This Diplomat Cream - or Crème Diplomate in French - is one of the classic French Pastry Cream that combines Pastry Cream, Gelatine and Whipped Cream. It is a super creamy, rich yet light cream that makes the most delicious desserts and pastries filling or topping!
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Why we love this recipe
Diplomat Cream (aka Crème Diplomate) is probably one of my favourite cream filling - ever. It has the deliciously luscious, rich flavours of Pastry Cream combined with the lightness and creaminess of Whipped Cream like a Bavarian Cream. A perfect mix!
And thanks to the addition of a little bit of gelatine, it is also quite stable so it can be piped or used as a cake filling.
Use it to fill Choux à la Crème, make a Fraisier Cake as a filling for a fresh fruit Tart or inside Cakes and Entremets, this versatile cream always makes the most delicious addition to your sweet creations!
What is Diplomat Cream
A "Crème Diplomate" (sometimes also called "Crème Madame") is one of the basic French Pastry creams that combine Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière), Whipped Cream and a little bit of Gelatine that makes the cream more stable.
This cream can be used for a large number of pastries and desserts - it is quite versatile. And it can also be flavoured with so many different ingredients like chocolate, coffee, fruits or even alcohol!
Ingredients
Making this filling only requires a few basic ingredients; basically the ones required to make Pastry Cream with the addition of Heavy/Thickened Cream and Gelatine.
What is Diplomat Cream is made of (Scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):
- Milk: use Full Cream Milk (Whole Milk) for the best results and flavour. I have used Plant-Based milk to make pastry cream before so it does work as well - just be aware that some dairy-free milk are flavoured so it will change the taste of the diplomat cream.
- Vanilla: the best option is always Fresh Vanilla Beans, but as it can be very expensive, the second best option is Vanilla Paste. Alternatively, you can use Vanilla Extract/Essence but you will loose in flavour.
- Eggs: the Egg Yolks only - preferably at room temperature. Keep the egg whites to make Financiers for example!
- Sugar: Caster Sugar or a fine white granulated Sugar. This recipe is relatively low in sugar so if you are after a sweeter cream, feel free to increase the sugar content.
- Cornstarch: used to thicken the Crème Pâtissière. It can be replaced with Plain / AP Flour or other types of starches like Potato Starch or Arrowroot but I find that Cornstarch is what gives the cream the lightest, lump-free texture.
- Gelatine: I used Gelatine Powder bloomed in a little bit of very cold water, but you can also use Gelatine Leaves. Depending on how you plan to use the cream, you can increase or decrease the quantity of gelatine to make the diplomat cream more or less stable.
- Cream: Heavy / Thickened Cream; do not use a light or reduced fat cream as it will not whip. The cream needs to contain at least 30% fat to whip. You can use a dairy-free cream alternative as long as it has enough fat to whip.
Some recipes also add butter to the pastry cream, but I personally don't find it necessary - especially when trying to create a very light cream.
Flavour Variations
The basic cream is flavoured with Vanilla, but you can basically add any flavours to your diplomat cream! Replace the Creme Patissiere with a Chocolate Pastry Cream for a Chocolate Diplomat Cream or flavour the milk with Coffee (like I did for these Coffee Choux Buns) for example.
You can also replace some of the Milk with a fruit Puree like Berries or with some Citrus Fruit Juice, add some Matcha, flavour the cream with Orange Blossom Water,... You could also add some Hazelnut Praline Paste to flavour the diplomat cream!
How to make French Diplomat Cream
The first step is to make the Custard and add the gelatine. It needs to be made ahead as it needs to cool down in the fridge before you can add the whipped cream.
- Photo 1: Place the Milk and Vanilla Paste in a saucepan, whisk well and heat up on low heat until it starts to simmer.
If using fresh vanilla bean, split the bean in half, scrap the seeds and place both in the milk. Heat it up then turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. Remove the pods to keep the seeds only.
- Photo 2: while the milk is heating up, whisk together the Egg Yolks and Sugar in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
- Photo 3: Add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
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- Photo 4: Slowly pour the hot milk over the Egg Yolk/Sugar mixture while whisking. This step is essential to temper the egg yolks - which will help them not to cook too quickly when placed back on the stove.
- Photo 5: pour back the whole mixture into the saucepan and place on the stove low heat. Continuously whisk until the custard starts to thicken. When it starts to boil, keep whisking for 30 seconds to a minute, then remove from the heat.
- Place the Gelatine Powder in a small bowl and mix in a little bit of very cold water (check the gelatine package for the recommended water quantity - each brand is different). Set aside for a few minutes to let it bloom; you should get a thick paste.
If using Gelatine Leaves, cover them with very cold water, let them bloom for about 10 minutes then remove the water and strain the leaves very well to remove as much water as possible.
- Photo 6: Add the Gelatine to the warm pastry cream and whisk well until completely dissolved.
- Transfer the stabilised pastry cream in a large shallow pan, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface then place in the fridge to cool down. Using a large shallow pan will help the custard cool down more quickly than in a bowl.
The time it will take to cool down will depend on the container the custard is in. The pastry cream shouldn't be chilled for too long or it will start to set with the gelatine. It just needs to be cool enough not to melt the whipped cream when added to it.
- Photo 7: place the cold Heavy / Thickened Cream in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and whip on medium to high speed until you get stiff peaks.
- Photo 8: place the pastry cream in a large mixing bowl and loosen it with a whisk if needed. Gently fold in the Whipped Cream in 3 or 4 times until all combined.
- Use straight away or store in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap touching its surface.
Recipe FAQs
Diplomat Cream is simply a combination of Pastry Cream and Whipped Cream - not to be confused with Chantilly Cream that is Whipped Cream with Sugar.
Yes, but a crème diplomate without gelatine is actually called Crème Légère (or sometimes Crème Princesse) in French Pastry. It is less stable than the cream stabilised with gelatine and won't hold its shape when piped, so it is mainly used as a cake and pastry filling.
You can really play with the amount of gelatine to make the cream more or less stable. I only added a little bit of gelatine here so the cream is still quite soft. If I was planning on using it more as a topping than a filling, I would increase the quantity of gelatine so that it would be more stable.
Yes, both the Milk and Cream can be replaced with Plant-Based alternatives, but keep in mind that many plant-based milk are flavoured (like coconut or almond) so it will change the final taste of the cream.
Also note that if using a dairy-free cream, you need to make sure its fat content is high enough to be able to be whipped (at least 30%).
There are so many ways to use this cream: a filling for Choux, Chouquettes or eclairs, inside tarts topped with fresh fruits, to make my Fraisier Cake, inside cakes, pastries and entremets, as a cream for a Triffle, inside a Mille-Feuille or a Tropezienne Brioche Tart.
Troubleshooting
- The Pastry Cream is lumpy: usually happens when the heat is too high and the egg yolks get cooked too quickly, or you didn't whisk well enough while it was cooking. You can pour the cream through a thin mesh sieve to remove large lumps, or use an immersion blender to smooth it out. Be careful to only blend for a few seconds or it might turn the pastry cream into liquid.
- The Pastry Cream is too liquid after chilling: it probably means that it was not cooked for long enough on the stove. Make sure the pastry cream is brought to a boil then cooked for about 1 more minute.
- The Pastry Cream is very hard after chilling: the custard might have been chilled for too long and the gelatine has set. The custard should have cooled down enough to not melt the whipped cream when added, but not cooled so much that it will have completely set. Try to loosen the cream first but vigorously whisking it. If that does not work, try to re-heat it for a few seconds in the microwave.
- 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.
Tips for Success
- Use more or less Gelatine, depending on how you plan on using the cream. The amount of gelatine used here is quite low and will make a rather soft cream that was used as a Choux Filling. For a cream that will be used as a topping or inside a cake for example, you might want to increase the gelatine content to make sure it is more stable and can easily be piped.
- Use less Whipped Cream for a stiffer, richer diplomat cream or more whipped cream for a much lighter texture.
- Cool down the Pastry Cream in a shallow pan like a brownie pan. This will help the custard cool down more quickly and evenly. Also make sure to cover the cream with plastic wrap touching its surface or a thick skin will form.
- If you plan to use the diplomat cream as a topping or inside a cake/entremet that requires for the cream to be quite stable, I recommend chilling the diplomat cream for a few hours before using it. This will allow for the gelatine to set completely. If using as a filling for Choux or Eclairs for example, it can be used straight away.
Storing & Freezing
The diplomat cream can be used straight away or kept in the fridge for up to 2 or 3 days, covered with plastic wrap touching its surface.
Can Diplomat Cream be frozen? Even though technically, yes, I do not recommend freezing this cream as it will loose its soft texture when thawed.
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Recipe
Diplomat Cream (Crème Diplomate)
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) Full Cream Milk - (wholemilk)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Paste - or 2 fresh vanilla beans
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar - or fine white granulated sugar
- 30 gr (1/4 cup) Cornstarch
- 5 gr (1 1/2 teaspoons) Gelatine Powder - plus a little bit cold water (see note 3)
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) Heavy / Thickened Cream
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
Pastry Cream
- Place the Milk and Vanilla Paste in a saucepan, whisk well and heat up on low heat until it starts to simmer.500 ml (2 cups) Full Cream Milk, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Paste
- While the milk is heating up, whisk together the Egg Yolks and Sugar in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth.4 Egg Yolks, 60 gr (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar, 30 gr (1/4 cup) Cornstarch
- Pour the hot milk over the Egg Yolk/Sugar mixture while whisking. Whisk well until smooth, then transfer back into the saucepan (see note 1).
- Place the saucepan back on the stove on low heat. Keep whisking until the custard starts to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes (see note 2). When it starts to boil, keep whisking for 30 seconds to a minute, then remove from the heat.
- Place the Gelatine Powder in a small bowl and mix in a little bit of very cold water (see note 3). Set aside for a few minutes to let it bloom, or until you get a thick paste.5 gr (1 1/2 teaspoons) Gelatine Powder
- Add the Gelatine to the warm pastry cream and whisk well until completely dissolved. Transfer into a large shallow pan (see note 4), cover with plastic wrap touching the surface then place in the fridge to cool down for about 1 to 1,5 hours (see note 5).
Whipped Cream
- Place the cold Heavy / Thickened Cream in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and whip on medium to high speed until you get stiff peaks. Make sure not to overwhip of the cream will get grainy.180 ml (3/4 cup) Heavy / Thickened Cream
Diplomat Cream
- Take the pastry cream out of the fridge and transfer into a large mixing bowl. Loosen the pastry cream with a whisk if needed, then gently fold in the Whipped Cream in 3 or 4 times until all combined (see note 6).
- Use straight away (see note 7) or store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days covered with plastic wrap touching its surface.
Tried this recipe? Make sure to leave a comment and star rating below!
Notes
- Vanilla: if using Fresh Vanilla Beans, split the bean in half, scrap the seeds and place both in the milk. Heat it up then turn off the heat, cover the pot and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. Remove the pods to keep the seeds only.
- Gelatine: If using Gelatine Leaves instead of powder, use 1 1/2 sheets. Dip them in very cold water for a few minutes then strain them very well to remove as much water as possible. You can add more gelatine than indicated here if you want a cream that is very stable (if you are planning to pipe it for example).
- Heavy / Thickened Cream: make sure the cream contains at least 30% fat or it will not whip. You can add more or less whipped cream to your diplomat cream depending on the texture you are after. Add less for a richer, thicker filling or more for a lighter, fluffier cream.
- This step is essential to temper the egg yolks - which will help them not to cook too quickly when placed back on the stove.
- The time it takes will depend on the temperature of your stove. It is better to use very low heat to avoid cooking the eggs which will give you a lumpy pastry cream. It will take longer for the cream to thicken but it will be very smooth.
- Check the gelatine package for the recommended amount of water required to dissolve it; different brands have different requirements. I used about 2 tablespoons of very cold water.
- Cooling down the pastry cream in a shallow pan rather than a bowl helps it cool down more quickly and evenly.
- The pastry cream shouldn't be chilled for too long or it will start to set with the gelatine. It just needs to be cool enough not to melt the whipped cream when added to it.
- It is important to add the whipped cream little by little to keep as much air into the cream as possible. It will feel a bit hard to combine at first but it will get easier as more whipped cream is added.
- If you plan to use the diplomat cream as a topping or inside a cake/entremet that requires for the cream to be quite stable, I recommend chilling the diplomat cream for a few hours before using it. This will allow for the gelatine to set completely. If using as a filling for Choux or Eclairs for example, it can be used straight away.
