Pastry Cream Recipe

A basic pastry cream recipe is simple and quick to make. It is really tasty to use as it is for filling cakes and pastries.

It is also a cream base that takes well to be flavored and even adding other ingredients for even more variations.

Here I will be showing  you the basic cream recipe in two versions.

1. Pastry Cream with all purpose flour

2. Pastry Cream with potato starch (ideal for a tasty gluten free version)

Method

The same method applies to both recipes.

1. Place egg yolks and sugar in to a bowl

2. With a hand whisk beat for a couple minutes until the mixture lightens in color

3. Add the flour or potato starch and in corporate set aside

4. Place milk in to a pan and bring to boil

5. Once the milk is boiling, take off the heat and pour in the mixture set aside

6. Replace the pan on a low heat and with a hand whisk beat the pastry cream continuously in order not to burn it.

It will take only a couple of minutes for the cream to become dense.

That's all there is to it.

Traditional Flavoring

Pastry cream was something that was always made at home and one of our favorite ways to flavor it was by slicing off a large piece of lemon rind and placing in to the cream as soon as it was ready. Leaving the lemon rind for about 10- 15 minutes, would give the pastry cream a delicate lemon flavor.

Using this type of flavoring is a perfect blend for making a yummy Italian cream cake and Italian Pastries.

Pastry Cream For Zuppa Inglese

On the other hand if you are making up this pastry cream recipe for the Italian dessert Zuppa Inglese, then in instead of the lemon rind add a pinch of vanilla extract.

For this dessert you will also need chocolate flavored pastry cream.

Here are two ways of making chocolate cream, once your pastry is ready and is still hot either

• 1. add about 50gr of chopped bitter sweet chocolate, cover the chocolate with the hot cream and leave to stand for a couple of minutes, so that the heat of the cream will melt the chocolate and then give it a good beating

• 2. Add about 30gr of cocoa powder and beat in until smooth.

Gluten Free Almond Cake Recipe Cream Filling

I also like to add praline nuts to pastry cream which is an ideal filling for this almond cake recipe and if you use the potato starch recipe then it is a delicious dessert for those who can't eat gluten.

For the praline you can either buy a bar of nut brittle and crush it up or you can make your own.

Use can use this almond brittle recipe with these amounts of the ingredients

50gr of Granulated Sugar

70gr Silvered  Toasted Almonds

Note that here I have used more almonds than sugar for the praline, in order not to make the pastry cream too sweet.

With a basic pastry cream recipe the sky is the limit really you can add just about anything to it.

These days you can find just about any type of flavoring in oils, just add them a little at a time and always taste to your liking.

Chopped fruits and  instant coffee (make sure you pass the coffee through a  fine sieve first) are a few of my favorites.

Chantilly Cream Recipe

Chantilly cream can be made with a basic pastry cream recipe or with any flavored pastry cream. To make Chantilly cream prepare a basic pastry cream and leave it to cool down.

For the amount of pastry cream indicted in the recipe above I would whip up about 200gr of fresh cream (I prefer to use a vegetable base UHT whipping cream)

Once whipped up gently fold into the pastry cream until it is smooth and incorporated well.

If you have a basic sponge cake recipe that you prefer then why not try making some new fillings for it with this cream recipe.

Enjoy Experimenting and of course eating your creations.

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