Pastry Cream Recipe

3 cups milk
3 oz. sugar

3 egg yolks
2 eggs
3 oz. sugar
1 ¾ oz. cornstarch

1 ½ oz. butter
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk and the first quantity of sugar just to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a stainless steel bowl, whip the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar until smooth. Sift the cornstarch and continue whipping until perfectly smooth.
3. *Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk.
4. Return the mixture to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add butter and vanilla, stirring until blended in.
5. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with Saran Wrap. Make sure the Saran Wrap touches the top of the pastry cream. This prevents forming a “skin on top”.
6. Either put in refrigerator or on an *ice bath.
7. Whip until smooth before using to fill pastries.


*Tempering means-heating gently and gradually; refers to the process of slowly adding a hot liquid to eggs or other foods to raise their temperature without causing them to curdle.

*Ice Bath mean—having a large bowl full of ice and placing the bowl with the pastry cream on top, thus cooling the pastry cream properly fast.