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    Home » Dessert » Custard and Creams

    Coffee Pastry Cream Recipe

    Published: Apr 14, 2020 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    18273 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    coffee pastry cream in a glass bowl next to a blue towel on a marble surface

    This recipe for Coffee Pastry Cream is delicious, the perfect filling for napoleons, profiteroles, tarts, cakes and more! You will love this spin on pastry cream, view the step-by-step photos for easy success!

    coffee pastry cream in a glass bowl next to a blue towel on a marble surface

    I grew up with my mom hosting dinner parties, one of the signature desserts she served was coffee creme puffs. Most of the time she would make a coffee icing to drizzle on top of cream-filled choux pastry. I wanted to try making a coffee pastry cream, I am so glad I did. This stuff is so good!

    Try it in cream puffs, napoleons, thicken it a bit more and pour it into an Oreo crust! Yum! Or in a donut, the options!

    Be sure to check out my chocolate pastry cream recipe or my vanilla bean pastry cream recipe.

    Let's get to the recipe.

    Jump to:
    • ☕ What ingredients make coffee pastry cream
    • 📖 How do you make coffee pastry cream
    • More coffee recipes
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments

    ☕ What ingredients make coffee pastry cream

    • Half and Half. You could also use whole milk.
    • Espresso Powder. I love to use the Dellalo Instant Espresso powder but you could use instant coffee granules too.
    • Granulated Sugar. Also known as caster sugar. Not too much is needed, just enough to slightly sweeten the cream.
    • Salt. Just a pinch balances out all the flavors.
    • Egg Yolks. The egg yolks provide richness and structure to the cream.
    • Cornstarch. Also known as cornflour this helps thicken and stabilize the cream.
    • Vanilla Bean Paste. You could use vanilla extract but I love the flecks added to the cream.
    • Unsalted Butter. Make sure it's cold this helps cool the pastry cream down as soon as it's done cooking. Adding butter to the custard makes the custard more silky smooth.
    jar of delallo instant espresso powder on a marble surface

    📖 How do you make coffee pastry cream

    In a large bowl add the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch and whisk to combine, then whisk another minute or so.

    egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch added to a glass bowl

    If you want a thicker/ sturdier pastry cream use the full 3 tablespoons of cornstarch/ cornflour. If you prefer a looser/ runnier pastry cream use 1 ½ Tablespoons.

    whisked egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch

    In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat cook the half and half, salt, and espresso powder. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes to just warm the mixture up – do not boil the cream.

    instant espresso powder added to milk in a small pot

    Once the cream mixture is warmed gently and slowly add a little bit to the egg mixture and immediately whisk to combine. Doing this tempers the eggs, which prevents them from scrambling! If your eggs scramble then you need to start over 🙁

    warm cream added to egg mixture for pastry cream recipe

    Add all of the warmed cream and whisk to combine everything.

    Add all of the liquid back to the pot. Then cook over low-medium heat whisking constantly for another few minutes. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up, it will happen.

    The mixture will slowly, then quickly thicken up. Watch for the mixture to “burp” bubbles- they will pop on the surface. Once this happens take the pot off the heat immediately.

    coffee pastry cream in a pot with butter and vanilla added

    Whisk in the cold cubed butter to help cool the mixture and stop the cooking process. Next, add the vanilla paste, whisk vigorously to combine.

    Pour into an air-tight container and place plastic wrap on top and push directly on top of the cream- this helps prevent a thick skin from forming.

    coffee pastry cream in a glass bowl with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the cream

    Place the container in the refrigerator to chill and set for at least three hours or up to three days.

    When you are ready to serve the cream make sure you whisk the cream to smooth it out.

    coffee pastry cream in a glass bowl on a marble surface

    More coffee recipes

    Coffee buttercream is one of the most popular recipes on my website and for good reason. You've gotta try it!

    Cheesecake is my favorite dessert and this coffee cheesecake is nothing short of amazing. But so is my coffee creme brulee recipe.

    The most iconic dessert with coffee is Tiramisu! An Italian favorite we serve at so many family parties!

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    Recipe Card

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    coffee pastry cream in a glass bowl on a marble surface

    Coffee Pastry Cream Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 8 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    This recipe for Coffee Pastry Cream is delicious, the perfect filling for napoleons, profiteroles, tarts, cakes and more! You will love this spin on pastry cream, view the step-by-step photos for easy success!

    • Total Time: 3 Hours 15 Minutes
    • Yield: Roughly 2 Cups 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 12oz (1 ½ Cups) Half and Half
    • 1 ½ Teaspoons- 3 Teaspoons* Espresso Powder or Instant Coffee Granuales
    • 75 grams (Scant ⅓ Cup) Granulated Sugar
    • Pinch of Salt
    • 3 Large Egg Yolks
    • 2.5 Tablespoons Cornstarch**
    • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
    • 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed

    Instructions

    1. In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat add the half and half and espresso powder. Let cook for a couple of minutes to warm it up - do not boil the cream. 
    2. While half and half is warming, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, corn starch, salt, and sugar. Whisk for two minutes, the mixture should be much lighter in color.
    3. Once the liquid mixture is warmed slowly add a little bit to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Then add all of the cream slowly and whisk to combine.  (If you do this all at once, fast, you will scramble the eggs)
    4. Add all of the mixture back to the pot and cook over low-medium heat for another couple of minutes, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken up. You want it quite thick, the mixture will "burp" bubbles will pop on the surface- this shows it is done.
    5. Take the pot off the heat and immediately add the cold butter and vanilla bean paste whisking vigorously to combine. Then pour into an air-tight container, place plastic wrap on top and push directly on top this helps prevent a thick skin from forming. Let chill in the fridge for at least three hours or up to three days. Rewhisk the pastry cream before serving.

    Equipment

    oxo food scale

    OXO Kitchen Scale

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    Notes

    *Depending on how strong you like the coffee flavor you can use up to 3 teaspoons. In the photos I used 1 ½ teaspoons.

    **If you want a thicker pastry cream increase the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons

    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 15
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Cook
    • Cuisine: French

    Keywords: espresso pastry cream, coffee pastry cream recipe, coffee creme patissiere

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

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      How To Make Pastry Cream (A Simple, Easy To Make Tutorial)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Hayle says

      April 18, 2020 at 10:17 am

      It was so easy to make it came out perfectly. Would highly recommend

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        April 18, 2020 at 10:30 am

        Thanks for coming back to review the recipe, Hayley! I am so pleased you liked it! Take care!! X Liz

        Reply
    2. Jia Qi says

      June 07, 2020 at 5:05 am

      I made this X2 recipe to fill my 6inches 3 layer cake! YUM~

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        June 07, 2020 at 9:17 am

        Yum Jia! This as a cake filling sounds delicious! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review I really appreciate it. XX Liz

        Reply
      • Ana says

        July 10, 2021 at 7:02 pm

        Did you have to use more cornstarch to make the cream sturdy for the cake? I'm thinking of making some thick layers for a cake and I'm not sure if I should follow the note at the bottom.

        Reply
        • Elizabeth Waterson says

          July 12, 2021 at 8:42 am

          Hi Ana, if you are piping a thick frosting or ganache dam to hold the pastry cream in you should be okay, if this is a chilled cold cake. Or you could add just a little more cornstarch if you want. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe would love to know what you think! XX Liz

          Reply
          • Ana says

            July 18, 2021 at 12:47 am

            Hi Elizabeth, I noticed the recipe says 2.5 tbsp of corn starch and the note says "If you want a thicker pastry cream increase the cornstarch to 2 ½ tablespoons" That's the same amount, so I ended up adding 3 tbsp just in case and it turned out to be the perfect consistency for leaving the cake out of the fridge for a few hours. The custard is delightful and it was hard to not eat it all by spoonfuls. I will definitely be using this recipe again!

            ★★★★★

            Reply
            • Elizabeth Waterson says

              July 20, 2021 at 8:40 am

              Thank you so much for pointing that out to me Ana, it should have said 3 tablespoons so I have updated it, appreciate you letting me know! And I Am so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Sounds delicious as a cake filling! Yum! Take care. XX Liz

    3. Riri says

      August 02, 2021 at 9:46 pm

      Hi, can I use freshly brewed espresso? And how many shots will I need? Thanks

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        August 03, 2021 at 8:29 am

        Hi Riri, I have personally never made the recipe with fresh espresso. I would worry the flavor will not be strong enough but you could totally try it I would use 1-2 tablespoons. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe! XX Liz

        Reply
    4. Denise says

      August 21, 2021 at 5:25 pm

      Sounds delicious! Could you use heavy cream instead of half and half?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        August 22, 2021 at 9:38 am

        Hi Denise, thanks for reaching out. Since the heavy cream is so much thicker than half and half it will slightly alter the texture but I think you should be just fine! Please report back and let us know how it goes!! Thanks! XX Liz

        Reply
    5. Anita says

      September 21, 2021 at 8:01 pm

      thank you for this recipe and great step by step help! Cream was fantastic with my poppy seed cake.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        September 21, 2021 at 9:39 pm

        Thank you so much for coming back to leave a star rating and review Anita, I really appreciate it! So glad to hear it went well with your cake! XX Liz

        Reply
    6. Allison says

      November 09, 2021 at 10:35 am

      Can I sub vanilla extract for the vanilla bean paste? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        November 10, 2021 at 9:36 am

        Hi Allison, yes you most definitely can. Please let me know if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz

        Reply
    7. julia barbee says

      January 02, 2022 at 3:54 pm

      I used this recently in a coffee pavlova and it was just perfect! Didn’t change a thing, thank you!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        January 02, 2022 at 7:59 pm

        Aww, thank you so much for the 5-star review, Julia! A coffee pavlova sounds absolutely scrumptious, I want to try it!! Happy New Year! XX Liz

        Reply
    8. Nk says

      April 17, 2022 at 5:18 am

      This sounds like a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to try it. Can it be frozen? Thanks

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        April 17, 2022 at 12:09 pm

        Hi NK! This is such a delicious pastry cream but due to its custard-style texture of this, I would not recommend freezing it. When you thaw it, the cream can separate and ruin. So sorry! Please let me know if you try it anyways! XX Liz

        Reply
        • NK says

          May 09, 2022 at 5:01 am

          Oh My God! This is an amazing recipe. I used this to fill a cake and added some toasted hazelnuts for crunch. I didn’t use the entire amount of cornstarch but think I should have for a sturdier layer. Definitely a keeper!!!

          ★★★★★

          Reply
          • Elizabeth Waterson says

            May 12, 2022 at 8:24 am

            Yay!! Thank you so much for the lovely review. The toasted hazelnuts sound like a delicious addition!! I need to try that! XX Liz

            Reply
    9. Elaina says

      June 16, 2022 at 1:30 am

      Hi! I made some tonight and x2 the recipe so I’d have enough for a 2 tiered cake. I didn’t see the part to add extra corn starch if I wanted a thinker consistency till now. It has been sitting in the fridge for about 4 hours now and doesn’t seem to be thickening to how I thought it should be. Could I have done something wrong? What can I do to fix it?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        June 16, 2022 at 3:32 pm

        Hi Elaina, thanks for reaching out. If you followed the recipe exactly it should have thickened up, it needs to cook on the stove for a few minutes until it burps bubbles and is thickened. I have never tried thickening it after made, I found this article about thickening after- you could try this https://oureverydaylife.com/fix-runny-boston-cream-filling-28432.html Please do report back how you get on, hope your cake is delicious! XX Liz

        Reply
    10. sarah says

      August 04, 2022 at 9:33 am

      Recipe looks amazing! Would this work dairy free, like with soy milk and margarine?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        August 04, 2022 at 9:42 am

        Hi Sarah, I am so sorry but I have never tested it with either of those ingredients so I am not totally sure. Please let me know if you try and how you get on, I would love to know what you think! XX Liz

        Reply
    11. Kim says

      October 11, 2022 at 8:15 pm

      Oh wow!!! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. It is absolutely delicious and came out perfectly. I will be making this often. Thank you

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        October 11, 2022 at 8:25 pm

        Yay!! SO so glad you enjoyed this pastry cream Kim! Take care. XX Liz

        Reply
    12. April says

      November 17, 2022 at 11:17 am

      Do you think I could add this to my diplomat cream?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        November 17, 2022 at 12:00 pm

        Hi April, I would think you would be just fine mixing this with some stabilized whipped cream to make a coffee diplomat cream. Please let me know if you try it and how you get on! XX Liz

        Reply
    13. tom says

      March 30, 2023 at 7:54 am

      hi I love he recipe, used it before and it was perfect. second time I took it off too early before it thickened up, can I reheat it in an attempt to save it or is it no good and I should start again?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        March 30, 2023 at 2:04 pm

        Hi Tom, thanks for reaching out. You could try saving it by mixing one tablespoon of cornstarch with a splash of milk to make as slurry then mix it together then place it back on the heat for a couple of minutes to warm it up and thicken it. Please let me know if it works! XX Liz

        Reply

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    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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