Chocolate Pastry Cream

This silky smooth and dreamy Chocolate Pastry Cream recipe is decadent, rich in chocolate flavor and is so easy to make. My favorite thing is how perfectly pipeable it is. Making it perfect for filling cakes, cupcakes or even the classic éclair!

Hey team! I’m super excited to share this luscious chocolate pastry cream recipe with you. It’s thick yet silky smooth, and I love how versatile it is. You can pipe it beautifully, use it in layer cakes like my Hungarian Hazelnut Cake, and it won’t buckle. It also makes the perfect filling for Eclairs and Profiteroles. I use my French Pastry Cream in those but if you want to give your desserts a boost of chocolate this works great too!

My updated chocolate pastry cream skips the plain flour for extra corn starch which results in a smoother custard that is still creamy and thick enough to pipe The chocolate adds a deep chocolate flavor, and because this recipe uses only a touch of sugar, it’s not overly sweet which lets the chocolate shine! You’re in for a treat with this recipe and you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to make!

What is Pastry Cream?

It’s a French custard that is made using good quality, simple ingredients. This one is dressed up with chocolate which makes it the perfect chocolate lovers treat! Let’s break down what makes it amazing!

• Rich chocolate flavor – this pastry cream has a really rich chocolate flavor and that because we use cocoa powder and chopped semi-sweet (dark) chocolate. It results in a chocolate flavor that is not overly sweet and helps compliment whatever dessert you add this pastry cream to. Whilst at the same time working well on it’s own.
• Silky smooth texture – the pastry cream thick enough to pipe but also soft and silky when eating it. That’s because I use corn starch, also known as corn flour. This pastry cream can also be thinned out by leaving out the corn flour

Ingredients You Need To Make Chocolate Pastry Cream

• Milk – use whole milk for this recipe. I used cows milk. You can use plant based milk like almond or oat to make this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract – Always use good quality vanilla extract when baking, it makes a huge difference. I have a great recipe here for it if you’d like to try your own!
• Corn starch – also known as corn flour this helps thicken the pastry cream.
• Sugar – I used granulated white sugar. I only used 2 tbsp of sugar which means this pastry cream isn’t too thick.
• Cocoa powder – I used a good quality cocoa powder. Dutch or regular will work.
• Salt – I used fine salt. It helps elevate the chocolate flavor.
• Egg yolks – I used large eggs for this recipe. You will only need the egg yolks. Separating your eggs when they’re cold is much easier to do.
• Dark chocolate – Using good quality chocolate is important in this recipe. I used semi-sweet chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. You can find cooking chocolate in the baking isle of your supermarket.
• Butter – I used unsalted butter for this recipe. You want to make sure the butter is cold.

How to Make Chocolate Pastry Cream!

• Add the corn starch, caster sugar, cocoa powder and salt to a large heavy bottomed saucepan and stir using a whisk.
• Add the egg yolks and whisk in.

• Add the milk while whisking.

• Begin whisking on medium heat. Don’t stop whisking!
• It will eventually thicken after about 3-4 minutes. When it begins to bubble, continue whisking for 2-3 minutes.

• Take off the heat and add the cold butter cubes in batches. Whisk in until fully melted before adding more. Repeat until all of it is mixed in.
• Whisk in the chopped chocolate while the custard is still hot until melted.

• Run through a sieve to get rid of any lumps. There shouldn’t be any major lumps.
• Cover with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge to set for a couple hours. Use a spatula or whisk to mix again until smooth before using!

TIP: Use a whisk for ultra-smooth pastry cream and make sure you continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes after it begins to bubble! This is what’s going to help it thicken enough to pipe!

Troubleshooting: How to avoid disaster!

Go slow! You’re cooking eggs and they need a slow and low heat.

• Lumpy – ingredients not measured properly or not sieved at the end before chilling.
• Grainy – was cooked on too high a heat! Make sure it’s cooked on medium heat.
• Split – butter added too quickly, keep whisking, ti will eventually come together!
• Too runny – ingredients not measured properly, not cooked long enough. If you’re 100% sure you measured properly, put it back on the stove and cook until it thickens. If this doesn’t work, you haven’t measured properly.
• Eggs curdled – there’s no fixing this! This happened because the milk was either too hot or added too quickly to the egg mixture.

Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!

• Measure out using kitchen scales – Measuring out your ingredients by weight and not cups is the best way to get consistent results every time. I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales to measure out ingredients!
• Use a whisk when mixing for ultra smooth pastry cream!
• Do not stop whisking while it’s cooking it could go grainy.
• Once it begins to bubble. Continue whisking for 2-3 minutes to make sure it sets enough to pipe once it’s cooled!
• Make this thinner by adding a little extra milk!
• You can flavor this using fruit reductions.
• Run the mixture through a sieve to make sure you get rid of any lumps that may be in the pastry cream.
• Using cold butter is key in this recipe means It melts slower in the hot custard slower, preventing your pastry cream from splitting as you mix it in.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chocolate Pastry Cream

What does it taste like?

This Chocolate Pastry Cream is silky smooth, decadent, and perfectly pipeable. It has a rich chocolate flavor and it simply superb!

How do I store this?

You can store this in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

How much pastry cream does this recipe make?

I’m going to call this one batch of Chocolate Pastry Cream. It makes 2 1/2 cups of pastry cream. So if you see me refer to this referenced in other recipes as 1/2 a batch, you’ll need to make half of this recipe.

How can I make this thinner?

This pastry cream can be turned into a sauce like substance for pouring on all kind of desserts. Add a little extra milk to get it as thin as you like.

Why is my pastry cream rubbery after chilling?

Totally normal. Once chilled, your pastry cream sets. You can bring it back to a smooth and delicious consistency.

What do I do with leftover egg whites?

I have some great recipe options to use up left over egg whites. Give these a go!

• Angel Food Cupcakes
• French Macarons (Italian Method)
• Fairy Bread Pavlova
• Mini Raspberry Pavlovas

Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!

If you loved this recipe, check these out!

• French Pastry Cream Recipe

• Boston Cream Pie Cake

• How To Make Cream Puffs

• Coconut Cream Cupcakes

• Paris Brest

• Passionfruit Meringue Tart

Easy One-Pot French Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipe

This rich and perfectly smooth Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipe, also known as crème pâtissière is thick, perfectly pipeable and not overly sweet!

Serves 2

4.4 from 10 votes

Author: Nick Makrides

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep: 2 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Cool: 2 hours hrs

Total: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Calories: 1513kcal

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Ingredients

Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipe

• ▢ 500 g whole milk, not skim
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 40 g corn starch, corn flour
• ▢ 40 g caster sugar, superfine sugar
• ▢ 10 g Dutch processed cocoa powder, see notes
• ▢ Pinch of fine salt
• ▢ 4 egg yolks
• ▢ 80 g unsalted butter, cubed and cold
• ▢ 180 g dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped (see notes)

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Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GxRr2GCXv8

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Instructions

How to prepare a vanilla bean (if using)

• Use a sharp knife to cut the bean in half lengthwise. Then, use the sharp end of the knife to scrape out the vanilla pods from inside the bean. Add the milk, bean halves and scraped out seeds into a medium sized heavy bottomed stainless-steel pot. Heat on medium heat until warm, not hot. When you’re ready to use it, run it through a sieve as you pour it into the rest of the ingredients.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

• Combine dry ingredients and eggs – To a medium sized heavy bottomed stainless-steel pot, add the corn starch, sugar, cocoa powder and salt and use a whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
• Add the milk – Add 1/4 of the milk and whisk. Then add the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
• Cook pastry cream – Cook in the pot on medium heat. Use a whisk to mix continuously. Do not stop mixing or the pastry cream will become grainy. After about 3-4 minutes the mixture will begin to thicken. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to bubble. When it bubbles, stir for 2-3 minutes, then take off the heat.
• Add butter – Add 1/4 of the butter and whisk until it’s melted and well combined. Repeat until all the butter has been added. You want to do this slowly, so the pastry cream doesn’t split.
• Add the chocolate – Add the cooking chocolate and whisk until well combined.
• Run through a sieve – Run the pastry cream through a sieve into a medium sized mixing bowl to get rid of any lumps.
• Chill to set – Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 5 hours. Overnight is best.
• Once set – Give the pastry cream a whisk before using to smoothen it out again. This can be used to fill pastries like eclairs, cupcakes and depending on how long it was cooked for can be used in between cake layers or to fill tarts.

Notes

Dutch processed cocoa powder – is an unsweetened cocoa powder which has been treated with alkaline and potassium carbonate to neutralize the acidity that is naturally found in cocoa powder. It’s darker in color and strong in chocolate flavor.

Dark cooking chocolate – I used dark cooking chocolate for this recipe. You can use cooking buttons or cooking block that’s been finely chopped or grated. This will ensure it melts into the pastry cream quickly. For the buttons, I use the Nestle cooking buttons which are designed to be easily melted and used for baking and desserts, but any cooking chocolate that can be found in the baking isle of your supermarket will work. Just make sure it’s good quality. 

Storage – This Chocolate Pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Nutrition – This recipe makes about 2 cups of pastry cream. Nutrition is an approximate and is based on per 1 cup (250g).

How to make dairy free – To make this pastry cream dairy free, simply replace the milk with plant-based milk and the butter with dairy free butter, not margarine.

A note on measurements – this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales!

Nutrition

Calories : 1513kcal

Carbonhydrates: 82g

Protein: 27g

Fat: 117g

Saturated Fat: 67g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g

Monounsaturated Fat : 34g

Trans Fat : 2g

Cholesterol: 751mg

Sodium: 444mg

Potassium : 1349mg

Fiber: 15g

Sugar : 39g

Vitamin A: 2785IU

Calcium: 481mg

Iron: 15mg

Nutrition Disclosure

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