Mousseline Cream
Mousseline cream (crème mousseline) is a rich, butter-enriched pastry cream with a smooth, airy texture. Use it to fill cakes, pastries, or tarts. Just make sure the butter and custard are the same temperature before combining, they won’t emulsify properly if one is colder than the other. You can flavor the cream with chocolate, coffee, or freeze-dried fruit powder.
Servings: 5 cups
Ingredients
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 cup extra-fine sugar or caster sugar, 200 grams
- ½ cup cornstarch 56 grams
- 1½ cups unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed and divided (340 grams; 3 sticks)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer, then remove it from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth and pale.
- Slowly ladle a few spoonfuls of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in half of the butter (¾ cups/ 170 grams) until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
- Spread the custard into a shallow dish. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool to room temperature (about 65–70°F).
- Place the remaining ¾ cup of butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the butter until light and creamy.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the cooled pastry cream one spoonful at a time, letting each addition fully incorporate before adding the next. Take your time with this step, slow mixing helps emulsify the cream properly. Beat until the mousseline is light, smooth, and silky, about 3 minutes.
- Use immediately or transfer the mousseline cream to a serving dish.
Notes
Match the temperature: The custard and butter need to be the same temperature before mixing, around 65–70°F. If the custard is too cold, the butter can seize. If it’s too warm, the cream can turn soupy.
Don’t stop whisking: While cooking the custard, whisk constantly and don’t walk away. It thickens quickly and can go lumpy fast if you're not on it.
Fixing broken cream: If the final mixture looks curdled or separated, don’t panic. Keep beating, it usually comes back together once everything is the same temperature and emulsified.
Flavor it your way: Stir melted and cooled chocolate into the butter before adding the custard, or add instant espresso powder or fruit powder (like freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry) to the custard base before cooking.
How to use it: Great as a filling for cakes, cream puffs, tarts, or layered desserts. It holds up better than whipped cream but is lighter than straight buttercream.
Storage: Store in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before using to restore the silky texture.
Nutrition is based on ¼ cup portion.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 548IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 0.2mg
