Pastry Cream

Pastry cream, also known as creme patissiere (from the French), is a magical component in so many amazing desserts. Every baker should have a pastry cream recipe in their arsenal. It is used in eclairs, cream puffs, Napoleons, banana cream pie, Danish, Boston cream pie … and my Boston Cream Pie Hamantaschen! For a traditional Boston cream pie, I love Preppy Kitchen’s recipe, although I usually make a half recipe of King Arthur’s chocolate fudge frosting for the top rather than the traditional chocolate ganache.

Best of all, it seriously takes 15 minutes to make creme patissiere. With just a handful of ingredients, you can have a rich, delicious pastry cream for any pastry.

Ingredients for Pastry Cream:

• Milk. I have seen recipes that use heavy cream, but there is no need for the extra fat. You can make a perfect pastry cream with whole milk. That said, I would not stray from using whole milk, as you want the fat from the whole milk to help create a smooth, creamy creme patissiere.
• Eggs. The combination of 1 large egg and 2 large egg yolks yields a richness to the pastry cream. The eggs are what create the custard consistency.
• Sugar. Of course, sugar adds flavor. It also helps the eggs cook more evenly and bonds with them to create tighter protein structure for the consistency while also adding moisture.
• Flour. The starch and gluten in the flour helps to thicken the custard.
• Corn starch. Working with the flour, the corn starch further thickens the custard.
• Vanilla. The key to a flavorful pastry cream is vanilla. I highly recommend scraping a vanilla bean, even though you could substitute vanilla bean paste or even vanilla extract. Using the seeds from a vanilla bean adds a superior depth of flavor, and seeing the seeds in the pastry cream is a spectacular site.

How to Make Creme Patissiere

The video included with this post shows you in detail how to make creme patissiere, but here is the rundown:

1. Heat up the milk with the scraped vanilla bean and half of the sugar. (If using vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, add it just when the milk comes to a boil.)
2. While the milk is heating up, whisk together the rest of the sugar, flour, corn starch, egg, and egg yolks. I like to whisk this mixture really good so it is thick and pale in color.
3. Once the milk comes to a boil, turn the heat off and pour approximately one-third of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. The trick here is to start whisking before you even start pouring the milk. If you do not whisk immediately, you will end up with scrambled eggs. Safety tip: Place your bowl with the egg mixture on a rubber mat or wrap it in a towel at the base to hold it in place. Alternatively, if someone else is around, have that person hold the bowl in place while you carefully pour the hot milk and whisk it in.
4. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the heated milk. Whisk to combine. Turn the heat to medium high and whisk the mixture constantly. Once it comes to a boil, set a timer for 2 minutes and continue whisking and cooking for exactly 2 minutes. The timing is critical, as that is the time it takes for the enzymes in the cornstarch to do their thing, but you you do not want to overcook it either. Whisk it constantly for the two minutes while boiling. It’s your arm workout for the day!
5. There is always a chance of having a small amount of scrambled eggs in the pastry cream, especially if you did not immediately whisk everything. It is therefore a good idea to immediately pour the pastry cream through a strainer onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use the back of a spoon or ladle to push the pastry cream through the strainer. Immediately enclose it tightly so the plastic wrap is touching all parts of the pastry cream  to avoid a skin forming on it.
6. Allow it to cool to room temperature. If you want to speed it up, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, about half way up. Place a metal bowl on top of the ice water. Place the package of pastry cream in the clean, dry bowl. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then flip it for another 10 minutes or so. You can use the pastry cream once at room temperature or store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before you use it. Prior to using it, beat it either by hand or in an electric mixer.

A note about pastry cream

Some creme patissiere recipes include a little butter. Adding butter (which is a fat) helps prevent the fats in the pastry cream from separating if you freeze it. I never freeze pastry cream, so my recipe does not include butter. I therefore do not recommend freezing this pastry cream for any extended period of time.

Creme patissiere should be stored in the refrigerator.

Interested in a chocolate pastry cream? You can make the chocolate pastry cream recipe in my S’mores Boston Cream Pie.

Print Pin

Pastry Cream

4.96 from 21 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 72 portions

Calories 16

A delicious and easy component for so many pastries, this vanilla pastry cream is easy to make and delicious!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 475 grams whole milk (2 cups less 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 125 grams sugar (½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 25 grams all purpose flour (3 Tablespoons)
• 25 grams corn starch (2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)

Instructions 

• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• Heat up the milk with the scraped vanilla bean and half of the sugar. (If using vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, add it just when the milk comes to a boil.)
• While the milk is heating up, whisk together the rest of the sugar, flour, corn starch egg, and egg yolks.
• Once the milk comes to a boil, turn the heat off. Hold the pot of hot milk over the bowl of the egg mixture and start whisking the egg mixture. As you whisk, pour in approximately one-third of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
• Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the heated milk. Whisk to combine.
• Turn the heat to medium high and whisk the mixture constantly. Once it comes to a boil, set a timer for 2 minutes and continue whisking and cooking for exactly 2 minutes.
• Immediately pour the pastry cream onto plastic wrap lined baking sheet (it's a good idea to pour it through a strainer) and enclose it tightly with the plastic wrap touching the entire surface to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

Notes

• Pastry cream can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Author: Rob Finkelstein

Calories: 16kcal

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: pastry cream

Nutrition

Calories: 16kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 21IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.04mg