Go Back
+ servings

How to Make a Pastry Cream

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
chilling: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 110kcal
Author: Shinee
How to make a classic pastry cream from scratch - a complete guide to a luxuriously smooth custard filling for wide variety of pastries, cakes and tarts.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500g) milk Note 1
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Note 2
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Note 3
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream optional

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla extract to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat off.
  • Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until smooth, thick and pale yellow. Then stir in flour and cornstarch.
  • To temper the egg yolk mixture, take about ½ cup of hot milk and add it into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring vigorously. (TIP: Place a damp towel under the bowl with egg yolk mixture to prevent it from sliding all over while you pour hot milk and whisking simultanuously.)
  • Now, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. (Note: It's normal if the mixture looks curdled in the beginning, be patient and it'll smooth out.) To see if the mixture is boiling, stop whisking for a moment. If it's burping bubbles, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
  • Run the custard through a sieve, if desired, and transfer into a clean bowl and cover with a plastic wrap, so it touches the cream and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. (TIP: Don’t be alarmed if your chilled pastry cream looks too thick and lumpy. Simply whisk it until smooth again.)
  • Optional step: whip heavy whipping cream till hard peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream into the chilled pastry cream and gently fold until well combined. This's called creme diplomat.

Notes

Yield: 2 cups of custard, enough for 24 eclairs, or one 9-inch pie or tart.
Note 1: You can use any kind of milk. Whole milk, 2%, or even non-dairy milk, like almond milk.
Note 2: You can use vanilla bean, vanilla paste, or just pure vanilla extract. If using, vanilla bean, cut it lengthwise and scrape off the beans inside. And put the beans and the shell into the milk.
Note 3: For gluten-free version, you may omit the flour and increase cornstarch by 1 tablespoon. Read the post above on why I like to use both.
Storing Tip:
Refrigerate pastry cream in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Make sure to cover it with a plastic wrap touching the entire surface of the custard to prevent unpleasant skin forming.

Nutrition

Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 110kcal
Carbohydrates: 10g
Protein: 3g
Fat: 7g
Sugar: 8g
Sodium: 24mg