Recipes

Pastry Cream

  • Serves

    makes About 3 1/4 cups

Lightly scented with vanilla, pastry cream is a versatile filling ready for cakes, doughnuts, tarts, or anything else your baking heart can dream up. Use to fill profiteroles and then assemble into an impressive Croquembouche.

Ingredients

  • 1 12 cups milk
  • 12 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 12 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 16 Tbsp. butter, softened

Instructions

Step 1

Bring 1 cup milk and sugar to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk remaining milk, cornstarch, and egg yolks together in a large bowl. Slowly pour half the hot milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then return mixture to saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens and just returns to a boil. Stir in vanilla and transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add cold filling and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Chill until ready to use.

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