Vanilla Pastry Cream is used in so many desserts and cakes in Scandinavia.
We use it to fill our cakes with sponge cakes or to make delicious custard sweet rolls or combine it with whipped cream and serve it with fruit, it is so versatile.
 

I use a fresh vanilla bean here, which adds an extra-special touch to the pastry cream, but you can always replace it with 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.

You can up the richness by using full-fat whole milk and heavy cream instead of just using full-fat whole milk, but whatever you don't use low-fat milk.

The butter is optional, I use salted butter, the butter add richness to the pastry cream and gives it a beautiful shine

Before you start
 

Read the recipe, completely, make sure you have everything you need. 

For all the step by step, pictures scroll to  → Notes and click on the clickable link

For questions related to my recipes, ask me on my inbox on Instagram @passionforbaking so I can reply to you with an audio message.
 

Pastry Cream

• Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean lengthwise and place it into a medium saucepan along with a pinch of sea salt flakes, 250 grams whole milk, and 250 grams heavy cream. Give it a quick whisk to combine everything, and heat the mixture over medium heat until it's almost boiling (around 80°C/176°F). Bubbles will begin to form at the edges. Remove from heat, cover with a plate, and let steep for 30 to 60 minutes if time permits. Otherwise, proceed as directed.
   
• After 30 to 60 minutes, reheat the cream and milk mixture over medium heat to almost boiling, around 80°C/176°F. Do this just before you start to whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
   
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 6 egg yolks, 75 to 100 grams of white sugar, and 35 grams of cornstarch until light and smooth. Use a piano wire whisk for this task while you heat the milk/cream mixture, but not too far in advance!
   
• As you continue whisking, slowly add one-third of the hot milk/cream mixture to the yolk mixture to temper the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk/cream mixture. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan, making sure to scrape all the flavorful gooey vanilla seeds from the bottom of the bowl into the saucepan.
   
• Cook the pastry cream over medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 5 minutes. When you see large bubbles plop to the surface, whisk for 2 more minutes to cook off the cornstarch; otherwise, the pastry cream might taste chalky.
   
• Remove from the heat. Add 40 grams butter and whisk until the butter is evenly combined and the pastry cream is pale yellow with a smooth, glossy texture.
   
• Transfer it into an airtight container or spread it in a shallow dish. Then, immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap directly touches the cream to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate your pastry cream immediately. It’s important to cool it down quickly to prevent the growth of bacteria.
   
• Let cool in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before using stir the pastry cream with a spatula until it softens and is spreadable.
   
• Note: Pastry Cream does not store well in the freezer.