Have you ever made pastry cream? The classic method of tempering the eggs can be intimidating. Today, I will show you an easier, one-pot, no-fuss method to make pastry cream recipe.
Table of Content
If you plan on making desserts, pastry cream is a must-have in your repertoire. You will be making it often as a component on its own or an ingredient in another component. Recently, I shared my profiteroles filled with pastry cream. We often use it in mousses and Danishes, entremets, Mille-feuille, and even in cakes.
About this recipe
I have already shared with you my no-fail method for classic vanilla pastry cream. And yet, today, I bring you another no-fail version of the same vanilla pastry cream. Well, the only difference is in the process, and this method is so easy that I use it more often than I do the classic these days.
This recipe uses the same ingredients used in classic pastry cream. The only difference is in the method where we do not do any tempering of the eggs. This is a much easier method and you will be surprised how rich, creamy, and luxurious this is.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Milk - Use regular full-fat milk, not low-fat milk. The milk is one of the main ingredients here. So, make sure you use at least 3% fat. Low fat will just not thicken enough.
- Egg yolks - We need good quality, large egg yolks here. It's what gives the pastry cream its richness. The egg yolks also contribute to the color of the final product. So, I prefer to use organic eggs with a light orange color. Again this is optional, the regular egg yolks work just fine.
- Vanilla - You also must use good quality vanilla for this pastry cream. It does make a huge difference. I use a vanilla bean, but you can also use 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Cornstarch/cornflour - In addition to the egg, this cornstarch will help thicken the pastry cream even more. You can add more or less depending on the consistency of pastry cream you need.
Step by step instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt.
- Make sure you combine thoroughly with a whisk so there are no lumps.
- Gradually, add the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps.
- Place the saucepan on medium heat and let the mixture come to an almost boil.
- Keep stirring with a whisk at all times - taking it off the heat if necessary to prevent curdling.
- Add the butter and continue to whisk.
- Let come to a boil for a minute, this will get the cornstarch to thicken (you won't really see bubbles in the boil but it will be at that temperature).
- Remove from heat.
- Strain the pastry cream thru a sieve or mesh to remove any curdled egg.
- Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.
- Use a whisk and mix it thoroughly before using it.
Storage
- Crème pâtissière aka pastry cream has to be stored in the fridge because it contains eggs and milk. Never leave creme patisserie at room temperature.
- Always place the plastic wrap over the surface of the pastry cream, this will prevent a skin from forming.
- This can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days only.
- You cannot freeze creme patisserie because when thawed it tends to break down. The starch and egg protein separate.
More pastry cream recipes
- Classic French Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Vanilla Custard Cake Filling or Pastry Cream Filling
- Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Profiteroles with Vanilla Pastry Cream
- See all custard-based desserts
Frequently asked questions
You want to use fresh eggs as aged eggs sometimes add an egg smell to the pastry cream. I use large eggs that weigh about 60 to 70 grams. Organic eggs usually have a wonderful bright orange yolk, which gives the pastry cream that rich golden yellow color.
You can make a dairy-free custard by simply substituting the milk in the recipe with almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. Coconut milk is my favorite and I often use it when I make coconut mousse.
Often, we get confused about baking terminologies and French names. If you've wondered what they are you might find this useful.
Creme Chantilly - sweetened whipped cream.
And Creme Patissiere - vanilla pastry cream made with milk and thickened with egg yolks.
Creme Anglaise, also referred to as pouring custard. Basically a runny version of pastry creme. Often, used as a sauce over desserts. Made the same way as pastry cream, thickened with cornstarch along with egg yolks until it's a pouring consistency.
While Creme Legere - pastry cream combined with Chantilly.
Creme Diplomat - pastry cream or Crème pâtissière with stabilized whipped cream and gelatin. Extra flavorings are used with the cream when adding it to the creme diplomat.
Troubleshooting
- Why has my pastry cream curdled?
Pastry cream needs to be cooked slowly on medium to low heat. Too high heat can cause the eggs to scramble and curdle, which results in lumpy pastry cream. - Why is my pastry cream lumpy?
I prefer to use a whisk and cook pastry cream on medium-low heat to keep things moving and homogenous. If the heat is high and the mixing is not even, the custard can get lumpy. Remove it off the heat - give it a good whisk and place it back on low to continue cooking. Adjust heat accordingly. - Or why is my pastry cream is too thin?
Crème pâtissière needs to be cooked until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you take it off too quickly it will be thin and often undercooked. - Why is my pastry cream too thick?
Too much starch can cause the custard to be too thick or sometimes doughy. So, always measure the ingredients well and use only the amount stated in the recipe. You can thin down a thick creme patisserie by adding a little whipped cream.
How to use pastry cream (creme patisserie)?
- Very commonly used in classic profiteroles, mille-feuille, and chocolate eclairs.
- Use pastry cream as a cake filling for a layered cake.
- Add some strawberry puree and whipped cream to creme patisserie make a quick strawberry mousse.
- And, add some melted chocolate and whipped cream to pastry cream to make a quick chocolate mousse.
- Spread creme patisserie evenly in a pre-baked tart shell topped with your favorite fruits and you have a fruit tart.
- Also, you find it often used in most bakeries and restaurants as a filling for cakes and pastries.
- In addition, one of the easiest desserts you can create is a fruit tart with vanilla pastry cream as a base topped with fresh fruits as I did in my Blueberry Tart or Fresh Strawberry Tart.
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Printable Recipe
Pastry Cream Recipe - One-pot
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (470 ml) Milk whole
- 4 Egg yolks large
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- 4 tablespoon (60 g) Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Butter unsalted
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt.
- Make sure you combine thoroughly with a whisk so there are no lumps.
- Gradually, add the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps.
- Place the saucepan on medium heat and let the mixture come to an almost boil.
- Keep stirring with a whisk at all times - taking it off the heat if necessary to prevent curdling.
- Add the butter and continue to whisk.
- Let come to a boil for a minute, this will get the cornstarch to thicken (you won't really see bubbles in the boil but it will be at that temperature).
- Remove from heat.
- Strain the pastry cream thru a sieve or mesh to remove any curdled egg.
- Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.
- You can keep this in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Use a whisk and mix it thoroughly before using it.
Recipe Notes
- Always use good quality ingredients - fresh eggs is very important for creme patisserie.
- Whip the egg yolks, sugar, and starch well to prevent lumps.
- A whisk or wooden spoon works great when stirring.
- You must stir all the time - this will prevent the milk and egg from curdling and you will have a silky smooth custard.
- Stirring can be very boring but it is important to keep the heat between medium and low while stirring constantly.
- You want the mixture to cook and thicken at the same time. If you thicken it too fast, it may curdle but it may also be undercooked. The slow process helps cook the eggs as well as the cornstarch.
- This mixture will continue to thicken as it cools and chills in the fridge.
- Sieve is necessary to remove any lumps - giving you a smooth velvety creamy pastry.
- Always cover the top surface of the custard to prevent any skin from forming. If you don't that skin will later result in lumpy pastry cream.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Nancy
Pastry Day 11 DONE
Cindy Alger
Pastry Day 11 DONE
Just had a question about the amount of vanilla to use. In the Ingredients and Substitutes section it states to use 2 Tblsp of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, but in the recipe it only calls for 1 tsp. Which amount is correct? Thanks so much for all the time and work you put into these lessons. It is deeply appreciated.
Veena Azmanov
It is 1 tsp of vanilla extract or bean paste.
Mame Recckio-Wolfe
"Pastry Day 11 DONE"...just wanted to make a comment that when I clicked on the title in the email it took me to the Flour lesson, so I had to look up each pastry cream recipe separately.
I also want to thank-you for all the hard work and time to have taken to put the lessons together - it is greatly appreciated, so thank-you...Mame
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for bringing this to my attention Mame. Just fixed it. Thanks
Mame Recckio-Wolfe
Oh, thank-you...I'm glad to know that I didn't do something wrong...thanks again - you're the best!!!...Mame
J
Hello! Can I make pastry cream without milk and use chrysanthemum tea instead? What is the function of using milk in pastry cream (in terms of science)?
Veena Azmanov
Yes, you can use any liquid instead of milk. Just make sure not to curdle it.
J
Oh! Do you mean that the milk helps to reduce the risk of the pastry cream curdling?
By the way, thanks!
Veena Azmanov
The cornstarch helps to prevent the pastry cream from curdling.