How to Make Delicious Lemon Pastry Cream
Lemon Pastry Cream is a silky, smooth custard with a bright, tangy lemon flavor. It’s perfect as a filling for pastries, tarts, cakes, or even as a standalone dessert. This simple recipe combines eggs, sugar, and fresh lemon zest to create a luxurious cream that’s both refreshing and rich.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5-7 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (including chilling)
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert, Filling
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Milk Mixture:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it just begins to steam, but not boil. Stir occasionally to prevent it from scalding.
- Whisk the Egg Yolks and Sugar:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth and pale in color.
- Temper the Egg Mixture:
- Gradually add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. This is called tempering.
- Once the egg mixture is warmed up, slowly pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly.
- Cook the Custard:
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it thickens and reaches a simmer. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Cool the Pastry Cream:
- Pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl, pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
- Let the pastry cream cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill and firm up.
Notes
- For a smoother texture, strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve before cooling.
- You can adjust the lemon zest and juice to suit your taste. For a stronger lemon flavor, add a bit more zest.
- This pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- It’s great as a filling for fruit tarts, éclairs, cream puffs, or simply served with fresh berries.
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