Creamy Pastry Filling (Printable)
Rich and smooth creamy filling perfect for pastries, cakes, and other sweet treats.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dairy
01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
→ Eggs
03 - 4 large egg yolks
→ Sweeteners & Flavor
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Stabilizers
06 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
→ Optional
08 - 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
# Directions:
01 - Warm the milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming without boiling.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt; whisk until smooth and pale.
03 - Gradually add half of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk blend, whisking continuously to temper.
04 - Return combined mixture to the saucepan with remaining milk; cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
06 - Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to prevent skin formation, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It's impossibly smooth and luxurious, yet somehow easier to master than you'd think.
- One batch fills a whole cake or a dozen pastries, making it the baker's secret weapon.
02 -
- The tempering step is not optional, and rushing it is how scrambled egg bits end up in your filling.
- Pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface prevents that annoying skin from forming, which is worth the small effort.
03 -
- Make this filling a day ahead and chill it overnight; the flavors meld and it tastes even better.
- If you accidentally end up with tiny lumps, push the whole filling through a fine-mesh sieve before chilling and it'll be silky again.