Mousseline Cream (Crème Mousseline)

This Mousseline Cream (Crème Mousseline) is a classic French cream that is made by whipping butter into pastry cream (Crème Pâtissière). The rich and decadent vanilla cream is a great topping and filling for cakes and pastries!

Jump to:

• What is Crème Mousseline
• Ingredients
• How to make Crème Mousseline step-by-step
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips & Troubleshooting
• How to use Crème Mousseline
• Storing & Freezing
• More Basic French Creams
• Recipe
• Comments

What is Crème Mousseline

Mousseline cream - Crème Mousseline in French - is a rich and fluffy custard-base cream filling made from whipping butter into a Crème Pâtissière (pastry cream). It is a classic French Pastry cream that is used as a filling for cakes, pastries, and desserts.

You can make a basic mousseline cream with vanilla or flavour it with many delicious ingredients like for this Praline Mousseline Cream.

Ingredients

Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities

What is Mousseline Cream made of:

• Milk: use full cream milk (whole milk) for the best result. I don't recommend using fat-free or skim milk here - you need that extra fat.

• Vanilla: for the best flavour, use a fresh vanilla bean pod. They are expensive but the flavour is really worth it! The second best option is vanilla bean paste that will still give you those gorgeous specks and fresh flavour. Last option is vanilla extract, but the flavour won't taste as natural or strong.

• Egg Yolks: from large eggs and at room temperature.

• Sugar: caster sugar or fine white granulated sugar.

• Cornstarch: used to thicken the mousseline cream when cooked. You can substitute it with plain, all-purpose flour but I find that cornstarch gives you a lighter texture. Make sure to sift the cornstarch before using it.

• Butter: the most important ingredient of the recipe! Use a good quality, european-style butter (82% fat) for the best, flavourful result. The temperature of the butter is extremely important here - if it is too cold or too hot, it won't whip into the pastry cream.

Flavour Variation

• Nuts: Mousseline Cream is often flavoured with a Praline Paste to make a classic Paris-Brest. You could also use Pistachio Paste for example.

• Chocolate: make a Chocolate Pastry Cream as a base instead of a vanilla one.

• Fruits: simply replace part of the milk (or all of the milk for a stronger flavour) in the pastry cream with a thin fruit puree.

• Tea & Coffee: infuse the milk with your favourite tea or coffee before making the pastry cream.

How to make Crème Mousseline step-by-step

Making the Crème Pâtissière

• Place the Milk in a medium-size saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the beans inside the pod and add it to the milk along with the remaining pod. Turn on medium low heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes - or up to a few hours! Remove the vanilla pod.

If using vanilla paste or extract, there is no need to infuse the milk. Simply bring to a simmer and it's ready to use.

• Photo 1: in a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.

• Photo 2: add the cornstarch and whisk until no lumps remain.

• Photo 3: slowly pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Mix well until completely smooth.

• Photo 4: pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and place back over the stove on a low heat. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes while continuously stirring. Once you notice large bubbles starting to puff on top of the cream, vigorously whisk for about 30 seconds to a minute then directly remove from the stove. 

Make sure not to let the cream boil or go over a medium heat or you risk over-cooking the eggs, which will result in a thick, lumpy cream.

Ideally, use a kitchen thermometer to check the exact temperature of your crème pâtissière. It is cooked once it reaches 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 183 degrees Farhenheit). 

• Away from the stove, slowly add the first part of the butter a little bit at a time, whisking well until fully incorporated before adding more.

• Transfer the cream into a wide shallow dish (such as a muffin pan for example) or a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour - or up to 24 hours.

If chilling for more than an hour, you will need to take the cream out of the fridge and let it come back to room temperature before incorporating the rest of the butter.

Adding the butter: method 1

The first method consists in whipping the soft butter with the whisk attachment of your stand mixer for a few minutes, or until light and fluffy. The rested pastry cream is then added and mixed in until you get a soft, smooth mousseline cream.

• Take the pastry cream out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to mixing it into the butter so that it gets back to room temperature.

• Photo 5: place the soft, room temperature butter in a large bowl - or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the butter on medium high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until light, fluffy and slightly lighter in colour.

The exact time will depend on the exact temperature of your butter. Stop and scrape the bowl with a spatula if / when required to get an homogeneous mixture.

• Photo 6: Add the room temperature pastry cream to the butter a little bit at a time.

• Photo 7: whip the soft butter and pastry cream until fully combine.

• Photo 8: when all the pastry cream has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and continue to whip for a couple more minutes. You should get a very light, fluffy mousseline cream. If the cream gets soft, place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes then continue to whip.

Adding the butter: method 2

The second method consists in whisking the pastry cream first, then gradually adding the soft butter. The pastry cream can be slightly colder with this method as whisking it on its own first will warm it up a bit.

• Photo 9: place the pastry cream in a large bowl - or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes to loosen the cream and allow it to come back to room temperature.

• Photo 10: slowly add the soft, room temperature butter cut into small cubes a little bit at a time while the mixer is on medium speed.

• Photo 11: whip well until the butter has been completely incorporated before adding more.

• Photo 12: when all the butter has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and continue to whip for a couple more minutes. You should get a very light, fluffy mousseline cream.

If the cream gets soft, place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes then continue to whip. If you see chunks of butter that are not mixing in (the cream looks like it is splitting), leave at room temperature to warm up a bit.

Recipe FAQs

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Why is my pastry cream is lumpy or grainy? A grainy pastry cream usually indicates that the cream was cooked at a temperature too high and the egg yolks curdled, creating lumps. Make sure to cook the cream at low temperature, preferably using a kitchen thermometer for the perfect results. Pastry Cream is cooked at 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 184 degrees Fahrenheit).

• How to fix a lumpy pastry cream? Large lumps can be removed by pouring the custard through a thin mesh sieve. If the cream remains grainy after that, you can very lightly blend it with an immersion blender, but be careful as over-blending it might make the cream go loose and liquid.

• Why is my mousseline cream splitting when I add the butter? If the temperature of the butter and/or the pastry cream is too cold or too hot, the two will not combine properly. I personally like to use a kitchen thermometer to make sure both components have the same temperature before combining them.

• How to fix a split mousseline cream? Make sure both the butter and pastry cream have the right temperature before combining. They should both be at room temperature. If too warm or too cold, the cream might split or not whip properly.
  
  - Too warm: the mousseline will appear flat and slightly shiny or greasy. Place the bowl back in the fridge to allow for the butter to harden slightly down the before whipping again.
  
  - Too cold: you will see lumps or grains of butter that will not combine into the custard. Leave at room temperature to slightly warm up and whip on high speed. You can also carefully (and only very lightly) heat up the bowl (if it is heatproof) using a kitchen torch.

How to use Crème Mousseline

• For Entremets and Layer Cakes like a Fraisier Cake. I personally like to make my Fraisier with Diplomat Cream but the traditional recipe is made with Mousseline Cream. You can also use it between layers of Dacquoise Sponge for example.

• To fill Choux Pastry desserts. For example, flavour a mousseline cream with Praline Paste to make a Paris-Brest filling (Praline Mousseline Cream). Or use to fill your favourite choux pastries like profiteroles, eclairs, Choux à la Crème or Choux au Craquelin.

• Inside Tarts: for a lighter and fluffier filling than pastry cream in my Strawberry Tart or Mini Fruit Tarts for example.

• As a frosting over (or inside) cakes and cupcakes.

Storing & Freezing

Crème Mousseline can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store in an airtight container or bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.

I do not recommend freezing this cream as it will loose its fluffy texture once thawed.

Recipe

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