Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (2024)

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (2)

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (3)

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference?

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (4)

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BySimone Gerber/

Custard sauce and pastry cream seem similar enough at first glance. For starters, both technically fall under the umbrella of types of custard– the result of combining milk or cream with eggs and sugar.Both have a sweet flavor and velvety texture that can be used to punch up all kinds of desserts. Don't be fooled, though; custard sauce and pastry cream differ in both composition and consistency. For this reason, the two ingredients can rarely act as substitutes for one another when cooking.

Let's begin with custard sauce. This variety of custard, also known ascréme anglaise, is a quintessentially British dishfamous for its runny consistency. This consistency is the result of using only eggs, cream, sugar, and sometimes vanilla in its creation. Without any additional ingredients to add stability to the sauce, it remains entirely liquid.

Pastry cream, on the other hand, is thought to be French in origin. It has a considerably thicker consistency, allowing it to be piped into or spread onto pastries and other dishes. This is because, while its base is the same as custard sauce, it relies on the addition of cornstarch to reach completion. The cornstarch helps to add body to the cream, allowing it to have more structure than a sauce.

When to use custard sauce or pastry cream

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (5)

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Both of these culinary powerhouses make for a delicious addition to your repertoire, but due to the fact that they have such distinct textures — with pastry cream being stiff and full-bodied and custard sauce being, well, a sauce — you'll want to pay attention to their applications in baking and dessert-making in order to ensure you're using the right one for your recipe. You will likely find yourself using one more than the other depending on your preferences toward different baked goods.

Custard sauce works as a luscious accompaniment to any dessert that needs more moisture or simply a wow factor. Pour it over a slice of cake or pie, add it into a bowl with freshly cut fruit, or drizzle it over sorbet as you would chocolate sauce. Pastry cream, on the other hand, is typically used as a filling or spread. Pipe it into the center of cream puffs, dollop it into a crust as the base of a tart, or spoon it onto a croissant for an extra decadent snack.

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Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

Custard Sauce Vs. Pastry Cream: What's The Difference? - Tasting Table? ›

Pastry cream, on the other hand, is thought to be French in origin. It has a considerably thicker consistency, allowing it to be piped into or spread onto pastries and other dishes. This is because, while its base is the same as custard sauce, it relies on the addition of cornstarch to reach completion.

What is the difference between custard and pastry cream? ›

Put simply, pastry cream is a type of custard. Adding cornstarch to the vanilla custard will give you a thick, firm substance (almost like vanilla pudding) that will hold its shape when piped. Custard that you can pour, which is only thickened with eggs, is actually called crème anglaise.

What is the difference between custard and creme pâtissiere? ›

P.S. In case you're wondering what the difference is between Crème Pâtissière and custard (which the French refer to as Crème Anglaise), it's the cornflour. Officially, custard shouldn't contain cornflour. So basically, Crème Pâtissière (or pastry cream) is simply set custard.

What is the difference between cream sauce and custard sauce? ›

They're both milk-based and use eggs, but pastry cream is much thicker and is used in making classic pastries, while custard is more of a liquid and can be poured.

What is custard supposed to taste like? ›

At its core, custard has a sweet and creamy taste. The sweetness comes from the addition of sugar, while the creaminess is a result of the dairy ingredients used, such as milk or cream. The combination of these elements creates a luscious and velvety mouthfeel that is truly delightful.

Do custard creams taste like custard? ›

The filling tastes of vanilla and as such is more akin to the taste of custard made with custard powder than egg custard. It is believed that the custard cream biscuit originated in Britain in 1908.

What do Americans call custard? ›

Custard is a thing in the U.S. but we usually associate the word custard with a thick pudding rather than custard sauce.

Is Bavarian cream the same as custard? ›

Bavarian creams are custards stiffened with gelatin. Savoury custards are sometimes encountered, the most notable being quiche, a French tart with a filling of custard flavoured with cheese, onions, ham or bacon, or chopped vegetables.

What is another name for custard cream? ›

Crème anglaise (French: [kʁɛm ɑ̃glɛz]; French for 'English cream'), custard sauce, pouring custard, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard used as a dessert cream or sauce.

Why are they called custard creams? ›

Their name comes from custard filling which is essentially eggs mixed with liquids, usually milk or cream, and then thickened using low heat. It can be a combination of melted chocolate, water, sugar, butter, vanilla, and custard powder.

What are the three types of custards? ›

There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.

Why is it possible to boil pastry cream but not custard sauce? ›

crème anglaise and pastry cream both contain eggs. Why is it possible to boil pastry cream but not custard sauce? unlike the sauce, it is baked rather than stirred over heat, so it sets and becomes firm. Baked custard is used as a pie filling, as a dessert by itself.

What's the difference between bavarian cream and pastry cream? ›

Bavarian Cream is made from a Crème Anglaise base (milk, vanilla, egg yolks and sugar), thickened with Gelatine and lightened with Whipped Cream. Pastry Cream (or Crème Pâtissière) is relatively similar to a Crème Anglaise but is thickened on the stove with Cornstarch (or sometimes flour).

Which flavor of custard is best? ›

#1.

Vanilla custard is renowned for its delightful balance of creamy richness and tasty vanilla flavour, making it a popular custard flavour worldwide. The smooth texture of the custard is complemented by the unique flavour of vanilla, creating a comforting mouthwatering taste.

Why does my custard pie taste like scrambled eggs? ›

Why does my egg custard pie taste like scrambled eggs? Overbaked custard can lead to an eggy flavor and rubbery consistency. Make sure to bake the custard pie until slightly jiggly in the center.

What the heck is custard? ›

Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar.

Why pastry cream is unlike vanilla custard? ›

Pastry cream is unlike vanilla custard sauce because it has a different texture. While both pastry cream and vanilla custard sauce are thick and creamy, pastry cream has a smoother and denser texture compared to the lighter and more delicate texture of vanilla custard sauce.

Are pudding and pastry cream the same thing? ›

Pastry cream is basically glorified vanilla pudding, but the best, richest vanilla pudding you've ever had. The texture is thicker and more luxurious, while the flavor is softer and tastes like real vanilla instead of something artificial.

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