Vanilla Pastry Cream

Vanilla pastry cream is smooth, silky, and creamy, flavored with vanilla bean paste for amazing vanilla flavor. Use it for cake or cupcake filling, on fruit tarts, or to just eat with a spoon. This pastry cream recipe is easy to make and unbelievably delicious.

Ingredients for Vanilla Pastry Cream

• Heavy cream: You can use either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
• Milk: I recommend using 2% milk or whole milk to make the pastry cream extra creamy and silky. I do not recommend using skim milk for this recipe.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch serves as a thickening agent. Some recipes call for flour as a thickening agent, but I have found that cornstarch works best.
• Granulated sugar: You can use a bit less or more to taste. I don’t recommend going over 1/2 cup.
• Egg yolks: Large eggs, but just the yolks! Save the egg whites for Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
• Salted butter: A bit of salted butter adds additional creaminess. You will want it cold and cubed. You can also use unsalted butter, just add a small pinch of salt to the pastry cream.
• Vanilla bean paste: For this recipe, I love using vanilla bean paste to get amazing vanilla flavor! It adds small specks of vanilla bean to the pastry cream! You can also use pure vanilla extract.

How to Make Vanilla Pastry Cream

1. Heat heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together cornstarch, granulated sugar, large egg yolks, and 1/2 cup milk.
3. Once the heavy cream/milk mixture starts bubbling at the edges of the pan, remove from the heat.
4. Very slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Be sure to drizzle slowly and whisk quickly to temper the egg mixture so it does not turn into scrambled eggs.
5. Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and place on the stove over medium-low heat.
6. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and is bubbling.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Add in cold, cubed salted butter and vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine until the pastry cream has a pudding-like texture.
8. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Use the back of a spoon to push through the pastry cream to remove any lumps.
9. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
10. Chill for at least 4 hours before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Vanilla Pastry Cream

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 4 hours hrs

Yield: 2 cups

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Smooth, silky, creamy, and custardy vanilla pastry cream flavored with vanilla bean paste for amazing vanilla flavor.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup milk whole or 2% is recommended
• ▢ 3 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 egg yolks
• ▢ ½ cup milk whole or 2% is recommended
• ▢ 2 tbsp salted butter cubed and cold
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Instructions

• Add heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat. Heat the cream while working on the next step.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornstarch, granulated sugar, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
• Once the heavy cream/milk mixture starts bubbling at the edges of the pan (scalded), remove from the heat.
• Very slowly drizzle the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Be sure to drizzle slowly and whisk quickly to temper the egg mixture so it does not turn into scrambled eggs.
• Once all the hot cream has been added to the egg mixture, pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and place on the stove over medium-low heat.
• Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and is bubbling about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add in cold, cubed salted butter and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until the butter is melted and the pastry cream is smooth.
• Pour the pastry cream into a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Use the back of a spoon to push through the pastry cream to remove any lumps. Work in small batches for best results.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
• Chill for at least 4 hours before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

Vanilla pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container (with plastic wrap placed directly on the pastry cream) in the refrigerator for about 3 days. 

Do NOT freeze the pastry cream. 

Vanilla pastry cream can be used for filling cakes, cupcakes, cream puffs, eclairs, fruit tarts, etc.

Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

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