Vanilla Pastry Cream

Rich, creamy, and deeply vanilla, this small batch pastry cream comes together with seven ingredients and about 15 minutes to make. A classic crème pat that's perfectly smooth for filling éclairs, Boston cream pie, cupcakes, or a simple berry trifle.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Chill4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cups (approx.)

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Erin Cernich

Equipment

Ingredients

2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup whole milk
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Add the egg yolks and 1/3 of the milk to a medium heat-proof mixing bowl. Whisk well until the cornstarch is dissolved and free of lumps.
2 large egg yolks, room temperature, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, cup whole milk
In a medium saucepan, add the remaining milk and sugar. Heat over medium until small bubbles form along the sides of the pan. Carefully, drizzle about half of the heated milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs so they don't scramble.
1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup whole milk
Pour the tempered mix back into the saucepan, keep whisking, and heat over medium until big bubbles start to form. This can take 2 to 3 minutes. Don't leave the cream unattended, and keep whisking as it cooks to keep it from sticking to the pan.
Remove the cream from the heat. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until incorporated, and the butter has melted. Pour the cream through a fine mesh strainer set over a heat-proof mixing bowl. This will remove unwanted lumps. If needed, use a spatula to help it through the strainer.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, 1 pinch salt
Cover the pastry cream with a piece of plastic wrap, directly touching the surface to keep a skin from forming. Transfer it to the refrigerator to chill and set for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

After covering the pastry cream with plastic wrap, I like to let it cool on the counter for about 15 minutes before putting it in the refrigerator to chill. This will keep too much condensation from forming with the hot cream and the cold fridge.

The pastry cream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir it before serving to loosen it back up.

Notes

Serving Size - This small batch pastry cream will make about 1 to 1.25 cups. It is easily doubled.
Milk - Whole milk works best for thick and creamy pastry cream, but 2% can be substituted.
Vanilla - You can swap the vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean pod. I highly recommend at least vanilla bean paste for classic pastry cream flavor.
Cold Butter - The butter addition at the end makes the pastry cream velvety smooth. For it to properly emulsify into the cream, it should be cold.
Filling - Vanilla pastry cream is excellent in my Boston cream pie.

Nutrition