Pastry cream
15 min
Average
Pastry cream, also known as crème pâtissière, is a classic filling for pastries and desserts. Its flavour is mildly sweet and creamy, with a distinct vanilla taste. Pastry cream can be used for custard buns, eclairs, profiteroles, and fruit tarts. It pairs beautifully with the flavours of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
The tastiest berries
Berries are the perfect complement to pastry cream. This combination creates a delightful balance of flavour and texture. For this, we use only the finest berries from Beekers Berries.
The tastiest berries
Berries are the perfect complement to pastry cream. This combination creates a delightful balance of flavour and texture. For this, we use only the finest berries from Beekers Berries.
Ingredients
1 recipe
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
60 g sugar
25 g cornflour
1/2 vanilla pod
250 ml whole milk
25 g butter
Method
- Add the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add both the seeds and the pod. This will intensify the vanilla flavour.
- Place the pan over the heat and warm the milk. When it’s almost boiling, remove it from the heat – do not allow it to boil fully.
- While stirring, gradually pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture. Keep stirring to prevent curdling.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan. Heat gently while stirring constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat once the pastry cream has reached the thickness of custard. Pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. Allow it to cool slightly, then stir in the butter.
- Cover the pastry cream with cling film (touching the surface) and refrigerate until ready to use.
Nutritional values per serving
Energy
Carbohydrates
Sugars
Protein
Fat
848 kcal
97 g
72 g
17 g
43 g
Ingredients
1 recipe
Ingredients
3
60 g
25 g
0.5
250 ml
25 grg
egg yolks
sugar
cornflour
vanilla pod
whole milk
butter
Nutritional values per serving
Energy
Carbohydrates
Sugars
Protein
Fat
848 kcal
97 g
72 g
17 g
43 g
Method
- Add the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add both the seeds and the pod. This will intensify the vanilla flavour.
- Place the pan over the heat and warm the milk. When it’s almost boiling, remove it from the heat – do not allow it to boil fully.
- While stirring, gradually pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture. Keep stirring to prevent curdling.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan. Heat gently while stirring constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat once the pastry cream has reached the thickness of custard. Pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. Allow it to cool slightly, then stir in the butter.
- Cover the pastry cream with cling film (touching the surface) and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Where does pastry cream come from?
Pastry cream originates from France, where it is known as crème pâtissière – the literal French translation of “pastry cream”. It was developed as a rich, firm filling for pastries. Today, pastry cream is used in countless recipes around the world. In the Netherlands, for instance, it’s the traditional filling of tompoezen (Dutch mille-feuille).
Freezing pastry cream
Did you know that you can freeze pastry cream? Here’s how:
- Let the cream cool down completely.
- Freeze it in airtight containers, divided into the portions you need.
- Defrost the cream slowly in the fridge – this takes about 4 to 6 hours, or you can leave it overnight.
- Before using, whisk the cream until smooth again, or warm it gently over a low heat while stirring. The texture may change slightly after freezing.
Beekers’ tip: if the cream has become a little thick or grainy after freezing, add a small splash of milk or cream to restore its smooth texture. Your pastry cream will be perfect again!
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