Chocolate Pastry Cream

No ratings yet

Made 100% from scratch with real ingredients, this easy, silky chocolate pastry cream has a deep chocolate flavor and a texture that’s perfect for layering, filling, or simply enjoying on its own.

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 369kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

480 g Whole milk 3% fat
100 g Granulated sugar
80 g Egg yolk approx. yolk of 4-5 eggs at room temperature
25 g Corn starch
25 g Cocoa powder unsweetened, dutch processed
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt
55 g Unsalted butter 82% fat, room temperature soft butter
125 g Semi-sweet chocolate high quality chocolate chips or chocolate bar cut into smaller chunks

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large enough bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolk until slightly fluffy for about 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in the cornstarch, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt until smooth and completely lump-free.
Heat milk in a saucepan on medium heat, then remove it as soon as it starts simmering. Make sure it is just simmering and not boiling.
Pour the warm milk over the egg yolk mixture, whisking vigorously as you pour. This step gradually raises the eggs' temperature, preventing scrambling.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom and corners of the pan to prevent sticking. Concretely, it is approximately 1 min after the first boil.
It might get lumpy first, don't worry, just keep whisking, and the cream will get smooth and glossy.
For an ultra-smooth texture, pass the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or bits of cooked egg.
Add the chocolate to the very hot cream. Let it sit for a minute or two for the chocolate to melt, then mix with a rubber spatula until well incorporated.
Lastly, add the softened butter, and mix until completely incorporated. It is worth adding the butter in 3 stages, mixing well after each addition.
To cool it, place the cream in a shallow bowl or container and cover the entire surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on top.
Once cooled, you may need to whisk the chocolate pastry cream to get a smooth texture. Do not overmix it, as it can get runny. Give it a few whisks until smooth. Use it to fill tarts, eclairs, pies, and cakes.
How to store:
Pastry cream should be stored by cooling it quickly, then transferring it to a bowl and pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming before refrigerating at or below 4°C (40°F); it will keep well for up to 2–3 days, and should be whisked smooth before use.
How to freeze:
Freezing is generally not recommended because the starch and egg structure tend to break down, resulting in a grainy, separated texture once thawed.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
Unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, high-quality semi-sweet chocolate are the heart of making this pastry cream. Use also full-fat milk, high-quality European butter with 82% fat content, and the best-quality vanilla you can access.
Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you begin. This normally takes around an hour out of the fridge.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Always whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and smooth before adding starch—this ensures a silky texture.
Use a small/medium-sized saucepan with good heat distribution to avoid burning the milk when making chocolate pastry cream.
Let the cream boil gently for a minimum of 1 minute after the first bubble to fully activate the starch for stability.
Let the cream set in the fridge before using. It will further set as it cools into a silky, pipeable consistency.

Nutrition