How to Make Pastry Cream

This basic pastry cream recipe is the base for filling many pastries, pies, cakes, and tarts. Pastry cream can be flavored in a variety of ways, is an incredibly versatile dessert component, and is also the base for making sweet souffles! Pin it for Later »

Pastry Cream Recipe Overview

Skill Level: Beginner

Pastry cream is one of the most basic components involved in baking and pastry making. Pastry cream, also known as creme patisserie or creme pat for short, has arguably the most applications of any single pastry component.

Pastry cream can be piped into eclairs, cream puffs, and napoleons, used as a cream filling for cake, and can also be the base of a cream pie, such as coconut cream pie. Walk into any professional pastry kitchen and a big batch of pastry cream is sure to be found.

What is Pastry Cream?

Pastry cream is a classic French stirred custard. This means that the custard is stirred while it cooks on the stove, much like the process of making lemon curd, which results in a smooth and creamy mixture that works well as a filling or sauce.

As with any custard, pastry cream contains milk, eggs, and sugar; however, pastry cream also has the addition of cornstarch, to help thicken it to a pipeable consistency, as well as butter to increase the richness. The most common flavoring for pastry cream is real vanilla bean, however it can be flavored in an endless variety of ways.

How to Make Pastry Cream

Technically, the ingredients for pastry cream can all be put into a pot at once and heated until thick. However, a few additional steps will ensure a much smoother and silky pastry cream.

Step 1: “Blanch” the Egg Yolks

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is foamy and about double in volume. This works best with an electric mixer but can also be achieved with a whisk.

This process is called blanching the egg yolks and helps ensures lumps do not form with the pastry cream. The sugar essentially protects the egg proteins from coagulating too quickly when they cook.

Step 2: Add the Cornstarch

Whisk the cornstarch into the egg yolk/sugar mixture. The cornstarch will help thicken and stabilize the custard once it is cooked.

Step 3: Heat the Milk

In a saucepan, bring the milk up to a boil. If using a vanilla bean pod or cocoa powder, these ingredients would also be added at this point. Other extracts and flavorings would be added later, if using.

Step 4: Temper the Egg Yolks

Slowly pour about half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking. It can help to nestle your bowl in a wet tea towel to stabilize the bowl so that you can whisk with one hand. This will temper the egg yolks and prevent them from becoming scrambled eggs.

Step 5: Cook the Custard

Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and heat over medium/low heat while whisking continuously. The mixture will reach a boil and thicken.

Step 6: Strain

Pour the cooked custard through a fine mesh sieve while it is still hot. This will catch any lumps that may have formed.

Step 7: Add Butter & Other Flavorings

If using, add finely chopped chocolate at this point while the custard is still hot. Add the butter, and any other flavorings or extracts, if using. Try this recipe to make a chocolate pastry cream.

Step 8: Chill

Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate the cream until completely cooled before using.

Pastry Cream Ingredient Functions

• Sugar sweetens the pastry cream and also forms a barrier for the proteins in the egg yolks to slow down coagulation. 
• Egg Yolks thicken the pastry cream and add richness. 
• Cornstarch further thickens the pastry cream creating a more sturdy custard. 
• Milk is the base for what is being flavored and thickened. 
• Butter adds richness and creates a silky texture. 

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