Homemade Vanilla and Chocolate Pastry Cream

Love What UEAT
Feb 28
3 min read

#recipe #vanillapastrycream #chocolatepastrycream #pastrycream #cremepatissiere #custard #glutenfreedessert

Pastry cream is perhaps the most commonly used filling in pastry making.

This is the recipe for the basic custard par excellence, the star of many delicious desserts! Pastry cream often has a vanilla flavoured base, however; you could also flavour it differently, for example: lemon, coffee, liqueur-infused options and a classic chocolate pastry cream.

Super simple and easy to make! Follow our recipe step by step to achieve a smooth and silky quality result !

INGREDIENTS: Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooling time: 2 hours/overnight best

VANILLA PASTRY CREAM:

2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream

1 tbsp (15 ml) clear vanilla extract (or regular vanilla extract, paste, bean)

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

6 egg yolks (room temp)

2 tbsp (15 g) corn starch

4 tsp (28 g) unsalted butter (room temp)

Pinch of salt

CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM:

1/4 cup (approx 45 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Equally divide the vanilla pastry cream in half and add the the chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Over stovetop, on medium heat, pour the heavy cream and the clear vanilla extract in a small pot. Bring to a light boil. Remove from heat. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, add your yolks, sugar and pinch of salt. Using an electric mixer (or stand mixer) beat together until pale yellow and thick (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the corn starch. Mix well.

4. Ladle in small amounts at a time the hot heavy cream, while continuously mixing. This is called tempering. DO NOT ADD THE HOT HEAVY CREAM ALL AT ONCE. THIS WILL RESULT IN SCRAMBLED EGGS INSTEAD OF A SMOOTH AND CREAMY TEXTURE

5. Place a sieve over a small pot. Pass the pastry cream through the sieve to remove any lumps.

6. Bring the pot back to stovetop, over medium heat, stirring continuously, cook until thickened.

7. Once thickened, remove from heat. Pass through a sieve a second time (with the help of a spatula) to ensure a perfectly smooth, silky, lump-free texture.

8. Equally divide the pastry cream in 2 tempered glass bowls.OOPS … we messed up on equally dividing the pastry cream… lol

9. Add the butter to the bowls (2 tsp in each bowl). Stir till melted.

10. While the pastry cream is still hot, add the chocolate chips to one of the bowls. Stir till fully melted and smooth.

11. Cover bowls with plastic wrap. Lightly press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the custards to prevent a skin from forming.

12. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours. Overnight always best. NOTE: Longer time in the refrigerator, the thicker the pastry cream.

13. After the 2 hour mark, our pastry cream hadn’t thickened to out liking, however; still thick enough to be piped.

NOTE: Had we had the time to let it set overnight, the pastry creams would have thickened more and maybe a little stiff. In that case, all you need to do is give it a few vigorous whisks to make it creamy again.