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 thew classic éclair!
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
This recipe uses both corn starch and all-purpose flour to make it slightly thicker than most pastry creams so that it’s able to hold it’s shape making it super versatile.
By the way, if you’re looking for a great vanilla pastry cream recipe, give my recipe here a go!
Table of Contents
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 flour and corn starch, also known as corn flour. This pastry cream can also be thinned out by taking out the 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!
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour. This helps thicken the pastry cream enough to the point where it’s pipeable. If you want a thinner pastry cream, leave out the flour. If you want to make this gluten free but thick enough to pipe, leave out the flour and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch.
- 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!
- Gently warm milk and vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients to a bowl and mix
- Add egg yolks and mix
- Slowly add milk and whisk
- Add back to pot
- Add chocolate
- Mix until thickened
- Add butter and mix
- Cover and chill
- Mix and use!
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Make this thinner by adding a little extra milk!
- Make sure you add the warm milk into the egg paste mixture slowly to avoid it cooking the eggs too quickly.
- 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.
Can I make this gluten free?
Yep! Simply leave out to the all-purpose flour and replace it with an extra tablespoon of corn starch.
How can I make this thinner?
This pastry cream can be turned into a sauce like substance for pouring on all kind of desserts. Simply leave out the flour in the ingredients. Make it as thin as you like by adding a little extra milk.
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!
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
Chocolate Pastry Cream
This rich and perfectly smooth Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipe, also known as crème pâtissière is thick, perfectly pipe-able and not overly sweet! It’s easy to make, and great for filling cakes, cupcakes or the classic Chocolate Éclair! It’s even good enough to eat with a spoon!
Serves 2
Ingredients
Chocolate Pasty Cream Recipe
- 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk not skim
- 1 tsp vanilla extract see notes
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp corn starch corn flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup (210 g) dark chocolate chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter cubed and cold
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Chocolate Pasty Cream Recipe
- Add the milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring continuously until bubbles begin forming around the sides. Take off the heat.
- To a large heat proof bowl add the flour, corn starch, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time and stir each time until half the milk is in there. Then add the remaining milk and whisk it all together.
- Place back in the saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously. After a couple minutes of stirring, add the chopped chocolate and continue stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. When bubbles start making their way through the thickened pastry cream turn the heat off and add 1/2 the cold butter. Whisk until well combined. Then add the remaining butter and repeat. You want to do this slowly, so the custard doesn’t split.
- Pour through the sieve into a large bowl to ensure no lumps are in it. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple hours or overnight. Use a whisk to mix until smooth before using.
Notes
Storage - Pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
Nutrition - This recipe makes 2.5 cups of pastry cream. Nutrition is based on per cup (250ml)
Storage
This Pastry Cream can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days.
How to make dairy free: To make Pastry Cream dairy free, simply replace the milk with plant-based milk and the butter with dairy free butter, not margarine. Use
A note on measurements - all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales. To access weight measurements, click on the ‘metric’ button in the recipe card located under the list of ingredients.
Vanilla extract - you can use a vanilla bean split in half in this recipe, but the chocolate is quite an overpowering flavor and you would be wasting your vanilla bean. Using vanilla extract will work well for this recipe.
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.
Nutrition
Calories : 1373kcal
Carbonhydrates: 82g
Protein: 25g
Fat: 106g
Saturated Fat: 61g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
Monounsaturated Fat : 31g
Trans Fat : 2g
Cholesterol: 737mg
Sodium: 726mg
Potassium : 1148mg
Fiber: 12g
Sugar : 45g
Vitamin A: 2626IU
Calcium: 455mg
Iron: 13mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Gave this recipe a go?Mention @thescranline or tag #thescranline!
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2 comments
Can these be frozen?
No, sorry. N x