Raspberry Pastry Cream and Cake Filling
Raspberry Pastry Cream is a velvety, vibrant filling that can elevate almost anything. Whether you’re using it to fill cream puffs, eclairs, cakes or cupcakes, or just serving it in a dish with fresh berries and whipped cream, it’s the perfect embodiment of spring in a bite. My personal favorite way to enjoy it is as a filling for Raspberry Coconut Lafayette cakes.
The raspberry flavor comes from crushed freeze-dried raspberries, which pack a punch of concentrated fruitiness without adding any extra moisture to the cream. It’s pure raspberry bliss.
The base of this pastry cream has been passed down through my family for generations. It originally was a vanilla pastry cream used to fill cannolis from my Sicilian great grandmother. However, it was kept alive and passed down to me from my Great Aunt Pru. She used it to fill cannolis, but also enjoyed it on its own with a few fresh berries and a dollop of cream. At my bridal shower, my mom put together a recipe box of all our family’s favorite dishes, and I was thrilled to find this gem tucked inside.
Since then, this recipe has become a go-to for me, and I’ve played around with it over the years, adding my own twist of flavors along the way.
Raspberry Pastry Cream Ingredients and Tools
- GRANULATED SUGAR
- CORNSTARCH
- WHOLE MILK
- LARGE EGG YOLKS
- VANILLA
- UNSALTED BUTTER
- FREEZE DRIED RASPBERRIES (sold at Trader Joe's, Target or on Amazon).
TOOLS
- FOOD PROCESSOR: to crush the freeze-dried raspberries
- SAUCEPAN
- BOWL
- PLASTIC WRAP
- WHISK
- FINE SIEVE to strain the seeds from the cream
- IMMERSION BLENDER
Raspberry Cream Pictured Inside Raspberry Lafayettes
Wanna try this Raspberry Pastry Cream as a filling for Raspberry Coconut Lafayettes? Click the link for the recipe and instructions.
Raspberry Pastry Cream
Description
Raspberry Pastry Cream is smooth and delicate cream with a burst of flavor from freeze dried raspberries. It comes together quickly and is endlessly versatile. It can be used as a filling for cream puffs, cake or cupcakes, or simply served in a small dish with a sprinkle of raspberry powder or fresh berries and cream.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar or 100 grams
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or 34 grams
- 2 egg yolks or 30 grams
- 2 cups of whole milk or 490 grams
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract or 4 grams
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter or 14 grams
- 4–5 tablespoons of powdered freeze dried raspberries
Instructions
- Add 3/4 cup of freeze dried raspberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have fine raspberry powder. Set aside.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of milk in a small cup. Add cornstarch and stir quickly until it dissolves. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the rest of the milk, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla paste and stir with a whisk. Turn the stove on low and whisk consistently for about three minutes.
- Add cornstarch milk to the pan and continue to whisk for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Once thickened, turn off the heat and add 4 tablespoons of the the powdered raspberry stirring with a whisk. Taste it and optionally add another tablespoon of powdered raspberry if you want the flavor to be stronger.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the cream in the saucepan for about 30 seconds until the cream is a cohesive.
- Strain the cream though a fine sieve into a bowl. Add back to the saucepan and add butter. There may be sufficient residual heat to melt the butter. But if the cream has cooled, you can turn the heat on low and whisk in the butter until it is melted and the cream is cohesive and glossy.
- Transfer the cream to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, touching the surface of the cream so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerator for a minimum of two hours.
Meet Pru | Matriarch Muse
