• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Archive
    • Recipes Visual Index
    • How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
    • Kitchen Cheat Sheet
    • Kitchen & Pantry Essentials
  • Services
    • Contact
  • Inspiration

A Cookie Named Desire

Live Life Sweetly

You are here: Home / basics / Creme Patissere

March 25, 2018

Creme Patissere

Tweet
Share
Pin

A simple recipe for creme patissere, or pastry cream. This pastry staple is perfect for filling doughnuts, eclairs, cakes, and so much more. 

Bowl of creme patissere with a spoon

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
I agree to have my personal information transfered to Mad Mimi ( more information )
Sign up to get every recipe delivered straight to your inbox and stay up to date on exclusive giveaways, freebies, and more! New subscribers also get a FREE cookie ebook of our popular recipes and printable recipe cards when they join!
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Creme patissere, or pastry cream, is a thick, velvety custard that is a key ingredient in many different desserts such as tarts, cakes, and doughnuts. You can eat it by the spoonful if you are feeling decadent, or use it as a quick and easy replacement in a creme brulee. There’s not much you can’t do with it and knowing how to make it will take your dessert making to the next level.

There are a few different methods to making creme patissere. Some prefer to use all flour while others will use a mix of flour and cornstarch. Most recipes also prefer to whip the eggs with the sugar until it becomes thick and ribbony, then temper it with hot milk before cooking it to a thick consistency.

A jar of creme patissere with a spoon

I like to use a mix of flour and cornstarch because I find I get the best texture this way. I also mix the flour, cornstarch, and sugar together, then mix the milk and eggs together in a separate bowl before mixing them both together while they are still room temperature.

It is after they’ve mixed together that I begin to heat the mixture and cook until it is thickened. I find this prevents lumps and bits of cooked egg in the pastry cream.

The creme patissere should be a nice, velvety thick consistency that can hold it s shape when it is cool, but still nice and easy to pipe and spread. If it is too runny, you can always cook it until it is a bit thicker, and while, I have not tried this personally, I have heard of people whisking in tablespoons of cream into their pastry cream if they’ve thickened it too much.

three quarters shot creme patissere in a jar

There are a variety of flavors you can use in your pastry cream. This recipe is just the basic blank canvas for you to use. You can try different extracts for a number of flavors. Almond is popular, but you can try any thing that suits your fancy. You can also stir in chopped chocolate in when it is still hot for a chocolate pastry cream.

If you want something citrus, I recommend rubbing the zest in the sugar to release its oils and flavor. Then when you strain the creme patsserie, the zest is also removed so you will still have a smooth custard with which to work.

a jar of creme patissere with a spoon resting on top

If you are just in love with pastry cream as I am, try these green tea eclairs

three quarters shot creme patisserie in a jar

5 votes

Print

Creme Patissere

Prep 5 mins

Cook 10 mins

Inactive 2 hours

Total 2 hours, 15 mins

Author Amanda Powell

Yield 2 1/4 cups

A smooth creme patissere perfect for all your pastry and dessert needs

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups whole milk, room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in cubes

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk toether the eggs and milk until well combined,

Pour the egg mixture into the sugar mixture and mix well until there are no lumps.

Turn on the heat to the stove on medium and continue to whisk the mixture.

Whisk the mixture continuously as it cooks and begins to thicken. The creme patissere is finished cooking once it is noticeably thicker and when you dip a spoon into the mixture and run a finger down the spoon, it leaves a line in the pastry cream.

Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Stir in the butter and the vanilla. Mix until the butter is melted and thoroughly mixed in.

Pour into a container and place plastic wrap directly on the creme patissere so that it is directly touching. This is to prevent skin forming on the pastry cream. Chill until completely cooled before using.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine French

Did you make a recipe?

Tag your culinary creations @acookienameddesire on Instagram and hashtag it #cookienameddesire.

Filed Under: basics Tagged With: creme patissere, pastry cream

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren says

    April 24, 2018 at 10:18 am

    The citrus version sounds so good – do you think grapefruit would work?

    Reply
  2. Emilie says

    April 24, 2018 at 11:31 am

    My family would love these! Cream filled doughnuts are their favorite but I never knew exactly what went inside. I have to try this creme patisserie recipe for a cake filling. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Claire says

    June 9, 2018 at 7:33 pm

    My father in law just loved this when I made it for him!!!
    He said he would happily eat it everyday!
    That is high praise from him 😀

    Reply
  4. Amanda Finks says

    June 9, 2018 at 8:53 pm

    I’m so glad I found this pastry cream recipe! It’s the perfect doughnut filling!

    Reply
  5. Joanie says

    June 11, 2018 at 11:28 am

    What a wonderfully handy little recipe to keep for the times when I want to elevate a simple dessert. So easy to make and incredibly delicious. I stirred in a little white chocolate bits and it was lovely spooned over cake.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search A Cookie Named Desire

Author Bio
Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with ice cream and run-on sentences. Check out my bio for more information about me, or email [email protected] with questions!

Connect With Me!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Footer

Never Miss A Recipe

Sign up to get new recipes via email.

Privacy Policy
There is nothing like these beer truffles to treat yourself tonight
These delicious blood orange margaritas are a fruity cocktail everyone will love. It's sure to be a party favorite!

Copyright© 2019 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks