Making an excellent microwave pastry cream was a real revelation for me: in fact, I did not think that in just 5 minutes it was possible to obtain a custard with a perfect consistency, dense at the right point and above all without lumps. Until recently, in fact, I used to prepare pastry cream with the classic method on the stove and, although the result was excellent, it always took me about half an hour between preparation and cooking, an operation which also required a lot of attention since the cream had to be stirred constantly and cooked over very low heat.
With the microwave pastry cream, on the other hand, you can proceed in a much quicker way: it will be sufficient to briefly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, add the milk in which you have melted the cornstarch and cook everything in the microwave for 4 minutes: the latter phase must be divided into two 2-minute steps, to allow you to mix the cream which, otherwise, would not cook evenly. The microwave custard is identical to the one prepared with the classic method and is perfect for filling sponge cake, cream puffs, crepes, various desserts such as trifle, or for preparing diplomat cream. Finally, the microwave pastry cream is perfect if you are gluten intolerant because it is prepared with corn starch; if you are lactose intolerant you can prepare the custard in the microwave using soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk or almond milk.
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Ingredients for about 2 1/2 cups of microwave custard
- Power 276,09 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 41,53 (g) of which sugars 31,91 (g)
- Proteins 7,07 (g)
- Fat 10,05 (g) of which saturated 5,18 (g)of which unsaturated 4,85 (g)
- Fibers 0,00 (g)
- Sodium 8,92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
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How to prepare the microwave pastry cream (custard)
Qui puoi leggere la ricetta in italiano!
To prepare microwave pastry cream, start by placing the cornstarch in a cup together with half a cup (120 ml) ml of cold milk taken from the total quantity. Stir vigorously with a spoon, until you are sure that it has melted perfectly.
In a large bowl suitable for the microwave, shell the yolks and add the sugar and vanilla essence. With the electric whisk at maximum speed, whip the yolks with the sugar for 30-40 seconds, until the mixture is swollen and homogeneous.
At this point, pour the milk in which you melted the cornstarch and incorporate it with the electric whisk. Then pour in the rest of the cold milk (1 and 1/2 cups – 350 ml), and continue to mix the cream with the electric whisk for half a minute. In the end you must obtain a liquid, foamy and homogeneous mixture.
Place the bowl in the microwave and cook at 700 W for 2 minutes, after which the cream will still be liquid.
Take it out of the microwave and mix it briefly with a hand whisk. Put the custard back in the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes at 700 W.
As soon as the microwave pastry cream is made, it will probably seem uneven, but don’t worry: you will have to mix it again for a few seconds with the whisk (or with a spoon) and it will have a perfect consistency (9).
Once ready, cover the custard with a sheet of plastic wrap so that it does not congeal on the surface. Once cold, keep it in the refrigerator.
Serve the microwave pastry cream as a dessert or use it to fill sponge cake or for any preparation that requires pastry cream.
How to store pastry cream
The pastry cream can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If you freeze it, it will keep for about a month.
Tips and variations
Instead of cornstarch you can use another starch, such as rice starch or potato starch, which however generally gives a slightly more gelatinous result.
With the leftover egg whites you can prepare a beautiful pavlova cake!
Varied doses for servings