Earl Grey Pastry Cream
Earl Grey vibes, simple ingredients, and endless dessert possibilities.
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Earl Grey pastry cream is one of the easiest ways to bring that unique Earl Grey flavor to your baked goods. It’s perfect as a filling for éclairs or cream puffs, a layer in cakes or layered desserts, or even spread in tarts or pies.
The Earl Grey flavor in this cream is quite subtle, so if you’re aiming for a strong tea vibe, consider pairing it with a strong Earl Grey topping, like this Earl Grey glaze.
Recipe Info
This recipe:
- Is simple. Earl Grey pastry cream is just a small twist on vanilla pastry cream. The only real difference? You steep Earl Grey tea leaves in hot milk before using the milk to make the cream.
- Comes together quickly. You’ll spend about 15 to 20 minutes actively making the cream, plus another 15 to 20 minutes steeping the tea in hot milk.
- Works with tea bags or loose leaves. Whether you’re using tea bags or loose-leaf tea, this recipe has you covered.
Making Earl Grey pastry cream for the first time? Be sure to check out the ingredient notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re already familiar, feel free to jump straight to the recipe card.
Extra Learning
Before we jump in, here’s a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:
- How to Temper Eggs. My quick guide to tempering eggs—a handy technique you’ll use when making this pastry cream. If you’ve never heard of it or never tried it before, be sure to give this a read.
- How to Make Pastry Cream. Your go-to guide for everything pastry cream. Learn the methods, uses, tips, and more. New to pastry creams? Start here.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Milk: Whole milk works best, but skim milk should work fine, too.
- Earl Grey tea: Either tea bags or tea leaves are fine.
- Egg yolks.
- Cornstarch: You could also use potato starch (half the amount), but it’s a bit trickier. Check out my article on cornstarch versus potato starch if you want to use potato starch.
- White sugar: White granulated sugar is the default and my go-to, but if you like your Earl Grey tea with a different sugar option, go for it.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor, but it’s optional.
- Unsalted butter: Plain unsalted butter is all you need.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Earl Grey Pastry Cream
- Infuse the milk. Heat the milk in a pot until it’s just shy of boiling. Remove it from the heat, add the tea leaves or bags, whisk well, and let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Strain and top up the milk. Strain the milk, squeezing the tea leaves or bags to get all the flavor. Measure the strained milk and add more to reach the original amount (2 cups if you’re not scaling the recipe).
- Boil the milk mixture. In a clean pot, mix the infused milk with vanilla extract and sugar, whisking until smooth. Heat the mixture, bringing it to a gentle boil, and stir occasionally.
- Prep the yolks. While the milk heats, whisk the yolks, cornstarch, and about 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture (while it’s still lukewarm) in a large heatproof bowl. The addition of the milk mixture loosens the yolks and cornstarch, so exact measurements aren’t critical here. Set the bowl aside.
- Temper the eggs. When the milk starts bubbling, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times until you incorporate most or all of the milk, whisking continuously.
- Cook until thick and bubbly. Return the combined mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens noticeably and begins to bubble. This typically takes 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your heat. Don’t rush, and keep stirring at all times.
- Take it off the heat and whisk. Once thickened, remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking the cream for about a minute to ensure it’s smooth and doesn’t curdle.
- Stir in the butter. Add the butter and stir until it’s fully melted and incorporated.
- Taste test. Carefully taste the cream while it’s hot and adjust with more sugar if needed.
- Strain if needed. For a silky-smooth finish or to remove any bits of cooked egg, press the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Cover and chill. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes, then refrigerate until ready to use.
- Whisk and use. After chilling, the pastry cream will be firm, almost like pudding. Break it up with a fork, then whisk until smooth. It’s now ready to pipe or spread.
Tips
- Chill on a plate. To cool the cream faster, spread it onto a large plate or bowl (or a couple). A larger surface area speeds up chilling. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid a crust forming.
- Make it in advance. This pastry cream keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, so you can easily prepare it ahead of time. I usually make all my pastry creams the day before assembling the desserts.
- Keep whisking. Once you start working with hot yolks, you need to keep whisking until the cream is off the heat and then for an extra minute after that. This prevents curdling. Think of it as your arm workout for the day.
- Make it lighter. This cream is delicious but might be a bit rich if used in large quantities, like when filling cream puffs. To lighten it, fold in whipped cream and stabilize it with gelatin. This setup is called diplomat cream, and I got a big guide on making diplomat cream.
- Make it richer and sturdier. While this pastry cream pipes okayish, it’s not nearly as sturdy as buttercream. If you need a richer, more stable version that holds its shape well, and you don’t want to work with gelatin, turn it into cream mousseline. The linked article explains the whole process.
Storage
You can store Earl Grey pastry cream in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is sealed tightly so it doesn’t absorb any smells.
Similar Recipes to Try
Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:
- Earl Grey cream puffs. A must-try for any Earl Grey lover! These cream puffs are filled with Earl Grey whipped cream, but if you’re not a fan of working with gelatin, you can easily swap in this pastry cream instead.
- Earl Grey madeleines. Madeleines are these simple mini cakes you can whip up in 15 minutes using pantry staples. Highly recommended if you’ve never had them and are into Earl Grey desserts.
- Earl Grey glaze. Need to top your Earl Grey flavored dessert? This simple powdered sugar glaze will do the job.
- Pastry cream flavors. Want to test out other pastry creams? Here’s a list of 12+ flavors I already covered.
Servings: 2.25 cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk ~480 g, plus about 1/4 cup more to top up
- 4 tbsp Earl Grey leaves or 4 Earl Grey tea bags, about 8 g
- 4 egg yolks medium or large, about 60-70 g
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch ~40 g
- 7 tablespoons sugar ~87 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ~28 g
Instructions
- Infuse Milk: Heat milk until just below boiling. Remove from heat, add tea, and steep for 15–20 minutes.4 tbsp Earl Grey leaves, 2 cups milk
- Strain and Measure: Strain the milk, squeezing out the leaves to extract flavor, and top up the milk to 2 cups.
- Heat Milk Mixture: Combine milk, vanilla, and sugar in a clean pot. Heat to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 7 tablespoons sugar
- Prep Yolks: While the milk heats, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture (while it's still lukewarm) in a bowl.4 egg yolks, 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Temper Eggs: Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture in small additions to avoid curdling.
- Thicken Cream: Return the mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling (2–4 minutes).
- Whisk Off Heat: Remove from heat and whisk for about a minute until smooth.
- Add Butter: Stir in butter until fully melted and incorporated.2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Taste and Adjust: Taste while hot and add sugar if needed.
- Strain if Desired: Strain through a mesh sieve for extra smoothness.
- Cool: Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin. Cool at room temp for 30–60 minutes, then refrigerate.
- Whisk and Use: Break up the chilled cream with a fork and whisk until smooth before using.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!