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!
60gr (1/4 cup)Caster Sugaror fine white granulated sugar
30gr (1/4 cup)Cornstarch
5gr (1 1/2 teaspoons)Gelatine Powderplus a little bit cold water (see note 3)
180ml (3/4 cup)Heavy / Thickened Cream
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.
Video
Notes
General Disclaimer: I highly recommend using the measurements in grams/ml (instead of cups/spoons) for more accuracy and better results.Ingredients 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.
Instruction Notes:
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.