Tender Pastry Cream for Cakes and Éclairs

This classic pastry cream turns out silky, thick, and beautifully stable — the ideal filling for éclairs, profiteroles, tartlets, and homemade cake layers. Here, we walk through how to cook it without lumps, how to get the right body, and how to tailor the flavor for your dessert.

Ingredients

• Whole milk 3.2% — 500 ml (2 cups)
• Egg yolks — 4
• Sugar — 120 g (1/2 cup)
• Cornstarch — 40 g (1/3 cup)
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds — 1 tsp
• Unsalted butter — 50 g (3 1/2 tbsp)
• Salt — 1 pinch

Step-by-step recipe

1. In a saucepan, warm the milk with the vanilla and a pinch of salt until hot and just about to simmer, but do not let it boil.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture lightens in color.
3. Add the cornstarch and whisk again until completely smooth with no dry pockets.
4. Slowly pour half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly — this is tempering.
5. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.
6. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and you see the first bubbles breaking through — about 1 to 2 minutes after it comes to a boil.
7. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth and glossy.
8. Pass the cream through a fine sieve for the most refined texture.
9. Transfer to a clean container, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serving and storage

Before using, gently stir the cream with a whisk or spatula. Use it for éclairs, cream puffs, tart shells, cream horns, and as a filling between sponge cake layers. Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. For a lighter texture, you can carefully fold in 100 to 150 ml (1/2 to 2/3 cup) of whipped cream just before serving.

Tips and variations

• No lumps: whisk continuously and do not overheat. If lumps do appear, simply strain the cream through a sieve.
• Thickness: for a firmer cream, add another 5 to 10 g of cornstarch; for a softer cream, reduce the cornstarch by 5 to 10 g.
• Flavor variations: swap vanilla for orange or lemon zest; for a chocolate version, whisk in 80 to 100 g of dark chocolate after removing from the heat; for a coffee version, dissolve 1 to 2 tsp espresso powder in the hot milk.
• Gloss and stability: always press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so a skin does not form and moisture stays in the cream.

Nutritional value

Frequently asked questions