Easy Thick Custard

Name: Easy Thick Custard - Homemade One Pot Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup milk; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 eggs; 1 egg yolk; 1/2 cup castor sugar; 30 gm corn flour; Pinch of salt; 30 gm butter (cold and cubed)

This custard is basically crème patisserie which is a thick and delicious custard that is made with eggs, sugar, cornstarch, milk, vanilla, cream and butter. It is simple to make and pairs well with desserts, cakes, tarts and fresh fruit.

Growing up, custard was two things: the box mix that you stirred with hot water or milk and poured into moulds which set in the fridge over night, or it was ready made box custard poured over fresh fruit with jelly. Until I grew up and learned that custard didn’t come out of a box and was made with whole ingredients, naive of me, yes but it was an eye opener. The first time I made custard at home it turned out grainy and was nothing like I planned it to be or hoped it would be. This was over a decade ago and now I have mastered a classic that is so simple and easy to make.

I must warn you, once you eat homemade custard you will not enjoy store bought and it will change your life, for the better. There are variety of custards you can make, we will learn about the different custards and how they are made as well as the way in which they are made. You can have a variety of flavors as well, however this recipe will cover a classic vanilla custard recipe which is thick and spreadable, similar to crème patisserie. So before we get into the recipe, lets understand a little about custard.

What is custard made of?

Custard is most often than not made with eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk, heavy cream and butter. There are a variety of custard flavors however this is the basic and most commonly found custard recipe. Some recipes use thickening agents like corn flour, flour etc, but this depends on what the recipe is being used for.

What is crème patisserie?

Crème patisserie is a French based pastry recipe also known as pastry cream or vanilla pastry cream. It is thick and spreadable, commonly used in a variety of desserts, cakes, doughnut filling, tarts and pastries. The recipe could include thickening agents like cornstarch or flour however it commonly known to be gluten free. Many chefs refer to it as crème pât.

What are two types of custard?

Custard can be broadly broken into two types: stirred or baked. Stirred custard is made over the stove, cooled and used as fillings, in creams, frostings, etc. Baked custard is when the ingredients are whisked together and baked in the oven until set. They are served in different ways depending on the recipe being made.

What are the 4 components of custard?

The 4 components of custard are: eggs, sugar, milk and heat. The eggs thicken the milk creating a custard and the sugar adds sweetness.

Is custard a milk?

Custard can be thick or thin and the thinner custard recipes also known as crème anglaise has the consistency of single cream which makes it seem like milk but it is not milk as it is made with eggs, milk, sugar which is stirred over heat until the eggs are cooked through. I have made a thinner custard with my Irish apple cake recipe.

What’s the difference between custard and crème patisserie?

The only difference between custard and Crème Pâtissière is the cornflour. Custard is usually made with eggs, sugar, milk and maybe vanilla. While Crème Pâtissière will always include cornflour to make it thicker, more stable and spreadable in texture/consistency.

Where to use crème patisserie?

Crème Pâtissière is thicker in texture, this makes it perfect for filing cakes, stuffing into doughnuts, spreading over baked tart shells, folded into frosting, etc. This is a base recipe that is perfect and can be used as an accompaniment with your desserts or in your pastries, cakes, cupcakes, puddings etc.

What ingredients do you need to make custard at home?

To make this easy homemade custard at home aka Crème Pâtissière we need eggs, egg yolk (for added richness and also flavor), granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, milk, butter.

What equipment do you need to make custard at home?

We need a heavy bottom sauce pot, whisk, rubber spatula and sieve. I like cooking the custard on a low to medium heat over the stove. Most recipes suggest to temper the whisked eggs with the hot milk but I make it in one pot and it is perfect.

How to make custard at home?

In a jug whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, corn flour, vanilla until smooth. Add the milk, salt and whisk again until smooth. Pour into a heavy bottom sauce pot and place on low heat. Do not leave the pot, whisk the mixture constantly. As we are making it directly over the heat without tempering we need to ensure the mixture is heating evenly and gradually so make sure to whisk. It doesn’t have to be vigorously but just making sure the mixture is being combined well, scraping down the sides as well. After a couple of minutes the mixture will slowly start to thicken, at first it will have the consistency single cream, then it will get thicker and become a pudding consistency. This should take anywhere between 2-5 minutes. Keep whisking during this time. Once the mixture has thickened allow it to bubble for 10-15 seconds to cook out the eggs. Take off the heat and add the butter, whisk well to combine. Pass the custard through a sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps and make it silky smooth. Cover with cling wrap, making sure it is touching the custard before allowing it to cool. Enjoy it warm or cold!

Serving custard?

You can serve this warm while it is still runny with fresh cold fruit, pour it over the peach hot sugar crust, cherry crumble cake, apple caramel crumble cake. Alternatively allow it to cool, cover it with cling wrap – making sure it is touching the custard, this helps no skin form on the top while it cools down. You can serve the cold custard with warm stewed fruit or a dolloped on a plate with strawberries and shortbread.

Storing custard?

Once the custard is made, you can store it in a container, cover it with cling wrap making sure the plastic is touching the custard so no skin forms on the top while it cools down. This will keep in the fridge for 3 days. I would not suggest freezing this custard as it will not have the same texture once it is defrosted.

Looking for more recipes to serve with the custard?

Now that we have covered how to make this easy thick custard recipe, you can have a look at the ninja bake along video on my instagram but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.