Diplomat cream is pastry cream’s lighter, fluffier sibling (2024)
What has the lightness of whipped cream, the rich flavor of pastry cream, and the stability of buttercream? Meet diplomat cream, your new favorite cake filling.
A flavorful, creamy cake filling that’s easy to stack between layers andstrikes a balance between rich and light is a baker’s dream, but it can be difficult to achieve. Pastry cream delivers in flavor — sweet and custard-like — but lacks lightness. Whipped cream is as light as it comes but doesn’t have much flavor or stability. Buttercream, meanwhile, is sturdy and stable but so rich that it can mask the flavors of your dessert, as the butter and sugar steal the show.But diplomat cream combines some of the best qualities of all three for a sturdy, stackable, and flavorful filling. No wonder it’s beloved by pastry chefs far and wide.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
So what is diplomat cream?
Diplomat cream is simply pastry cream lightened with whipped cream — often with the addition of gelatin for stability — to make it airier. It starts with thepastry cream, or crème pâtissière, a custard thickened with eggs and starch that is the classic filling for éclairs and the unctuous star of many fruit tarts. Whipped cream is folded in to create a luscious filling that preserves the flavor of pastry cream with a lighter, fluffier texture that won’t collapse when used as a filling or topping.
Diplomat cream doesn’t, by definition, have to include gelatin, but it’s commonly added to the pastry cream for even more stability, especially when used as a cake filling. (Gelatin will allow the whipped cream-lightened filling to better hold its shape and structure.)
How to use diplomat cream
One of the best-known uses of diplomat cream is inPrincess Cake (Prinsesstårta). This traditional Swedish domed cake combines layers of vanilla cake with jam and a diplomat cream filling, all topped off with a cap of whipped cream and a smooth cloak of marzipan, often tinted pistachio green. You can search the country for the best princess cake, and you’ll probably get directed (again and again and again) to an unusual spot: a pizza joint in Los Angeles calledQuarter Sheets Pizza. Here, wedged between a gas station and a bar just off Sunset Boulevard, pastry chef Hannah Ziskin is turning out some of the city’s finest desserts, including her signature princess cake.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Her version at Quarter Sheets is similar to the classic in flavor profile, but Hannah has subtly tweaked the recipe to suit her palette. She makes it with olive oil chiffon cake, salty vanilla-infused milk soak, and tart, homemade raspberry jam. Instead of the classic whipped cream topping, she mixes heavy cream and mascarpone for a supple thickness.
The secret star of the cake, though, is the diplomat cream spread between the layers. “I prefer diplomat cream to buttercream because you can get richer flavor profiles from it,” she explains. “And it’s lighter and less sweet.” She adds, “We stabilize the mixture with a little bit of gelatin because we use the diplomat cream in many of our layer cakes, and the added structure helps while stacking and slicing.” The filling isn’t just for cake, either. Hannah uses it in many pastry applications, from layer cakes to cream puffs, banana cream pie to trifles, and even on its own as a pudding.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
When making diplomat cream yourself, start with awell-written, well-tested recipe for the best success. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you can start to play around with the ratios. “I use different amounts of whipped cream depending on what result I’m after,” says Hannah. “For cakes, I use about 20% whipped cream and 80% pastry cream by weight, but if I’m filling a cream puff and want an airier texture, I use closer to 40% whipped cream.” Consider the texture you’re looking for when figuring out your ideal ratio of pastry cream to whipped cream: The more whipped cream, the lighter and fluffier the diplomat cream will be.
One additional benefit of diplomat cream is that the pastry cream base can be flavored in myriad ways, like peanut butter, hazelnut, orange, caramel, and more. (Find more flavor ideas here.)
Diplomat cream is luscious enough that you may find yourself standing in the kitchen eating it straight from the bowl with a spoon, but if you can resist enough to save some for baking, use it to fill profiteroles, eclairs,doughnuts, and of course, Hannah’sPrincess Cake (Prinsesstårta).
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
Diplomat cream is simply pastry cream lightened with whipped cream — often with the addition of gelatin for stability — to make it airier. It starts with the pastry cream, or crème pâtissière, a custard thickened with eggs and starch that is the classic filling for éclairs and the unctuous star of many fruit tarts.
Creme Patissiere is pastry cream, a rich custard thickened with cornstarch or flour.Creme Diplomate is pastry cream mixed with whipped cream and sometimes added gelatine for stability (depending on the usage). Creme Chantilly is a French name for sweetened whipped cream with the addition of vanilla flavoring.
Crème Légère is a combination of crème pâtissière and whipped cream, which helps lighten it. Crème Diplomat, on the other hand, is crème pâtissière folded through with whipped cream and gelatin, which creates a more stable cream.
Creme Diplomat or diplomat cream is creme patissiere mixed with chantilly (sweetened whipped cream), gelatine and any extra flavorings (optional). It's basically creme legere made with stabilized whipped 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).
The Diplomat Cream is too liquid: you may have used not enough gelatine, or not whipped the cream enough. Make sure the heavy/thickened cream has been whipped to stiff peaks and is folded in very gently, a little bit at the time.
Vanilla pastry cream is the smooth, silky, vanilla-scented custard that oozes out of so many classic desserts. Also called crème pâtissière and creme pat, this rich filling is essentially vanilla custard thickened with cornstarch to make it firm.
The crémeux are similar to creams but with a thicker and more compact texture. They are ideal for making mousse or tartlet interiors, so that they remain intact when cut. This texture is also suitable for making quenelles.
It contains thickening agents, so is great for whipping and pouring over your favourite desserts. It's the all-rounder cream that's perfect for desserts, whipping, cake fillings, mousse and is the cherry on top when served with hot, golden scones.
Aptly named after its place of origin, this sweet, thick whipped cream is arguably the best of its kind – the "crème de la crème" so to speak. In a magnificent castle in the town Chantilly, France, lies a well-kept recipe for one of the world's greatest indulgences: Chantilly cream.
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.
Crème mousseline combines crème pâtissière and whipped, soft butter for a lighter, more delicate texture. It is often used when the cream needs to hold up when a pastry is cut, for example a mille fuille. Crème diplomat is made by adding whipped cream and gelatin to crème pâtissière.
At bakeries, pastry cream—also known as crème patissiere—is used to fill sweets like éclairs, Napoléons, and fruit tarts. While pastry cream isn't hard to make, it can be finicky. You've got to temper a mixture of hot milk, sugar, and cornstarch into yolks, making sure that the eggs don't curdle.
Bavarian cream involves milk, eggs, sugar, and often vanilla extract, the same as Boston cream. But then the two ingredient lists diverge: Bavarian cream includes heavy cream and gelatin, while Boston cream involves cornstarch.
In terms of texture, a crémeux is more a combination of a mousse and a ganache than an actual crème. A crémeux is less airy than a crème and has an exceptionally soft, creamy texture. With both crème and crémeux, you have endless choice in terms of flavours: from classic to exotic, from fruity to spicy.
What's the difference between crème anglaise and crème pâtissière? Crème anglaise has a similar composition to crème pâtissière, but doesn't contain cornstarch or flour. It's therefore more liquid and less thick. It's possible to turn a crème anglaise into a crème pâtissière.
Pâtisserie is used to describe French pastries and the pastry shop they are sold in. Although the word is used quite liberally in English-speaking countries, in France and Belgium the law restricts its use to bakeries who employ licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chefs).
Vanilla pastry cream, also known as crème pâtissière, is a rich, thick, creamy custard and it's used to fill everything from éclairs to Boston cream pie. Making your own homemade pastry cream is incredibly easy – you need just 6 ingredients and about 15 minutes to make it.
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