Vanilla Pastry Cream (Crème Pat)

Make rich, creamy vanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissière) at home and from scratch with this simple recipe. Seven ingredients, 15 minutes to make, and a few hours to chill, and you’ll have a versatile, smooth vanilla custard filling for any dessert. Traditionally used in French pastries and Boston cream pie, this smaller batch of pastry cream is equally delicious piped into cupcakes or layered into a trifle.

My love for custardy, creamy desserts runs deep. So much so that I broke tradition a little and had a Boston cream pie as my wedding cake. All for the pastry cream center. The cake was just the vehicle to deliver it. 😊

Often referred to as the “mother of all creams” in the pastry world, crème pat is a staple filling in so many desserts — éclairs, cream puffs, tarts, and cakes — for the way it holds its shape when piped. It’s also delicious piped into a small batch of vanilla cupcakes or layered with pieces of angel food cake and fresh fruit to make an impressively easy trifle.

Pastry cream is traditionally flavored with scraped vanilla bean pod. I keep it accessible for us home bakers by using vanilla bean paste, which delivers the same deep vanilla flavor.

And, to finish the cream, I follow the classic French technique of monter au beurre — mounting the warm cream with a pat of cold butter. This enriches the velvety texture and gives the finished crème pat its signature glossy sheen.

How To Make A Small Batch Of Pastry Cream

First, get the egg yolk and cornstarch mixture ready. Add both to a heat-proof mixing bowl along with about one-third of the milk, and whisk until the starch is dissolved. Keep the bowl close to the cooktop for the next step.

Add the remaining milk and sugar to a small saucepan, and whisk to combine. Heat until small bubbles form along the sides of the pan — you want it hot, not boiling or scorched.

Then, very slowly, drizzle about half of the warm milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs, gradually raising their temperature without scrambling them.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, butter, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until the butter is fully melted and the cream is smooth and glossy.

For good measure, pour the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl to catch any stray lumps. Practical tip: wipe out the mixing bowl from the first step to save on dishes. And don’t forget to scrape the underside of the strainer to get all that decadent custard into the bowl.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.

Chill for at least four hours to set and thicken. If it’s been chilling longer, give it a good whisk before using to loosen it back up.

Tips For Making Pastry Cream

• I encourage using a quality, heavy-duty saucepan for even heating.
• Because we are after a thick, creamy crème pat, I recommend whole milk. 2% is probably the lowest I would go in terms of milk-fat.
• Don’t leave the pastry cream unattended while it’s cooking. Constant whisking keeps the custard from sticking to the pan and discourages lumps from forming.
• Let the cream cool on the counter for a bit before refrigerating. Putting hot custard straight into a cold fridge creates excess condensation, and nobody wants a watery crème pat.
• This is a great “night-before” recipe. It gives the cream time to thicken in the fridge, and takes the guesswork out of timing if it’s ready.

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.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield1.25 Cups (approx.)

Prep5 minutes minutes

ChillChill4 hours hours

Cook10 minutes minutes

Total Time4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Equipment

• ▢
  Medium Heavy Duty Saucepan
• ▢
  Fine Mesh Strainer

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• ▢ 1 pinch salt

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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 corn starch, 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, 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 Estimates

Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.