Pastry Cream Tutorial
(Crème Patissière/Creme Pat)
Sweet Lesson No.13
By Caro
Crème Patissière, (also known as Creme Pat, but most commonly Pastry Cream), is so easy to make you will wonder why you didn't make it before. Learn step-by-step how to make this filling & add to your pastries & cakes or use to make some other amazing fillings.Jump to Recipe
Original post 17/11/21, updated photos 6/06/23
What Is Pastry Cream/Crème Patissière?
Pastry Cream is a thick egg-based creamy filling, believed to have originated in France or Italy in the 17th century, but is similar to our custard we have here in the UK. Made in a similar way, this Crème Patissière is a little firmer, making it suitable to use as a filling for the fanciest of patisseries.
What Is In Pastry Cream?
“What is Creme Pat made of?”
Pastry Cream is made up of egg yolks, milk, flour, cornflour/corn starch, butter & vanilla. (See ingredient photo).
The sugar used is Caster sugar and US equivalent is extra/super fine sugar. You can make your own Caster Sugar or Extra/Super Fine sugar, by grinding some granulated sugar. (See my sugar comparison photo below).
What Do You Use Pastry Cream For?
There are many uses for Creme Pat. You can add pastry cream to cakes as an alternative to a buttercream filling. Use in-between layers of puff pastry to make a Mille Feuille (French Napoleon). Pastry cream can also be used to fill doughnuts, or to accompany puddings and desserts, such as stewed rhubarb (rhubarb compote), as seen in the photos.
Will pair nicely with my Money Saving Rhubarb Compote Cupcakes. (See photo below).
Use in my Apple Blueberry Salted caramel Filo Nests, in place of the caramel sauce .
Use as a filling in your favourite pastries. Examples being these individual shortcrust tarts, filled with the pastry cream & topped with fresh fruit as seen in the photo below by Mrs D.
Use as a filling in your favourite pastries. Examples being these individual shortcrust tarts, filled with the pastry cream & topped with fresh fruit as seen in the photo above by Mrs D.
To try the pastry cream in my individual tarts, just bake as normal and add the cooled creme pat to the cooled pastry cases. Go to Individual Chocolate Tarts recipe for all you need to succeed with pastry.
Use To Make Other Types Of Cream
You can even fold in double cream (heavy/whipping cream), into your pastry cream, and make a lighter cream known as Diplomat Cream (Crème Diplomate), that can also be stabilized with gelatin.
Sweeten the whipped cream and it is known as Creme Legere. The likes of the Diplomat Cream are used in recipes such as Fraisier Cake.
Is Pastry Cream Hard To Make?
This Creme Pat, is not hard to make and is a relatively quick process. The cream sets up more on cooling and can be chilled and used later.
Do I Need Special Baking Equipment?
This simple Crème Patissière recipe, doesn’t require any special baking equipment. Only a cooking pot, mixing bowls, a whisk, a sieve & scales or measuring cups/measuring spoons.
Perfect Recipe To Use Up Egg Yolks
If you have left-over egg yolks from making say Macarons, meringues or even Angle Food Cake, this is the perfect way to make use of them. The recipe can easily be halved or doubled according to how many egg yolks you have. (Note in the video tutorial, I was making half the quantity).
How Much Pastry Cream Does It Make?
The recipe as is, makes about 1½ cup or about 500g (17½ oz) worth of pastry cream. You can easily halve or double the recipe. (Note in the photos & video, I increased the recipe by 50%, using 9 egg yolks and made 2¼ cups worth/about 750g/26½ oz.)
Serving Size – 100g/3½oz has been used as the serving size for nutritional purposes only. 1 portion/serving size will vary depending on how you are using the pastry cream. Serving as an accompaniment to stewed rhubarb (compote), filling eclairs or cream puffs, the amount used will vary. Note 100g/3½oz is approximately a scan ⅓ cup worth.
Tip For Pastry Cream
To cool the pastry cream quicker, spread thinly onto a cookie tray/sheet & place in the fridge, with the surface covered in cling film/plastic wrap. This wider, shallower level of cream, will allow the crème pat to cool down quicker.
What Type Of Vanilla To Use?
Vanilla extract rather than Vanilla flavouring or essence is highly recommended for any baking. Making your own Vanilla Extract is very rewarding, can work out less expensive and tastes even better than shop bought. Read my article on How To Make Home-made Vanilla Extract.
Can It Be Made Gluten Free?
This recipe uses a little flour and cornflour/starch, so if you use Gluten free cornflour/starch and flour, then it should still work.
The Process In Detail
1. Begin by adding the milk to a medium sized saucepan, and bringing to a boil, on a medium heat. Stir occasionally and be careful not to let the milk catch on the bottom of the pan. Once started to boil, remove the milk from the stove and place on top of a trivet, or something heat safe.
2. Next separate the eggs if you have not done so already, and add the egg yolks to a medium bowl, before whisking in the flour, cornflour (corn starch) & sugar. Beat well until combined (a few lumps are fine as it will be sieved later). See Photo 1.
3. Use a spoon to remove a little of the hot milk and add to the egg mixture. Beat well, before adding 2 more spoons of the hot milk, remembering to mix in-between each addition. (This is known as ‘tempering’ and involves gradually adding heat to the egg mixture, rather than adding all at once. Adding heat too quick and the eggs can scramble.) See Photo 1 above.
4. After the 3rd spoon of hot milk has been whisked in, now add this egg mixture to the pot of milk, and whisk well.
5. Return the pan to the stove top and on a low heat, simmer the mixture gently. Whisk regularly till it thickens. Note it will thicken more later. Don’t worry if there are lumps. As long as you have not had on too high a heat, and tempered the egg mixture, the eggs won’t have scrambled, and we always sieve pastry cream anyway. See Photo 3 below.
6. Remove from the heat and immediately add in the cubed butter and vanilla, mixing until melted and fully combined.
7. Push the pastry cream through a fine sieve over a bowl, to make a lump-free silky smooth mixture. You will see from the photos 3 & 4 and the video, that the mixture when pushed through the sieve, hangs from the bottom of the sieve, so just periodically, scrape off and into the bowl.
8. Once all sieved, cover the top of the pastry cream with cling film/plastic wrap. Not just covering the bowl, but pushing the cling film/plastic wrap down to cover the surface of the cream first, pushing out air bubbles, and then up and over the sides of the bowl. This stops a ‘crust’ forming on the surface of the pastry cream. Place in the fridge to cool more, or store till ready to use. (See Photo 5 below).
9. Will be fine for up to 3 days stored in the fridge, any longer and it might start to weep. Does not freeze well.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy, beginner
*Serve with Speedy Fruit Crumble
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RECIPE CARD
Crème Pâtissière – Creme Pat – Pastry Cream
Abbreviated version of the recipe, that you can save, print or share, (with/without photos or notes)
6 Step Pastry Cream Tutorial (Crème Pâtissière, Creme Pat)
Equipment
- Measuring Scales, Cups or Measuring spoons
- Measuring Jug
- Medium cooking pot
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Medium mixing bowl
- Sieve
- Cling film/plastic wrap
- Bowl for cooling the cream
Ingredients
- 60 grams Caster Sugar (4 tbsp, Extra/Super Fine Sugar)
- 2 tbsp Corn Flour (Cornstarch)
- 4 tbsp Plain Flour (All Purpose Flour)
- 6 Med-Large Egg Yolks (L-XL US sized)
- 280 ml Milk (9½ fl oz. 1+ ⅙ cup)
- 50 grams Butter, unsalted & small cubes (1¾ oz)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (Read how to make your own Vanilla Extract)
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil on medium heat on the stove top, stiring occasionally and not letting the milk catch on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks in bowl before adding in the flour, cornflour/corn starch & sugar. Beat well until combined with minimal lumps.
- Add 1 spoon of the hot milk to the egg mixture & whisk to combine. This is tempering – gradually adding & introducing the hot mixture to the room temperature egg mixture. This prevents scrambling the eggs. Add 2 more spoon of the milk, one at a time, mixing in-between each addition. Next add all the egg mixture into the pan of milk, and mix well.
- Return the pan to the hob, and on a low heat, simmer the mixture gently. Whisk it regularly till it thickens. Note it will thicken more later.
- Remove from the heat, add in the Vanilla Extract extract & butter, and beat together well. Don't worry about lumps, just beat as well as you can.
- Push the pastry cream through a sieve into another bowl, to remove any lumps and leave a smooth silky mixture.
- Allow the cream to cool down. Cover the pastry cream with cling film/plastic wrap. This prevents a crust forming on the top of your pastry cream. To do this, lift the cling film/plastic wrap and position on the surface of the cream, as opposed to just covering the bowl.
Using & Storing
- Place in the fridge, and your creme pat will thicken more with time & be ready to use once cooled down. Use in pastries, cakes etc. or as an alternative to custard, by pairing with some stewed rhubarb (compote) made in the air fryer or oven.
- Will be fine for up to 3 days stored in the fridge appropriately. Any longer and it might start to weep. Does not freeze well.
Video
Notes
Try my Individual Chocolate Tarts recipe, that you can alternatively fill with creme pat/pastry cream.
Learn how to make your own Home-made Vanilla Extract to use in the recipe.
Please also see main recipe post, before this Recipe card, for more information, tips and Q&As.
***I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all nutritional values are based on 100g/3½oz/scant ⅓ cup of pastry cream. Serving/portion size will vary depending on how the pastry cream is being used. These figures are given as a guide only. Note the recipe makes about 1½ cup/500g/17½ oz worth in total. All values from Whisk.com, and to 2 decimal places.
Nutrition
Readers Photo
Diana made my individual tarts, and filled some with the chocolate ganache, and some with the pastry cream. All served with fresh fruit and cream topping. Thank you Diana, these look beautiful!
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Caro xx
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Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
Pastry Cream -Crème Patissière/Creme Pat
I was also new to making creme pat after seeing on GBBO and liked the idea of making instead of custard and being able to use for lots of bakes too. You made it so straight forward to understand and love the videos too. Everyone loved the creme pat and didn’t last long 🙂 Keep up the great work!
Excellent recipe with great instructions. Had never made it before as didn’t have the confidence. Now I make it all the time. Thank you Caro.
Thank you so much! I am so pleased that you found the confidence to try this. I know you will be making it again!