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A glass jar filled with French pastry cream.
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4.91 from 11 votes

French Vanilla Pastry Cream

Smooth, rich Vanilla Pastry Cream (aka creme patisserie) is a classic French filling used in many dessert recipes. It's easier to make than you might think and can be used in so many ways!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Additional Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 2.5 cups
Calories: 1834kcal
Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 Tablespoons salted butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  • Combine the milk, cream, and half of the sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid comes to a simmer.
  • As the liquid heats, whisk together the remaining sugar, salt, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until light and creamy.  
  • Once the milk mixture is hot, slowly whisk about 1 cup of the liquid into the egg mixture to temper the yolks. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk mixture and reduce the heat to medium, continuing to cook while whisking constantly, until thickened and a few bubbled burst on the surface, about 30 seconds.  
  • Remove the pastry cream from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, then transfer to a bowl and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly onto the surface of the pastry cream so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 3-4 hours.

Notes

  • You can scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean instead of using vanilla bean paste. Or use an equal amount of vanilla extract instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 1834kcal | Carbohydrates: 151g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 125g | Saturated Fat: 72g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 38g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1297mg | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 687mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 123g | Vitamin A: 5039IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 622mg | Iron: 3mg