Coffee Pastry Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my pastry cream thicken? ›

Runny pastry cream most often comes from undercooking the egg yolk mixture. If you remove it from the heat too soon, the amylase in the egg yolks won't break down and will prevent the cream from fully setting. If you find your crème pâtissière is too thin, return to heat and bring to a boil over medium heat to thicken.

For lattes, combine 1/2 espresso shot with 1/2 cup milk or cream and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. For cappuccinos, combine 1/2 espresso shot with 1/2 cup milk or cream and 2-4 tablespoons of sugar. Froth the milk or cream using a milk frother or blender until it has a thick, foamy consistency. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

The more you heat the egg proteins, the more they shrink until they eventually become so tight they can no longer hold the water in - the preparation you're making splits and you end up with little hard pieces of yellow in water (if it's a custard) or a rubbery bread pudding/quiche with water in the bottom.

Although overheating a typical custard can lead to curdling, it's vital to bring pastry cream almost to a boil. Doing so sets the eggs and activates the starch, thereby ensuring a proper consistency.

If your custard, creme patissier or creme anglaise has lumps or is starting to curdle, whack an ice cube in it then give it a quick blitz in the blender. Problem solved!

As a general guideline, you can start with one to two tablespoons of heavy cream per cup of coffee and adjust to your liking. Keep in mind that heavy cream is much richer and higher in calories than milk or half-and-half, so it's best to use it in moderation.

If you want your coffee to be thicker, richer, and have a more velvety mouthfeel, heavy whipping cream can be a great ingredient to add.

Starch. Starch thickens pastry cream. Most recipes incorporate flour, cornstarch, or a mix of the two. I found that flour produced a thicker, heavier texture and imparted an undesirable “floury” taste.

–My pastry cream is too thick: You may have overcooked the cream. Once completely cooled, add milk, a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a flexible spatula between each addition to soften the cream. Or maybe, you add too much flour/cornstarch. Use a kitchen scale for accurate measurements.

Why is my pastry cream too grainy? ›

While this creamy, delicious filling can set the stage for other components of the dessert to shine, overcooking is a frequent mistake that can detract from the overall quality of the dessert. When pastry cream is overcooked, the once silky-smooth texture becomes grainy and lumpy.

To avoid the dreaded fate of overcooked pastry cream, it's essential to exercise caution and precision throughout the cooking process. To help minimize the risk, keep a close eye on the temperature as it cooks. Use low to medium heat and stir continuously to prevent hot spots and ensure even cooking.

The cornstarch: This recipe makes a very firm pastry cream that, when chilled, cuts neatly — a particularly nice thing when you're using it for tarts and cakes. If you'd like a more fluid cream, use a little less cornstarch. The butter: The butter adds richness to the cream as well as body.

The focus of this week's lesson – When eggs are exposed to high heat they curdle. But, starch releases amylose, coating egg proteins and hindering them from joining too tightly resulting in curdling.

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute.

Try adding a cornstarch slurry.

Once you've thoroughly combined the cornstarch and water, whisk the slurry into the sauce 1 tablespoon or 15 mL at a time. Continue stirring the sauce over medium heat for about two minutes to thicken the sauce. You will need about 2 tablespoons or 30 mL of slurry for each cup of sauce.

Maybe bring the filling to a boil before you fill it in the pie, because starch/semonila might need 3 seconds of boiling to unfold their binding features. Add a bit of flour (1-2 T), and make sure you cook it long enough. Flour needs to be heated before it will thicken (think about making a roux).