How to make vanilla pastry cream

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Pastry Cream, or Crème pâtissière, is a rich smooth custard that should be a part of any baker’s kitchen. Pastry cream is a type of custard, in this case, thickened with cornstarch. It is frequently use in tarts and pies, layered into cakes, a filling for eclairs and profiteroles, or piped into doughnuts.

If you have not had pastry cream or custard before, it is similar to pudding except thicker and richer.

There are only six ingredients milk, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and butter. But, it is a bit of a skill to heat and combine these ingredients to make a rich, velvety smooth, cream.

Storing pastry cream

Freezing

Freezing a batch of pastry cream for use later is not recommended. It will split and become watery.

If you have a lot of left over pastry cream and have no other ways to use it, you can turn it into ice cream and freeze it. However, it must be churned through an ice cream maker. If it is frozen while being constantly mixed, like in an ice cream maker, it will store perfectly as ice cream. However, you cannot defrost it again into pastry cream.

I have had success freezing pastry cream, in small quantities, inside of a baked good. I have frozen profiteroles, with pastry cream inside, for a week. Then, defrosted them in the refrigerator. The texture was altered slightly but was not separated and was not watery.

Refrigerator

Store pastry cream in the refrigerator if it is not consuming it within 4 hours. Store it in an airtight container, with a piece of cling-film on top of the cream. The cling-film will prevent any skin from forming on top of the cream. Store it this way for 4-5 days.

When you are ready to use it, remove it from the refrigerator. You will notice that it has become stiffer and a little chunky when you move it around. This is perfectly normal! You have not ruined the pastry cream. To get it ready to add to your recipe, give it a good whisking and it should return back to it’s velvety smooth state!

When is pastry cream done?

If you have never made pastry cream before, it can be tricky to know when it is done. It is one of those finicky things like caramel, they go from not done, done perfectly, to overdone in 1 second! So you should be watching and whisking constantly, at this final step.

It will start to thicken within a few seconds of having it back on the heat. You will need to whisk it until it becomes thick and glossy. It is done when you start to see bubbles break over the surface, from it starting to simmer. If you want it a little thicker continue to stir, one minute, it will just starts to pull away from the edges of the pot as you are mixing. This whole process should only take between 2 and 5 minutes.

Trouble shooting your pastry cream

Separated pastry cream

This happens for two main reasons. It separated when defrosting it, or it didn’t cook long enough.

Pastry cream will often separate when frozen. Freezing eggs changes the consistency and the mixture will usually separate. Freezing pastry cream for later use is not the best option for storage.

If it separated due to not being cooked long enough, it is because the cornstarch did not cook and the eggs were undercooked.

To solved this problem, return your pot of pastry cream to the stove, on medium heat, and continue to whisk until you see the cream becoming thick and glossy. Bubbles will just start to break over the surface of the cream. Then, it will starts to pull away from the edges of the pot as you are mixing. This whole process should only take between 2 and 5 minutes.

Too Runny

The thickness of the pastry cream comes from the egg yolks. If it is too runny, the most likely culprit is undercooked egg yolks.

To avoid this problem, return your pot of pastry cream to the stove, on medium heat, and continue to whisk until you see the cream becoming thick and glossy. Bubbles will just start to break over the surface of the cream. It will also just starts to pull away from the edges of the pot as you are mixing. This whole process should only take between 2 and 5 minutes.

Grainy pastry cream

This could be the result of a few different things, and all have to do with heat. Pastry cream can be tricky when you are first learning how to make it. It is one of those things where you know it’s done by look and feel. After you have made it a few times, it will be second nature and you will be a pro!

Grainy pastry cream could be the result of undercooking the sugar and cornstarch. The sugar granules may not be fully dissolved and the cornstarch not cooked, resulting in a grainy texture.

To fix this, return it to medium heat and whisk until thickened, glossy, bubbles break over the surface from it beginning to simmer.

The other more likely culprits go hand in hand. Overcooking, or not tempering the egg mixture.

If the eggs are not tempered, the eggs are heated up too quickly. This quick temperature change results in the eggs coagulating, or scrambling.

Likewise, when the pastry cream is left on the heat for too long, the eggs overcook and scramble.

To fix this problem, run it through a fine mesh strainer. This will remove any of the over cooked lumps. (If there are not too many)

Lumpy pastry cream

This is the result of two main things. The pastry cream was overcooked, or it was stored for a few days in the refrigerator.

As above, a lumpy texture occurs when left on the heat for too long during the final step. The eggs overcook and start to scramble.

To fix this problem, you can run the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer. This will remove any of the over cooked lumps.

Pastry cream stored in the refrigerator will be stiff and seem lumpy when you go to use it. This is just the nature of pastry cream! You have not ruined it. To get it ready to add to your recipe, give it a good whisking and it should return back to it’s velvety smooth state!

Serving size

The recipe below is enough to fill a full recipe of profiteroles, enough to make a croquembouche. If you are using it for something smaller like layering a cake or inside a fruit pie, you can half or even quarter the recipe.

Ingredients

4 cups milk (Nothing lower than 2%)

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

¾ cup sugar

½ cup cornstarch

12 egg yolks

½ cup cold butter cut into cubes

Method

Mixing and tempering

1. Add the milk to a sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Cut open and remove the seeds from one vanilla bean and add to the pot. You can add the bean for added flavour or reserve it to make vanilla extract or vanilla sugar. If you do not have a vanilla bean use 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
3. Allow the mixture to steam but remove from heat just before you see it start to simmer, or after you have seen a bubble from it starting to simmer.
4. Remove from heat and set aside to steep with the vanilla.
5. Meanwhile, to a medium bowl, add the sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks. Whisk until the mixture looks light and creamy.
6. In a new large bowl, add the cubes of butter. Place a mesh strainer over top and set aside.
7. By now the milk mixture should be ready. Whisk the milk, slowly and gradually, into the egg mixture, a little at a time. This is going to temper the eggs. Once you have about half into the eggs you can add it more quickly.

Cooking and finishing

1. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and return to the stove, over medium heat.
2. Whisking constantly, watch for the changes in consistency of the mixture. The mixture will start to thicken and become glossy. As soon as you see a few bubbles, from it starting to simmer, remove from the heat.
3. Pour the mixture through the mesh strainer and into the bowl with the cool butter at the bottom. This will remove any lumps. The butter will immediately cool and stop the cooking process and will add an extra creamy, velvety, texture to the mixture.
4. Whisk in the butter.
5. Allow the mixture to cool. Place a sheet of cling-film over top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
6. Once it is at room temperature, use it in your favourite dessert!

If you are looking for a way to use pastry cream try this recipe!

What is your favourite dessert to use with pastry cream?