pastry cream

Creamy vanilla pastry cream, used in many types of dessert. Perfect for profiteroles and eclairs. This recipe is gluten free, and also dairy free friendly.Easy - This is an easy recipe, but requires constant supervision. Please read recipe fully before proceeding. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions

Creme Patissiere (Vanilla Pastry Cream)

milk

tbsp sugar

salt

½ tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)

vanilla bean paste vanilla bean pod

unsalted butter (softened)

If using vanilla bean pods, split the bean and scrape the vanilla seeds/caviar out of the beans.

Add the bean and caviar with the milk into a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium high heat and bring it to a simmer, almost to a boil.&nbsp;

While the milk is being heated, place the sugar, egg and yolks, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth mix. (If you are using vanilla bean paste or extract, add it to the egg mix too). Place the bowl with the egg mix on a towel or napkin (to prevent the bowl from slipping while whisking, in the next step), and set aside until the milk comes to a boil.

As soon as the milk starts to bubble, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour about a half of the hot milk in a thin stream, into the egg mix, WHILE WHISKING CONSTANTLY to temper the egg mix. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.

Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken - this should take about 1 - 2 minutes.

While whisking, let the custard come to a boil (the custard will release bubbles). Lower the heat and cook for a further 1-2 minutes after you see the first bubbles break the surface. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk in the butter, until it’s completely mixed in.

Pour the custard into a bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface. This is to prevent a custard skin from forming on top.

Let the custard cool down to room temperature and then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s completely chilled.

Use as needed after the pastry cream has been chilled.&nbsp;

Choux au Craquelin with Salted Caramel Cream - A crisp choux pastry with a cookie crust, filled with a light, airy, creamy salted caramel diplomat cream. Advance - This recipe is for those who are comfortable making regular choux pastry, and pastry cream recipes. There are a few dessert techniques involved. Read the recipe and plan the prep work in advance. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. ‌‌Weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌are‌ ‌recommended‌ ‌for‌ ‌accurate‌ ‌results.‌ ‌You‌ ‌can‌ ‌access‌ ‌metric‌ ‌weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌using‌ ‌the‌ ‌toggle‌ ‌button‌ ‌below‌ ‌the‌ ‌ingredient‌ ‌list.‌ 

Craquelin Choux Pastry With Salted Caramel Cream

oz unsalted butter ((1 stick))

kosher salt

4.5 oz light brown sugar (about 2/3 cup)

4.5 oz AP flour (about 1 cup + 1 tbsp)

150 g white sugar (¾ cup)

½ tsp kosher salt salt

warm cream (see notes)

cornstarch (cornflour)

vanilla bean paste

gelatin powder

water (at room temperature)

whipping cream (chilled)

confectioner’s sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Choux pastry (baking directions below.)

Craquelin Choux Pastry with Salted Caramel Cream

Place the butter, salt and sugar in a bowl and cream the ingredients together until creamy and fluffy.

Add the flour and mix until the mixture looks crumbly. Using your hands, bring the crumbly bits of dough together to form a dough.

Split the dough into two equal sized portions, and place each portion inside a 12 x 12 inch ziploc bag. Roll out each piece inside the ziploc bag until it’s about 2 - 3 mm thick. Remove excess air in the ziploc bag and close it. Place both ziploc bags on a flat tray and keep them in the freezer overnight (OR until completely frozen).

Craquelin (makes enough for 1 ½ batches, so you can freeze the extra for later)

MAKING THE CARAMEL - Sprinkle the sugar over the surface of a stainless steel pan or non-stick pan. Make sure the sugar is sprinkled in a thin layer so that it&#x27;s easier for it to caramelize, and also make sure there&#x27;s no water in the pan and on utensils.

Heat over medium heat, taking care not to introduce water into the sugar. Stir the sugar as it melts with a heat-proof spatula. The sugar will stick to the spatula, but because it’s non-stick, it'll come off easily too.

Continue heating the sugar, while stirring frequently, until the sugar turns into caramel (a golden to amber color) (Please be careful NOT to touch the sugar or the pan as they will be very hot at this point!).

When the color is amber, add the ½ cup of warm cream into the pan. PLEASE STAND BACK AS YOU ADD THE CREAM AT THIS STAGE, because the pan is extremely hot and you don&#x27;t want splash back. Stir soon after adding the cream, to dissolve the sugar. This will take a few minutes.

When the caramel has mostly dissolved in the cream, add the rest of the milk, salt, and vanilla into the pan. Heat the milk until it’s nearly boiling, while stirring, to dissolve the rest of the sugar. Now you have a caramel flavored milk base for the custard.

While the caramel milk is heating (to dissolve all the caramel), in a separate bowl or small jug, add the eggs and cornstarch (cornflour), and whisk until you have a smooth mixture.

Temper the egg mixture by adding a little of the hot caramel milk in a slow and steady stream, while whisking the eggs constantly. After adding enough caramel milk to warm up the mixture, pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the caramel milk.

Heat the egg-caramel milk mixture while whisking/stirring constantly, until the milk starts to thicken. Stir well to make sure the eggs don’t curdle and stick to the bottom of the pan as the custard heats and thickens. I like to switch between a whisk and a spatula to make sure the custard stays smooth while it’s thickening.

Stir the custard until it comes to a boil (the first big bubble to breakthrough the surface from the custard). When the custard starts to boil, remove it from the heat. If there are clumps, pass the custard through a fine sieve to remove them.

Add the butter to the hot custard and mix until the butter has incorporated into it. Pour the custard into a bowl, and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface of the custard.

Allow the custard to cool down to room temperature, then store it in the fridge for a few hours until chilled, and it's ready to be mixed with the cream.

Salted Caramel Pastry Cream (Custard)

Place the water in a small microwave-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water. Allow the gelatin to bloom for about 10 minutes.

After the gelatin has bloomed, microwave the gelatin for about 10 - 20 seconds to dissolve the gelatin.

Place the chilled cream in a clean bowl and add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract. Start whisking the cream with a hand mixer at medium-high speed. Pour in the dissolved gelatin while whisking the cream to ensure the gelatin gets mixed in well. Continue whisking until the cream forms soft peaks. Keep in the fridge, covered, until ready to use.

Stabilized Chantilly Cream

Place about 2 cups of the salted caramel pastry cream in a large bowl. Add the chantilly cream and fold it into the pastry cream.

If you'd like more salted caramel flavor, then fold in the rest of the pastry cream as well. Keep covered in the fridge until you’re ready to fill the choux pastries. When you're ready to fill the cream puffs, transfer the diplomat cream into a pastry bag, that's attached with a small round tip.

Salted Caramel Diplomat Cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking trays with parchment paper or silpat.

Take out the craquelin discs and place them on a smooth cutting board. Using a two inch cookie cutter, cut out 2 inch circles from the craquelin (about 22- 24 circles). Keep them on a non-stick surface (parchment paper or silpat), and in the freezer until needed.

Make 1 batch of choux pastry dough according to this recipe and place the dough in a pastry bag, which is attached with either a ½ inch round tip or ½ inch French star tip.

Pipe choux pastry mounds on the silpat (about 2 inches in diameter). Keep the tip upright and pipe out smooth mounds (piping tip touching the dough surface while you pipe). Gently twist and remove the tip when you're done.&nbsp;

Carefully place a disc of craquelin on top and gently press it into the choux to make sure it sticks and is stable. (I piped about 12 choux buns on one half sheet pan).

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Do not open the door before the 30 minutes, to prevent the pastries from collapsing.

After 30 minutes, open the oven door and partially pull out the baking tray. Quickly (but gently), prick each pastry with a sharp toothpick  to release any steam inside the pastries. Return the tray back to the oven and bake for a further 5 - 10 minutes, until the pastries are a little darker in color.

Remove the choux pastries from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes in a draft-free place.

Choux Pastry

Using a round or star tip, cut out a hole in the bottom of each of the cooled choux pastry cases.

Fill the choux pastries with the salted caramel diplomat cream. Optional step - lightly dust the choux au craquelin with confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately.&nbsp;

Salted caramel craquelin choux pastry

Fruit Tart (The Best)

(310 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour

(1 ml) salt

(125 ml) unsalted butter, softened

(125 ml) icing sugar

(10 ml) lemon juice

(5 ml) vanilla extract

vanilla bean

(180 ml) sugar

(30 ml) cornstarch

(20 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour

(250 ml) 2% milk

(250 ml) 35% cream

(60 ml) cold butter, diced

pineapple

kiwis,

(125 ml) fresh raspberries

(125 ml) fresh blueberries

(75 ml) apricot jam

(30 ml) water

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth. At low speeds or with a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients. Shape into a disc with your hands and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the dough is firm.

On a floured work surface, knead the dough to slightly soften it. Roll out the dough to a 3-mm (1/8-inch) thick sheet. Line a 23-cm (9-inch) tart pan with a removable bottom and 2.5-cm (1-inch) high with the dough. The dough brakes easily, just pick it up and press firmly to fix it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Prick the entire surface of the dough with a fork.

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F).

Bake for about 16 minutes or until the crust begins to brown. Let cool while making the pastry cream.

Crust

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, remove the seeds from the vanilla bean. Set aside.

In a saucepan, off the heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Add the eggs and 60 ml (¼ cup) of milk and combine well with a whisk. Stir in the remaining milk and the cream. Add the vanilla seeds and bean and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, for about 8 minutes. Simmer gently for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until melted. Remove the vanilla pod and pour into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the custard. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Pastry Cream

On top of the pie, place the pineapple slices, overlapping, in the centre and around the pie without touching the crust. Place the kiwi slices the same way, slightly overlapping, over the pineapple, leaving space in the centre for the berries. Set aside.

In a bowl in the microwave oven, heat the apricot jam with the water and strain. Brush over the pineapple and kiwi fruit with a brush. Add the raspberries and blueberries to the remaining warm jam and toss gently. Arrange the berries in the centre of the pie, letting them spread naturally.

Topping

I made this for a family dinner and it was incredible!! Everyone loved the vanilla bean in the delicious pastry cream and the crust came out perfect!! I will definitely be making this again and trying different fruit toppings - peaches had a unanimous vote!

This pastry cream is delicious.  I was looking for a recipe different than my own and this is a keeper.  I was skeptical upon reading the review that it is not good, but it is all good.  No need to pass thru a sieve - it about how it is mixed and cooked.  Very smooth and tasty.  But I would reduce sugar to 1/2 C.

After reading that this recipe had 5 star reviews, I decided to try it. I read the recipe for the pastry cream, and I was skeptical on how it would turn out. I have never seen a pastry cream that you "bring to a boil" and then "simmer", and stirring instead of whisking, and not passing it through a sieve. Just as I thought, this pastry cream was a thick, gloppy, lumpy mess and had a terrible mouth feel. What a gigantic waste of eggs and cream. Don't bother with this recipe. It is terrible.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fMB74cbd

Measuring Butter

Layers of flaky French pastry and the most perfect vanilla pastry cream come together in this popular cream pastry, also known as a Mille Feuille.

If you like this recipe, you&#x27;ll also probably like this Cannoli Filled Napoleon. 

Napoleon Dessert Recipe | French Pastry (Mille Feuille Cream Pastry)

recipe Perfect Vanilla Pastry Cream, chilled

puff pastry sheets

sugar

Thaw the puff pastry according to the package...

Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unfold both sheets of pastry and divide each...

Unfold both sheets of pastry and divide each into thirds by cutting along the fold lines, giving you 6 rectangles of pastry. Lay the rectangles on the parchment covered baking sheet, spacing them about 1/4-inch apart.

Cover the pastry with another sheet of parchment...

Cover the pastry with another sheet of parchment paper and lay another baking sheet on top. This will prevent the puff pastry from rising too much and give the pastry nice, flaky layers.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove the top baking...

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and the top layer of parchment and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. (*Please read the note below abotu preventing your puff pastry from burning.)

Remove from the oven and let cool completely...

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before assembly.

Lay one sheet of baked puff pastry on...

Lay one sheet of baked puff pastry on a serving dish and spread about a 1/2-inch thick layer of pastry cream evenly over the top. Layer another rectangle of pastry over the cream, repeat with another 1/2-inch thick layer of pastry cream and top with a third pastry rectangle. Press on the top of the Napoleon slightly just to evenly distribute the layers.

Repeat with the remaining pastry rectangles and pastry...

Repeat with the remaining pastry rectangles and pastry cream. Cover the Napoleons with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (*See note below.)

Dust the tops of each Napoleon with a...

Dust the tops of each Napoleon with a thick layer of powdered sugar right before serving.

Slice each Napoleon into 6 slices, using a...

Slice each Napoleon into 6 slices, using a serrated knife.

This Salted Caramel Chocolate Crepe Cake is a spectacular dessert! No baking required. Layers of delicious chocolate crepes &amp; salted caramel diplomat cream filling. Perfect showstopper dessert, and you can make the easy version or the intermediate version, as indicated below. INTERMEDIATE - This recipe is suitable for someone who has made cakes before DUE to the several components involved. EASY VERSION - Serve the cake after the first glazing of the cake. Skip the extra chocolate layer to create a 'dam' on the surface of the cake. And skip the salted caramel sauce on top. Instead, you can serve the salted caramel sauce on the side if you like. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement ConversionsThis cake may require one or two overnight chill times. The recipe is long, since there are several components, but every step is described and clarified in detail.

Chocolate Crepe Cake with Salted Caramel Filling

ml milk (2 ¼ cups (I prefer whole milk

eggs

71 g butter (5 tbsp (melted))

vanilla

g white sugar or brown sugar (¼

flour

cocoa powder

white sugar (1 cup)

240 mL heavy cream (1 cup (35% fat))

360 mL milk (1 ½ cups)

cornstarch (5 tbsp)

tbsp vanilla extract

water

240 mL heavy cream chilled (1 cup (35% fat))

57 g confectioner’s sugar (½ cup)

400 g semisweet chocolate

heavy cream (1 ⅔ cup (35% fat))

unsalted butter (3 tbsp (softened))

300 g white sugar

mL heavy cream

(1 cup (35% fat, at room temperature or warm))

½ tsp sea salt (more if needed)

tsp vanilla extract

unsalted butter

(1 ½ sticks)

Make the chocolate crepe batter according to the instructions here. The crepes should be cooked in a 10 inch non-stick pan.

Stack the cooked crepes on a plate or wire rack until needed.

Chocolate crepes

MAKING THE CARAMEL - Sprinkle the sugar over the surface of a stainless steel pan or non-stick pan. The sugar should be in a thin layer in the pan, so that it melts faster and is easier to caramelize.

Make sure the pan and all the utensils that you&#039;re using have no fat or water.

Heat over medium heat, and stir the sugar as it melts, with a heat-proof spatula. The sugar will stick to the spatula, so use a non-stick silicone spatula if possible.

Continue heating the sugar, while stirring frequently, until the sugar turns amber in color. Do NOT touch the caramel or get it on your skin as it is very hot! When the sugar starts to turn yellow, it will change color very quickly, so take care not to let the caramel burn.

When it turns amber colored, add the warm cream into the pan. The caramel will sputter, so PLEASE STAND BACK as you add the cream to avoid any splash back. Stir the caramel soon after adding the cream to dissolve the sugar. This will take a few minutes. The caramel will form clumps when you add the cream. This is OK, just stir to dissolve.

When the caramel has mostly dissolved in the cream, add the milk, salt, and vanilla into the pan. Heat and keep stirring the milk frequently to completely dissolve the caramel. When it’s nearly boiling or just starting to simmer, remove from the heat. The caramel flavored milk base is now ready.

Next, place the eggs and cornstarch in a small jug or bowl, and whisk until you have a smooth mixture.

Temper the egg mixture by adding a little of the hot caramel milk in a slow and steady stream to the egg mixture, while whisking the eggs constantly. Add enough caramel milk to warm the mixture, and then pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the caramel milk.

Return the pot with the egg-caramel milk custard mixture back to the stove over medium heat. Heat the custard while whisking/stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken. Stir and whisk well to make sure the eggs don’t curdle and stick to the bottom of the pan as the custard heats and thickens. I like to switch between a whisk and a spatula to make sure the custard stays smooth while thickening.

In between stirring/whisking, check to see if the custard is starting to come to a boil.

Cook the custard until it comes to a boil; i.e. bubbles start breaking through the surface of the custard. When the custard starts to boil, remove it from the heat. If there are clumps, pass the custard through a fine sieve to remove them.

Add the butter to the custard and whisk it in until the butter is incorporated. Pour the custard into a bowl, and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface of the custard (to prevent a skin from forming on top).

Allow the custard to cool down to room temperature, then store it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until chilled, and it&#039;s ready to be mixed with the cream.

The custard can also be chilled quickly by spreading it out in a thin layer on a baking pan, and then cover with plastic wrap as mentioned above (touching the whole surface). It can then be refrigerated OR placed in the freezer for about 30 minutes (but make sure not to freeze it).

Salted caramel pastry cream (custard)

After the gelatin has bloomed, microwave the gelatin for about 10 - 20 seconds to dissolve it. Add about 1 tbsp of the chilled cream while stirring the gelatin, to temper the heat of the gelatin mix.

Place the chilled cream in a clean bowl and add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract. Start whisking the cream with a hand mixer at medium-high speed.

Quickly pour in the dissolved gelatin while whisking the cream to make sure the gelatin gets mixed in well. To avoid clumping, do not pour the gelatin mix ON the whisk attachments, and also avoid adding it too far from the whisk. The gelatin mixes in well and quickly when it&#039;s introduced to the spot where the cream is moving the fastest.

Continue whisking until the cream forms soft peaks. Set aside for a few minutes until you get the cooled pastry cream ready.

Whisk the set salted caramel custard with a hand whisk until smooth. Add about ⅓ of the stabilized whipped cream and gently whisk it into the pastry cream. Add the rest of the cream (or as much as you like), into the custard and fold it in. The more cream you add, the texture will be lighter, and the salted caramel flavor will be more mellow. I prefer to add about ¾ of the whipped cream.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the crepe cake.

Salted caramel diplomat cream (make this the following day)

Place the chocolate in a bowl. If the chocolate is large, chop into smaller pieces.

Add the vanilla and salt into the chocolate.

In a small saucepan, place the cream and heat until the cream starts to simmer. It should not come to a boil.

Pour the hot cream into the bowl with the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and let it sit for about 30 seconds.

Whisk the cream and chocolate mixture until you have a smooth chocolate ganache.

Add the softened butter and whisk it in until melted and mixed in well.

Set the ganache aside and let it cool down slightly. Whisk occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Chocolate ganache (make this once the crepe cake is chilled)

Make the salted caramel sauce according to the recipe here. If the salted caramel sauce is too thick, add a little water to get it to the consistency you like.

Salted caramel sauce

OPTIONAL - Using an 8 inch plate or an 8 inch tart ring, cut each of the crepes into neat 8 inch circles. This will remove the thin lacy edges, and make sure each crepe is the same size, and your final cake is more neat.

Place a parchment paper or cardboard cake round (that is the size of the crepes), on a cake stand or plate. Make sure the cake stand or plate can fit inside your fridge as well, since you will be refrigerating the cake on this plate later on.

The first crepe will go directly on top of this parchment paper or cake round.

Next, take about ¼ - ⅓ cup of the salted caramel pastry cream and spread it over the crepe in a very thin layer. The thickness should be similar to the thickness of the crepe.

Carefully place another crepe over of the filling, making sure to center it properly.

Assembling the chocolate crepe cake with salted caramel filling

Top 28 pastry cream recipes from across the web

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Top 28 pastry cream recipes from across the web

The most viewed pastry cream recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Creme Patissiere (Vanilla Pastry Cr...

Craquelin Choux Pastry With Salted ...

Fruit Tart (The Best)

Napoleon Dessert Recipe | French Pa...

Chocolate Crepe Cake with Salted Ca...

Pastry Cream {Crème Pâtissière}

Gluten Free Danish Pastry (Pain aux...

Vanilla Custard Cake Filling

Spandauer (Danish Pastry with Custa...

Vanilla Diplomat Cream

Profiteroles

Mini Boston Cream Pie

Eclairs

Pumpkin Pastry Cream

Strawberry Cream Tart with Vanilla ...

How to make Pastry Cream (Creme Pat...

Princes krafne

Simple Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissiè...

Boston Cream Pie Cake

Earl Grey Eclairs

Italian Pistachio Cream

Crème Légère (Pastry Cream with Whi...

Crème Mousseline

Vanilla Pastry Cream or Creme Patis...

Vanilla Custard Cake

Boston Cream Pie

Classic Chocolate Eclairs

Chocolate German Buttercream (Choco...

The most viewed pastry cream recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine