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French Vanilla Cream Recipe

Classic French Vanilla Cream Recipe (Thick and Smooth)

Bincy Chris
This French Vanilla Cream Recipe will help you make thick and smooth cream puff filling / french Vanilla Pastry Cream – a rich, creamy custard used in many types of desserts!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 2.5 Cups

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Milk :2 cups
  • 1/2 cup Sugar :1/2 cup
  • 4 Egg 1 whole egg+3 egg yolks
  • 2.5 tbsp corn flour/corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
  • 3 tbsp Butter or 45 g

Instructions
 

Warm the milk:

  •  Warm the milk in the saucepan until you start to see wisps of steam. It should not actually be boiling.

Make the egg-sugar base

  •  In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, egg, vanilla bean paste and salt. This will form a thick paste. It’s fine if the paste looks crumbly or smooth; the important thing is that the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Add the milk to the egg mixture

  • Pour a little of the hot milk into the eggs and whisk to combine.
    Continue pouring the milk slowly into the eggs, whisking continuously.
    It’s OK to switch back and forth between pouring milk and whisking if you can’t manage both at the same time.

Pour everything back in the pan

  • When all the milk has been added to the eggs, pour everything back into the saucepan.

Heat the cream puff filling

  • Set the pan back over medium heat and whisk constantly.
    At first, the pastry cream will look very thin and frothy, but it will start to thicken after a few minutes.
    When it has thickened to a pudding-like consistency, pause whisking every few seconds to see if the cream has come to a boil. If you see large bubbles popping on the surface, whisk for a few more seconds and then remove the pan from heat.

Add butter to make it more creamy

  • Add butter into the custard while it’s still warm and whisk together until it is been melted and blended.
    Let it cool down and meanwhile stir it occasionally to prevent any skin forming on top.

Cover and store

  • When it is cooled, Cover the pastry cream with a piece of plastic wrap pressed right up against the surface of the cream and chill completely.

Video

Notes

  • For a richer vanilla creme patissiere, you can substitute the whole egg with 3 egg yolks (6 egg yolks in total).
  • Use good vanilla extract (not essence), and if you can use vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans, even better.
  • For a dairy-free version, substitute the milk with a plant-based milk like almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk or even soy milk. 
Keyword Frech Pastry cream, French Vanilla Cream, French Vanilla Cream Recipe
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