4
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.