Custard Cake Filling

[kthull]

I have a request for a chocolate layer cake with custard filling for my neighbor's 1 year old birthday party, and I'm having a hard time with the custard filling part.

When someone asks for a custard filling, what is the custard filling?

So far I've made vanilla pastry cream (Herme), bavarian cream (Freiberg) and the vanilla cream filling posted on the Boston Cream Pie thread (sugar, flour, salt, scalded milk, eggs, vanilla). Nothing's turning up quite right and I haven't had much luck on search engines or the major recipe sites.

Anyone know specifically what the filling is and able to share a recipe?

Thanks!

[chefette]

Try a stove top creme brulee custard

1 pint heavy cream

2oz sugar

6 large egg yolks

vanilla

pinch salt

bring the cream and sugar to a boil

temper the yolks and return to the pot

stir over high heat about 12 stirs strain and chill about 6 hours

you may want to add about 1tsp powdered gelatin or 1 sheet to this while warm for a thicker consistency

If you add gelatin you can pour it into a flexipan or other silicon mold and freeze then just pop it out and drop into the cake. Make sure that you create a dam of buttercream or frosting round the custard so it does not seep out.

Because of the eggs, the cake will be more perishable and will not be able to sit out at room temperature too long.

[Katherine]

When someone asks for a custard filling, what is the custard filling?

When somebody asks for a custard filling, maybe you should ask them what kind of a custard filling they're expecting, so there are no surprises.

[Wendy DeBord]

Since I live in your area, based on my experience.....I strongly guess that your neighbor is refering to the "custard" filling they'd order from a typical bakery in our region. Bakeries buy it in buckets and it's non-dairy shelf stable item. They use it in eclairs, danish and as a cake filling.

I think the stove top/cooked box of vanilla pudding is very similar.

[kthull]

Thanks Wendy. I was starting to think that, but was hoping it couldn't be true. And Colleen, thanks for that recipe. I'll give it a try...sounds great!

[ComeUndone]

I tried the recipe for Fraisier from Francois Payard's Simply Sensational Dessert. It contains a mousseline filling which is pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. The result is stiff enough to be used as a 1 1/2 inch filling with sliced strawberries between two layers of genoise set in a 8-inch cake ring. If I remember correctly, the proportion is 1/2 pastry cream and 1/2 whipped cream.

Hope this helps.

[kthull]

I've used the 1/2 pastry cream and 1/2 whip cream before and I think that might be why I'm thinking the pastry cream is not quite right. That's the only one of the three I mentioned above that I didn't actually make yesterday...was just relying on my fast-fading memory. I'll make some more pastry cream as well. I do know that the person I'm making the cake for has had the half and half mixture before and liked it, but did not request it this time around, so I wouldn't feel safe using that.

Geez...what to do with all these creams and my wife and I trying to still fit through the doorways

[ChocoChris]

Hi,

I am making a cake that will have custard and strawberries as one filling and custard with banana as another. I have questions about each.

Is it safe to put uncooked sliced strawberries in with custard and not have the juice from the berries thin the custard? I don't want the strawberries to be in huge chunks so I was thinking of slicing them fairly thin and layering them in the custard.

Also, will the bananas discolor if I just add them as slices into the custard?

Thanks for any advice.

Take care,

Chris

[JeanneCake]

Can you put the sliced strawberries on the cake layer, with a buttercream dam around the edge, and then layer the custard in? You'd get a berry in each slice that way.

For my cakes, I use pastry cream for my "custard" and have it a little on the thick side so I can add a little whipped cream to lighten it up. I make the pastry cream cakes the day before they are to be served, (I chop the berries, they're not sliced) and haven't had any comments about watering out....

[ChocoChris]

Can you put the sliced strawberries on the cake layer, with a buttercream dam around the edge, and then layer the custard in?  You'd get a berry in each slice that way. 

For my cakes, I use pastry cream for my "custard" and have it a little on the thick side so I can add a little whipped cream to lighten it up. I make the pastry cream cakes the day before they are to be served, (I chop the berries, they're not sliced) and haven't had any comments about watering out....

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I like your berry arrangement idea. I was wondering how you make your custard on the "thick side."

Thanks!

[turkeybone]

I would say perhaps use a little more cornstarch than the recipe calls for.

[JeanneCake]

that's what I do - add about 2 tablespoons more (1 qt milk with 4 oz sugar, bring to boil, 2.5 oz yolks, 3.5 whole egg; 2.5 oz cornstarch with 4 oz sugar, then 2 oz butter at the end. I'll use 3 oz cornstarch for a thicker consistency. Too much though makes it rubbery).

[heleen1]

I do this as well, and here's how: I use a failry stiff pastry cream as a first layer on my cake, then 'press' the sliced/chopped strawberries in the pastry cream a little bit. I top this with a layer of sweetened whipped cream, then add the next cake layer. This way, the fruit is sealed in and keeps well. Of course, you'd have to refridgerate this. I think it works equally well with strawberries and bananas. The bananas won't brown if they're not exposed to air in some way.

[K8memphis]

Strawberries pee less if you use a very sharp knife.

[DiH]

Strawberries pee less if you use a very sharp knife.

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So true! An el cheapo egg slicer works great too.

Di