Pastry Creams

Quick reference guide to pastry and baking creams and crèmes.

Mother/Foundation Creams

  • Whipped - Whipped Heavy or Whipping Cream (>30% Milkfat)
  • Chantilly - Whipped Cream + Sugar/Vanilla
  • Custard  - Cream Cooked with Egg or Egg Yolks
    • Anglaise - Cream or Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Vanilla [Thin/Pouring]
    • Patisserie - Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Starch (Flour and/or Cornstarch) [Thick]

Daughter/Advanced Creams

Crème Anglaise (CA) or Crème Pâtissière (CP) Base

  • Diplomat/Légère - CP + Whipped Cream
  • Mousseline - CP + Whipped Butter
  • Chiboust - CP + Whipped Egg Whites
  • Saint-Honoré - CP + Whipped Egg Whites + Gelatin
  • Frangipane - CP + Almond or Macaron Powder
  • Bavarois/Bavarian - CA + Whipped Cream + Gelatin
  • Crèmeux - CA + Butter ± Gelatin

Mock and Cheese Creams

  • Buttercream - Butter + Powdered Sugar
    • French Buttercream (Crème au Beurre) - + Whipped Egg Whites
    • Swiss Meringue Buttercream - Heated Sugar and Egg Whites Whipped into a Meringue that is then Whipped with Butter
    • Italian Meringue Buttercream - Hot Sugar Syrup Drizzled into Whipped Egg Whites that are then Whipped with Butter
  • Cream Cheese - Soft Fresh Cheese Made From Milk and Cream
  • Marscapone Cream - Marscapone (Fresh Cheese Made from Cream and Citric Acid) + Sugar + Egg Yolks

Dairy Creams

  • Cream - Dairy Product Composed of the Higher-Fat Layer Skimmed from the Top of Milk (Types by Country)
  • Clotted Cream - Thick Cream (≥55% Milkfat), Made by Heating Milk with Steam and Slowly Cooling in Shallow Pans
  • Crème Fraîche - Cream Soured with Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture Containing 30–45% Milkfat with a pH of ~6
  • Sour Cream - Cream Soured with Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture Containing 15–20% Milkfat with a pH of ~4.5

Crème Liqueur

Contains No Actual Dairy Cream

  • Crème de Banane (Banana)
  • Crème de Cacao (Chocolate)
  • Crème de Cassis (Mint)
  • Crème de Menthe (Mint)
  • Crème de Mûre (Blackberry)
  • Crème de Noyaux (Almond)

Cream Liqueur

Contains Dairy Cream

  • Amarula (Fermented Fruit of the African Marula Tree)
  • Dooley's (Vodka)
  • Irish Cream (Whiskey)

Custard-Based Desserts

  • Crème Brûlée - Custard (Thicker CA) Topped with a Layer of Caramelized Sugar
  • Crème Caramel - Flan/Caramel Custard
  • Crème Catalana - Flavored Custard Topped with a Layer of Caramelized Sugar
  • Crème Glacée (Plombières) - Frozen Custard
  • Floating Island (Île Flottante) - CA with Meringue
  • Frozen Custard - Ice Cream with Eggs
  • Pot de Crème - Cream, Egg Yolks, Sugar
  • Zabaione - Egg Yolks, Sugar, Moscato d’Asti