Coffee Pastry Cream is the answer for coffee lovers who want to enjoy their favorite beverage in a sweet, delectable dessert. Adding coffee to the creme pâtissière will give a subtle yet robust flavor that will delight your taste buds.
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through a simple recipe for making your own coffee pastry cream at home, so you can indulge it in decadent desserts like cream puffs, eclairs, pies, and donuts or use it to fill cupcakes like these tiramisu cupcakes.
Ingredients
- Milk: 2% fat or whole milk
- Espresso powder
- Egg yolks: Don’t throw away egg whites! You can use them to make this hazelnut cake, macarons, financiers, floating islands, pavlova, and meringues.
- Sugar: caster sugar or granulated sugar
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Unsalted butter: to add extra richness to the texture
How to make the Coffee Pastry Cream Recipe
- Add the milk and espresso powder to a saucepan; bring the mixture to a simmer, almost to a boil.
- While the milk is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in bowl until they are well combined, smooth, and a lighter color.
- Add the cornstarch and flour to the egg mixture. Whisk until smooth.
- When the milk begins to simmer, and small bubbles appear, remove it from the heat. Then, gradually pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly.
- Bring the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken.
- Let the cream come to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Once cooled, the cream will be thicker.
- Remove the cream from the heat and pour it into a glass or ceramic bowl. Add the butter and let it melt for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk the butter until completely melted and mixed in. At first, the coffee pastry cream will look curdled; keep whisking until smooth.
- Cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming on the surface of the pastry cream while it chills.
- Place in the fridge as soon as possible and let it cool completely for 2 hours at least or overnight.
- When ready to use the pastry cream, stir it with a spatula to loosen it.
Full instructions are at the bottom of the page. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Tips
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to making a delicious and perfectly smooth coffee pastry cream.
- Ingredients at room temperature.
- To prevent lumps, mix together the egg yolks and sugar. Then add the flour and cornstarch and mix just before adding the hot milk.
- Temper the eggs: When adding the eggs to the pastry cream mixture, slowly add the hot milk to the eggs while whisking.
- To prevent the bowl with the egg-sugar mixture from slipping while pouring the hot milk, place it on a tea towel.
- Cook over medium heat. Don’t rush the process with a higher temperature; you may end up with lumpy cream.
- Whisk continuously is the key to a smooth and creamy pastry cream. It will help prevent lumps and ensure that the mixture cooks evenly.
- To prevent skin from forming on the surface of the coffee pastry cream while it chills, cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream.
- Chill before using: After making the pastry cream, it’s important to chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before using it in a recipe. This will help it thicken even further.
- When ready to use the pastry cream, stir it with a spatula to loosen it.
Troubleshooting with the Coffee Pastry Cream
Your pastry cream is too thin: you haven’t cooked it long enough. Return it to the heat; as it cooks, it’ll thicken.
My pastry cream is too thick: You may have overcooked it. Add just a little bit of milk at a time, constantly stirring with a flexible spatula until the pastry cream becomes the right consistency.
You may have added too much flour/cornstarch. Use a kitchen scale to keep measurements accurate.
My pastry cream is lumpy/grainy: Follow the tips given previously:
- Make sure to combine the egg yolks, sugar, and flour/cornstarch thoroughly before adding the hot milk.
- Temper the eggs.
- Cook over medium heat, and don’t cook on high temperature.
- Whisk continuously.
Variations
To vary the flavor of your coffee pastry cream, add a hint of cinnamon or cocoa powder for a mocha flavor.
If you want to complete your repertory of French Pastry Cream Recipes, don’t forget to check out the classic vanilla pastry cream recipe and the chocolate pastry cream.
FAQs
Storage
Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered with plastic wrap on the entire surface.
Can we freeze the French pastry cream?
Don’t freeze the coffee pastry cream; it will split and ruin the texture.
How to use the coffee pastry cream?
There are many possibilities for using pastry cream, whether you want to make éclairs, cream puffs, tarts, or cupcakes. It’s a classic recipe in the baking world.
Try these recipes, next:
If you tried this Coffee Pastry Cream or any recipe on the blog, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.
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