Classic crema pasticcera, aka Italian pastry cream, is a popular vanilla flavoured cream filling you can use to fill tarts, cakes and more!
Crema pasticcera is also called Italian pastry cream ( or crème patisserie). It’s the most popular vanilla cream filling, and is used to flavour cakes, pastries and many other desserts.
Made with just 5 ingredients (just like custard!), you can whip up a big batch in just about 15 minutes.
Serve it into cups and top with fruit for a dessert on its own, or use it as a filling for a tart, pie or cake, croissants ( cornetti alla crema in Italian), choux pastry puffs, or eclairs.
You can even replace British custard cream with crema pasticcera in classic recipes such as trifle or bread pudding.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ITALIAN PASTRY CREAM AND CUSTARD CREAM
Italian vanilla bean pastry cream and custard cream are very similar and use exactly the same ingredients. The main difference between the two is the amount of each ingredient.
Custard is a lot thinner, more like a sauce and contains less flour, crema pasticcera is much thicker and will hold its shape.
CREMA PASTICCERA INGREDIENTS
In typical Italian fashion, you only need 5 ingredients to make crema pasticcera.
Scroll down until the end of the post for the ingredients amount and full recipe.
- Milk: you need fresh full fat milk for the best texture, avoid part-skim or skimmed milk.
- Cornstarch: also called corn flour or maize starch is what makes the cream thick and with a jelly-like texture when cold.
- Egg yolks: I use medium sized free-range eggs.
- Sugar: caster or granulated white sugar.
- Vanilla: cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out all the seeds to use in the recipe.
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Milk: For a dairy-free pastry cream you can replace cow's milk with vegetable milk (rice, oat, soy, almonds).
- Cornstarch: You can substitute it with flour, but note that you’ll need to cook the cream longer. Check my tips section below for more info.
- Vanilla: You can substitute the vanilla bean with pure vanilla extract. I do not recommend vanilla paste as it often includes additives and extra sugar, and it won’t make your cream taste at its best.
VARIATIONS
- Coffee cream: Add two teaspoons of instant coffee into the milk (step 3 of the recipe).
- Chocolate cream: Add 100 g (3.5 oz) of melted dark chocolate, right after you whisk the cream (step 5 of the recipe) and mix until combined.
- Lemon cream: Add the rind of an organic lemon (try to avoid the white bitter underneath layer as much as possible) whilst you heat the milk (step 3 of the recipe), then discard it.
- Diplomat cream: Mix in 200 ml (6.7 oz) freshly whipped cream after your crema pasticcera is ready (step 5 of the recipe). Diplomat cream is lighter than pastry cream, with a smoother and less jelly-like texture.
HOW TO MAKE CREMA PASTICCERA
Italian crema pasticcera takes about 15 minutes to make.
This fool-proof method I’ll show you below is a bit unconventional from others you might have seen before, but trust me it works!
Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
STEP 1 - Whisk the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes, until you get a light, fluffy mixture.
Slowly incorporate sifted cornflour into the egg mixture, and whisk until it’s fluffy, smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes.
STEP 2 – Heat the milk over low heat until you see the first bubbles, then remove it immediately from the heat.
Drop the egg mixture gently over the hot milk and return the pan over low heat. Do not stir.
STEP 3 – Wait a few seconds, the egg mixture will float over the milk surface (because the whipped mixture has incorporated enough air to remain on the surface).
In about 30 seconds milk bubbles will pierce the surface of the egg mixture and it will slowly incorporate it.
When most of the surface is covered with milk, turn the heat off, take the pan away from the heat and immediately whisk the mixture vigorously for about 30 seconds.
While you whisk, the mixture will turn into pastry cream immediately. It should be thick, creamy and smooth.
STEP 4 – Transfer your crema pasticcera into a ceramic or glass casserole dish or a baking pan, and cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the cream.
Otherwise, as the creams cools down and gets in contact with air, it will form a thin crust over the surface.
Once cooled down, the crema pasticcera has a thick smooth texture and holds its shape.
TIPS FOR THE BEST PASTRY CREAM
- If you use flour instead of cornflour, you need to cook the cream for a few minutes, bringing it over 85° C, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking.
- This can easily result in a lumpy cream or an overcooked cream, so be careful. This won’t happen with cornflour, which makes the recipe faster and easier, and naturally gluten-free.
- Remember to remove the egg and milk mixture immediately from the heat right before you whisk the cream, to avoid cooking the mixture (a mistake that can turn your cream grainy or lumpy).
- If the mixture still appears unstructured, move away from the heat anyway, turn quickly and place it again on the stove for a few seconds on very low heat.
- Using a baking dish or pan to cool down the cream will make it cool down and set much more quickly than in a bowl.
- Cover the prepared pastry cream with plastic wrap making sure it adheres perfectly to the surface of the cream. Otherwise, as the pastry cream cools down and gets in contact with air, it will form a thin crust over the surface.
HOW TO USE CREMA PASTICCERA
You can eat it with a spoon or use it as a filling for so many dessert recipes. Here are a few favourite ways to use it:
- Fill choux pastry puffs, croissants, muffins, puff pastry squares or eclairs.
- Use as a filling for a fruit tart, crostata or chocolate cake (or any cake), pandoro or crepes.
- To make a classic mille-feuilles.
- In place of custard for British trifle, Danish pastries or bread pudding.
- As a filling for a base made with Italian sweet shortcrust pastry dough (pasta frolla).
HOW TO USE LEFTOVER EGG WHITES
For this vanilla bean pastry cream you will only need the egg yolks.
You can use the leftover egg whites to make this delicious gluten-free chocolate cake or classic Christmas cookies amaretti.
RECIPE FAQs
Properly cooked crema pasticcera holds its shape when cooled, if your vanilla cream is too thin, you probably didn’t cook it long enough or you didn't add enough cornflour.
Once the cream is ready, add 1 teaspoon of cornflour into the cream and mix it quickly with a hand mixer.
Two things can make your pastry cream lumpy. You could have over-heated the pastry cream while cooking or you have overcooked it.
This can happen when the eggs are heated too high and they curdle.
Don’t panic! Simply take it off the heat and let the cream cool down, then strain through a sieve to remove any lumps. You can also give it a quick mix with an immersion blender.
If the cream has a strong egg flavour, I recommend you start over.
Pastry Cream will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. Make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin over the surface. Whisk it gently before you use it.
I don’t recommend freezing crema pasticcera, as it could turn soggy and grainy once thawed. If you want to freeze it, store it in an airtight container and freeze up to 1 month, then thaw in the fridge for a few hours.
MORE ITALIAN DESSERTS TO TRY
- Classic Tiramisu Without Eggs - Authentic Italian Recipe
- Torta di Mele - Italian Apple Cake
- Ricotta Cheesecake - Just 3 Ingredients
- Sicilian Lemon Granita
- Easy Coconut Macaroons
- Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook!
Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
📖 RECIPE
Crema Pasticcera - Italian Pastry Cream
Ingredients
- 6 medium egg yolks
- 160 g sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 30 g cornflour
- 500 ml fresh whole milk
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes, until you get a light, fluffy mixture.
- Slowly incorporate sifted cornflour into the egg mixture, and whisk until it’s fluffy, smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Heat the milk over low heat until you see the first bubbles, then remove it immediately from the heat.
- Drop the egg mixture gently over the hot milk and return the pan over low heat. Do not stir.
- Wait a few seconds, the egg mixture will float over the milk surface (because the whipped mixture has incorporated enough air to remain on the surface).
- In about 30 seconds milk bubbles will pierce the surface of the egg mixture and it will slowly incorporate it.
- When most of the surface is covered with milk, turn the heat off, take the pan away from the heat, and immediately whisk the mixture vigorously for about 30 seconds.
- While you whisk, the mixture will almost immediately turn into pastry cream. It should be thick, creamy and smooth.
- Transfer your crema pasticcera into a ceramic or glass casserole dish or a baking pan, and cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the cream.
- Once cooled down, the crema pasticcera has a thick smooth texture and holds its shape, and it’s ready to be served or used in other dessert recipes.
Notes
- If you use flour instead of cornflour, you need to cook the cream for a few minutes, bringing it over 85° C, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking. This can easily result in a lumpy cream or an overcooked cream, so be careful. This won’t happen with cornflour, which makes the recipe faster and easier, and naturally gluten-free.
- Remember to remove the egg and milk mixture immediately from the heat right before you whisk the cream, to avoid cooking the mixture (a mistake that can turn your cream grainy or lumpy).
- If the mixture still appears unstructured, move away from the heat anyway, turn quickly and place it again on the stove for a few seconds on very low heat.
- Using a baking dish or pan to cool down the cream will make it cool down and set much more quickly than in a bowl.
- Cover the prepared pastry cream with plastic wrap making sure it adheres perfectly to the surface of the cream. Otherwise, as the pastry cream cools down and gets in contact with air, it will form a thin crust over the surface.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Sarah says
Hello. Is there a way to substitute sugar for other sweetner for diabetics? Thank you