How to Make Pastry Cream

How to Make Pastry Cream

Pastry cream or vanilla custard is one of my very most favorite things. I love it so much that I make it quite rarely as there is no self-control around if and I will basically inhale the whole bowl if no one is looking.

It's a silky custard packed with vanilla and it's just sweet enough, not cloying at all. If you want to stretch the batch and mellow the flavor out try folding in some whipped cream. This combination is called diplomat cream. Lighter and you can extend the batch to fill more cream puffs and eclairs.

Using the corn starch is a bit of a cheat, you can reduce or omit it if you're feeling the brave traditionalist.

You can fold melted and cooled chocolate into this or add a fruit reduction, so many options!

[cinthiajimenez]

My mouth is literally watering 💦thanks for sharing great for Boston cream donuts 🍩 😍

[alreem]

Recipe for the pastry cream

Ingredients : -
- 2 cups of whole milk (473mL)
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste you can replace it by vanilla extract (7.5ml)
- 6 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup of sugar (133g)
- 1/4 cup corn starch (30g)
- 1 table spoon of cold butter
Steps :-
1. Milk and vanilla into the sauce pan. Medium low heat and mix it
2. Add the egg yolks and the sugar into a bowl whisk it well, using an electric mixer is better, ( he said “a nice beautiful light lemony color very sunshiny”)
3. Add corn starch and mix well so theres no lumps
4. Then get the pan and add the milk mixture (1/4 cup at a time) into the yolk mix
5. Put it back into the pot and put it on medium high. Heat and whisk continuously, till its thick
6. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter and mix, until the butter melts
7. Pt it into a clean bowl cover in with plastic (make the plastic touch the mix so there’s no air, like in 3:45 )
8. Refrigerate till its cool 😎

[snifftheory]

"You can even pipe it /directly/ into your mouth, which I'll be doing after this scene." freaking killed me, I love it! Your videos are incredible, you deserve aaaall the positive feedback! Thank you so much!

[sinaialcantar]

I made this with the yolks I had left after making some meringue cookies and it's absolutely delicious. My family is obsessed, Thank you ❤

[HSTRYWriter]

If piping as a filling between cake layers, pipe an outside ring of buttercream first to act as a dam or else the pastry cream will squeeze out everywhere when you go to slice the cake. Also, I always sieve my creme pat before refrigerating to remove any lumps.

[RubyTwilite]

John, I want to thank you. I made this and it was exquisite! I turned it into a Diplomat Cream and made a complicated dessert with it: case base, raspberry puree, diplomat cream, raspberry mousse all covered in a mirror glaze. It was AH-MAZING and your recipe was the star! Thank you so much!!

[mmsmith]

Concise, clear, pleasant presentation. I am very impressed with your videos. I have tried several recipes and they worked out perfectly. I look forward to trying this as well. Thanks again for posting this series.

[haileyahrens]

Y’ALL... on my first try with this, I put 2 chai tea bags in the milk while it was warming. YOU GOTTA TRY IT. amazinggg

[bjewel]

Preppy Kitchen brings me so much comfort, his smile, his voice and everything. Thank you!💗

[fratjock]

He needs his own cooking show on the food network or cooking channel! Definitely have a man crush!

[rose]

This pastry cream is absolutely delicious. I used it to fill my cream puffs and it’s magic in your mouth! I highly recommend this!

[xxcamilaxx]

Here’s a tip!


If you do however get ANY scrambled egg clumps after u add milk put it over a sifter and just get the liquid!!

[ayeshaaliyar]

Tried this recipe. The quantity mentioned is perfect. I used the exacccttt recipe except with vanilla extract and not the bean. Tasted soo good. Y’all mustttt try! Also buying measuring cups and spoons are so convenient especially when u wanna follow someones recipe online.

[pragslaxman]

I made this today! I halved it and added lemon and orange rind. Was very happy with the result. Thank you for this simple yet great recipe!

[meylinzaks]

Just made this and it is incredible! I will be piping it in between my vanilla cake layers that I just baked using his recipe as well. My cake came out moist and amazing. I can’t wait to eat it all together. I know it will be heaven. I can tell just by the looks of it. 😋🥰

[claudeg]

I’ve been making cream puffs for many decades using a vanilla cream pudding recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook. Same ingredients as here. After many years of continuously stirring the custard over heat so it wouldn’t stick, I discovered that it cooks perfectly in the microwave in a bowl. Just heat it a couple of minutes at a time, whisking in between. When it thickens, give it a couple more 30-second zaps, add the vanilla and butter and refrigerate. Perfect every time. And it starts just by whisking the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch, then the milk, before cooking the mixture. So easy.

[amnaansari]

I JUST MADE THIS AND OMG IT TURNED OUT SOO GOOD 😭😭🤍🤍 I was really scared at first but now I’m shook I love this so much thank you so much 🤍🤍🤍

[rollavaldez]

I just want u to know that u are my no.1 chef!! All ur recipes are amazing!

[annetteduffy]

I made this today exactly how you directed and it came out PERFECTLY!!!! I love it when I try something new and it works out the very first try! Thank you!

[andrewlazar]

I love making pastry cream! I’m making a holiday berry trifle and I’m going to infuse the pastry cream with vanilla bean, strips of orange and lemon zest, cinnamon stick and tiny bit of lavender.

I love your videos 🥰