Recipe
Vanilla Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
The most delicious pastry cream recipe! Once you’ve tried this rich vanilla cream, you’ll never go back to store-bought mixes. Perfect for filling cream puffs, cakes, and desserts.
Time: 3 hours 
Difficulty: Beginner
Yield: 1 batch (see notes)Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 3 tsp flour
- 400 ml milk
Instructions
- Add egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, seeds scraped from vanilla bean, and flour to a small saucepan. Whisk together briefly.3 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 vanilla bean, 3 tsp flour
- Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, adding milk a little at a time while whisking constantly at a steady pace to prevent the bottom from burning.400 ml milk
- As the mixture nears boiling, it will begin to thicken. Let it come to a gentle boil, and cook for about 30 seconds while whisking continuously until it thickens further (note that it will continue to thicken as it cools).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour into a bowl or plastic container (use a sieve if you see any lumps, but you should have a smooth cream).
- Place plastic wrap directly down onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent skin from forming, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The pastry cream will reach its final thick consistency once it’s fully chilled.
Notes
*1 batch makes 500 ml (2 cups) pastry cream.
Make ahead: This pastry cream can be made 1 day in advance before filling it in cakes or pastries. Store the pastry cream in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed down on the surface.