My creamy Earl Grey Custard is an easy and versatile recipe. Perfect for filling cupcakes, pies and tarts, this tea pastry cream can also be served along fresh berries or on its own as a simple tea pudding.
Looking for more delicious tea baking recipes? My Earl Grey scones are fragrant and flaky, delicious to have along with black tea whipped cream or this Earl Grey pastry cream.
🫖Why make it
- This custard makes a delicious Earl Grey pudding that served with blueberry compote is absolutely perfection;
- It’s a fantastic filling for vanilla, lemon and Earl Grey cakes and cupcakes;
- You can have it as a sweet treat for breakfast. I love having it with my sourdough crepes!
📃Ingredients
Cream. Use heavy/double/whipping cream, between 30 to 36% fat.
Milk. I use whole milk to make this recipe, but skimmed and partially skimmed also work.
Egg yolks. We’re only using egg yolks for this recipe. Use room temperature egg yolks.
Extract. You can use vanilla extract for a vanilla touch or Earl Grey extract for a stronger Earl Grey flavor. Lavender extract also goes great with this recipe, giving a sophisticated taste. If using lavender extract, add only ½ tsp.
Earl Grey Tea. You can use loose or tea bags. I’ve tried this recipe with both, but loose tea tends to make a more fragrant cream.
🥄How to make it
Step 01. In a clean jar or container with a lid, add milk, heavy cream and Earl Grey tea. Close the lid shut and let it cold brew in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours.
Step 02. Remove Earl Grey tea bags, or, if using loose tea, pour the cream through a fine mesh strainer to remove the leaves.
Step 03. In a pot or pan, over low heat, heat the Earl Grey milk cream mixture until warm-hot. Do not boil. Let it cool for 4-5 minutes.
Step 04. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoon of milk. I don’t mix it directly into the egg mixture to avoid clumps.
Step 05. In a bowl, whisk room temperature egg yolks, sugar and extract until well combined. Add the diluted cornstarch and whisk to combine.
Step 06. Place the pot back over low heat and slowly add the egg mixture. Whisk until thickened. It will have a silky texture when ready.
Step 07. Cover with plastic film, and let it cool at room temperature. After cooled, you can use it or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
✔️Expert Tips
- To avoid forming a skin while cooling, let the custard cool first at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. The film needs to keep in contact with the cream.
- Using cornstarch makes a lighter cream: do not substitute with all-purpose flour.
- Don’t stop whisking the cream in the final step. Whisking nonstop helps to prevent clumps.
- Do not freeze this recipe. You can’t freeze this custard cream: it loses the creamy texture once it is thawed.
🥞How to serve
Earl Grey custard cream is great to fill cakes and cupcakes, as well pies and tarts, but it can also be served as a side.
I love having mine with fluffy belgian waffles, especially Earl Grey waffles to enhance even more the flavor.
Here are some of my favorite breakfast recipes to have along with this tea custard:
If you tried this Earl Grey Custard Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating to help me out and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Earl Grey Custard (Tea Pastry Cream)
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Small Pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk whole or 2%
- ¾ cup heavy cream at least 30% fat
- 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea or 3 bags of Earl Grey tea
- 4 egg yolks room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or earl grey extract
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a clean jar or container with a lid, add milk, heavy cream and Earl Grey tea (bags or loose tea leaves). Close the lid shut and let it cold brew in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours.
- Remove Earl Grey tea bags, or, if using loose tea, pour the cream through a fine mesh strainer to remove the leaves.
- In a pot or pan, over low heat, heat the Earl Grey milk cream mixture until warm-hot. Do not boil. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- While cream cools, in a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoon of milk. I don’t mix it directly into the egg mixture to avoid clumps.
- In a bowl, whisk room temperature egg yolks, sugar and vanilla or Earl Grey extract until well combined.
- Add the diluted cornstarch and whisk to combine.
- Place the pot back over low heat and slowly add the egg mixture. Whisk until thickened. It will have a silky texture when ready.
- Cover with plastic film, and let it cool at room temperature. After cooled, you can use it or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
- To avoid forming a skin while cooling, let the custard cool first at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. The film needs to keep in contact with the cream.
- Using cornstarch makes a lighter cream: do not substitute with all-purpose flour.
- Don’t stop whisking the cream in the final step. Whisking nonstop helps to prevent clumps.
- Do not freeze this recipe. You can’t freeze this custard cream: it loses the creamy texture once it is thawed.
Tatiana Kamakura
Thank you for reading this post! I hope you like this recipe as much as I do.