This decadent and deceptively easy vanilla bean pastry cream is nestled inside an all-butter pie crust and topped with festive garnishes + pie crust cookies.
It’s that time of year! The Christmas season is upon us, and deceptively easy desserts are truly the best creations on the menu. Why? Because they require minimal time, minimal effort, and still product a delicious + stunning result. This vanilla been pastry cream tart is no exception. Bursting with vanilla bean paste, whole milk, and plenty of fresh eggs, it’s a super versatile filling that can accompany anything from pie crust to crepes to donuts and more. Here’s how to make it.
What you’ll need to make this vanilla bean pastry cream:
Whole Milk
Granulated Sugar
Large Eggs
Cornstarch
Salted Butter
Vanilla Bean Paste
All Butter Pie Crust (my tried and true recipe!)
The Pastry Cream
This cream starts with whole milk heated to a nice warm temperature. You’ll want it to just start steaming but not boiling. I’d the milk is too hot it can “cook” the egg mixture.
While you milk is warming, you’ll mix the egg + egg yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk this well until it lightens in color, about thirty seconds. When the milk is warmed, gently pour a small amount into the egg mixture to “temper” it, and whisk it well. This will slowly bring the egg mixture up to the temperature of the milk without cooking the eggs. You can absolutely strain the pastry cream if you do find that that your eggs have cooked slightly. You have not ruined your cream, I promise! Simply run it through a strainer once or twice to remove the egg pieces and proceed with the final steps.
After tempering the mixture, finish by adding the rest of the egg mixture to the pan and whisk well. Cook for 3-5 minutes on medium or until the mixture has thickened significantly. Remove the cream from the stove and mix in the vanilla bean paste and the butter. Pour the cream into a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap that touches the top of the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Place the cream in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for several hours or overnight. You can store pastry cream in the refrigerator for up to five days with little to no change in the cream. Simple whisk to combine any liquid that may have separated prior to use.
The Crust
This All-Butter Pie Crust is an absolute staple and super easy to make! It’s comprised of five ingredients that you more than likely have on hand. It is also very simple to make this crust gluten free and / or dairy free. Scroll to the bottom of each blog to find dietary substitutions for all of my recipes.
The Pastry Cream Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of dairy.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Use any unsweetened plant based milk in place of the dairy milk (almond, oat, and coconut would be great. I have not tried soy so I can not attest to any flavor changes that it could bring about).
If you loved this Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review!
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
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Happy Baking!
XO,
Heather
Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
Ingredients
FOR THE VANILLA BEAN PASTRY CREAM:
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg + 4 Large Egg Yolks
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- ¼ Cup Salted Butter
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
FOR THE ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST:
- SEE BLOG FOR LINK TO RECIPE
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a medium sized saucepan on medium heat until hot but not boiling. Be cautious as milk may get hot.
- While the milk is warming, place the sugar, egg + yolks, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Whisk until it becomes lighter in color, about thirty seconds. Set this aside until the milk is ready.
- One the milk is heated (this should take a minute or two depending on your stovetop temperature), remove it from the heat and pour a small amount into the egg mixture, immediately whisking the mixture to temper the eggs. This allows the egg mixture to come up to the heat of the milk without cooking the eggs. If you do happen to cook a bit of egg (you’ll see small pieces of egg in your mixture), you have not ruined it! Simply strain once or twice to remove the pieces and continue.
- Add the rest of the milk to the egg mixture and whisk well, pouring the entire mixture back into the saucepan and back onto the medium heat. Continuously whisking, heat until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pastry cream from the heat and mix in the butter and the vanilla bean paste. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the top of the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cool. Refrigerate the pastry cream until it is chilled and thickened even further, several hours or overnight. This cream keeps well in the fridge for up to four days, so give it a whisk and use as needed. It is a perfect filling for crepes or cakes, and of course pie crusts as well.
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