Pastry Cream {Creme Patissiere} – Erren’s Kitchen

Make your own Pastry Cream {Creme Patissiere} like a pro with this foolproof recipe. Fill baked goods with this delicious custard filling.

What Is Pastry Cream?

It’s a delicious, creamy, rich custard that’s thickened with a starch and eggs. It’s traditionally flavored with vanilla and has a creamy texture that’s similar to American puddings or thick custard.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Butter: I use salted butter in my recipes to add seasoning, but unsalted works just fine if it’s your preference.
• Cream: I use heavy whipping cream, but depending where you are in the world, you can use whipping cream, double cream, single cream or half and half. You can also replace it with milk if you don’t have cream on hand.
• Milk: I use whole milk, but you can also use low fat milk or half and half in this recipe. I just don’t recommend using skimmed milk because you want the richness of the milk fat. To make dairy free Creme Patissiere, substitute the milk with a plant-based milk like soy milk, nut milks, or coconut milk and substitute the butter with a dairy free or vegan alternative.
• Vanilla: As vanilla is the key flavor of this recipe, be sure to use the best quality vanilla your budget allows. I recommend vanilla bean paste or, better yet, vanilla beans. At the very least, be sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and try to avoid imitation vanilla or vanilla essence for the best possible flavor. 
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch (also known as cornflour) is essential for the structure of the cream. Always make sure your cornstarch is fresh as this can impact the end result. You can substitute with flour, but you will need to gently simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes longer than the recipe states to eliminate any raw flour flavor.
• Eggs: I use large egg yolks in this recipe. A large egg usually weighs about 2oz or 57g, so if you use eggs of different sizes, you can adapt accordingly by weight. That said, a little extra egg won’t ruin your custard. Just be sure to use room temperature eggs. If you are taking them from the fridge leave them out for an hour before using.
• Sugar: I like to use superfine or caster sugar as it dissolves quicker, but granulated works just as well.

What Is Creme Patissiere Used For?

Crème pâtissière can be served on its own with whipped cream and fruit as a simple dessert, to fill cakes like Boston Cream Pie or a filling for donuts, tarts and pastries like cream puffs and eclairs.

Step by Step Instructions

Add the butter in a medium sized, heat proof mixing a bowl and set aside.

Heat the milk over medium heat until a few bubbles form around the edge. I heat the milk until it’s almost to a boil, so that it speeds up the process of dissolving the sugar and cornstarch. You just don’t want the milk to be so hot that it cooks the eggs.

A lot of recipes call for scaling the milk (heated to a near boil, then cooling it), but it isn’t necessary if your milk is pasteurized. However, if you’re using vanilla beans to flavor you custard, heating the milk with the vanilla bean in it and then allowing it to cool down, will allow the vanilla to infuse into the milk.

While the milk heats, add the egg yolks, cornstarch to a medium sized, heat-proof mixing bowl. Then, once your milk is heated, add the sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and cornstarch.

Be sure to mix the eggs, cornstarch and sugar together until you have a smooth and glossy mixture that’s free of any lumps.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.

Return the entire mixture back to the pot, over medium heat, whisking constantly. Until it becomes glossy and thick (around 2-3 minutes). It’s a good idea to switch to a rubber scraper now and then while mixing, to get into the edges of the pot.

Immediately strain the custard mixture through a sieve into the bowl with the butter.

Use your whisk or a rubber spatula to help push the mixture through the sieve and remove any custard that may stick to the bottom of the strainer.

Whisk the mixture well until the butter has melted into the custard.

Cover with plastic wrap directly over the surface of the cream, and cool to room temperature. Then chill until ready to use.

When ready to use, whisk to loosen and smooth before you use it.

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Let’s Make
Pastry Cream {Creme Patissiere}

A delicious pastry cream (creme patissiere) made with egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and butter. Perfect for filling cakes, pastries and donuts.

Prep5 minutes minutes

Cook5 minutes minutes

Total2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours

Serves: 1

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add the butter to a medium sized, heatproof mixing a bowl and set aside.

• Heat the cream and milk over medium heat until a few bubble forms around the edge, then remove from heat and mix in the vanilla. 

• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until glossy and smooth.

• Gradually add the hot milk mixture into egg mixture while whisking constantly and then return it all to the pot on the stove over medium heat. Whisk constantly (switching to a rubber scraper now and then, to get into the edges of the pot) until thickened and glossy, around 2-3 minutes.

• Pour this immediately through a sieve or fine strainer over the bowl with the butter, pushing the custard through with your whisk or rubber.

• Mix the pastry cream with the butter until it’s totally melted and combined.

• Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the custard, cool to room temperature and then chill completely in the refrigerator until ready to use.The pastry cream will keep up to 4 days refrigerated.

Tips + Notes

This recipe makes about 2 cups of Creme Patisserie which is enough to fill one 8 inch cake, 8 eclairs or cream puffs and about 6 donuts.

• Use a heavy bottom pot to cook your Creme Patissiere to ensure even cooking.
• Use a stainless steel pot instead of aluminum as aluminum pots can release color as you whisk, turning your custard gray.
• Don’t allow the milk to come to a boil. You want it to just come to a simmer to avoid cooking your egg yolks.
• Don’t add the sugar to the egg yolks until just before you add the hot milk, sugar and egg yolks can cause a skin to form if left to sit too long.
• If your pastry cream is too thick for your preference, whisk in a splash of milk at a time and whisk vigorously until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Don’t skip straining your mixture. Straining is an important step, as it ensures a silky smooth consistency.
• Use your whisk or a rubber spatula to help push the mixture through the sieve and remove any custard that may stick to the bottom of the strainer.
• If your Crème pâtissière looks grainy, it was cooked at too high of a heat, causing the egg yolks to cook and curdle. If this happens, even passing it through a sieve won’t help as some of the curdled egg will disperse through the custard making it grainy. Unfortunately, there is no fix for this and you’ll have to try again.
• When cooling your Crème pâtissière, be sure to sit the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to avoid a skin forming on top.
• Once cooled, it’s always a good idea to stir or whisk your cream to loosen and smooth out the mixture.
• Never allow the Creme Patissiere to stay out of the fridge for more than an hour. It can grow bacteria and spoil.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 971 (49%)| Carbohydrates: 79g (26%)| Protein: 16g (32%)| Fat: 65g (100%)| Saturated Fat: 37g (231%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g| Monounsaturated Fat: 20g| Trans Fat: 1g| Cholesterol: 746mg (249%)| Sodium: 329mg (14%)| Potassium: 353mg (10%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 66g (73%)| Vitamin A: 2650IU (53%)| Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)| Calcium: 323mg (32%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources.
To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

Diet:Vegetarian

Keyword:creme patissiere, pastry cream, pastry cream recipe