5 from 1 vote

Crema Pasticcera - Italian Pastry Cream

The best crema pasticcera recipe! Make a smooth Italian pastry cream, perfect for filling tarts, cakes, pastries, and other Italian desserts.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Serving: 12

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Andrea Soranidis

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 the pan 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.
Remember to remove the egg and milk mixture immediately from the heat right before you whisk the cream, to avoid overcooking the mixture.
If the mixture still appears unstructured, move away from the heat anyway, whisk quickly and place it again on the stove for a few seconds on very low heat.
Using a baking dish to cool down the cream will make it set faster than in a bowl.
Cover the prepared pastry cream with plastic wrap making sure it adheres perfectly to the surface of the cream, to prevent a thin crust from forming over the surface.

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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.