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Creme Diplomate (Diplomat Cream)

Diplomat cream in a white bowl with a spoon and towel in the background.
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Diplomat cream (crème diplomate) is a light, velvety French filling made by folding whipped cream into gelatin-stabilized vanilla pastry cream. Easy to make and endlessly versatile, it pipes beautifully into cakes, tarts, and choux pastries.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup + 1/2 tablespoon (250 ml) whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 40 g egg yolks (see note #1)
  • 1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons (75 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (25 g) cornstarch
  • 2 gelatin sheets, 200 bloom (see note #2) 
  • 2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons (200 ml) cold heavy cream, 30% fat

Attention:

*This amount of cream is enough to decorate a "number cake" of letter-sized paper (or A4) composed of 2 layers of cream. Also, it is enough to pipe 12 cupcakes.

**For a cake 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and about 1.5 inches (6 cm) high, multiply the ingredients by 1.5.

Instructions

  1. To make the pastry cream, place the gelatine sheets in a large bowl and cover with cold water for 10 minutes to soften. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with icing (powdered) sugar with a hand whisk until whitish. Then add cornstarch and whisk again.
  2. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds with a knife.  Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the vanilla pod, split in half, and vanilla bean seeds. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
  3. Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg yolk/sugar mixture, stirring vigorously with the whisk. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens (30 seconds to a minute). Don't stop stirring while cooking the cream to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  4. Pour the pastry cream into a clean, shallow dish and remove the vanilla pod. If you see cream lumps, pass the cream through a fine-mesh sieve or use an immersion blender. Otherwise, omit this step.
  5. Add the softened and well-drained gelatin and mix well. Gelatin must be added to the pastry cream while it is off the heat.
  6. Cover the dish with plastic film on contact. The film must come into contact with the cream's surface to prevent skin formation. Leave it to cool to room temperature without refrigerating it.
  7. To make the whipped cream, place the bowl of a stand mixer or the bowl of a handheld mixer with the whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove the chilled bowl and beater from the freezer, then pour very cold cream into the bowl. Whip it at medium speed into soft peaks; you can use an electric hand mixer if desired.
  8. To make the Diplomat cream, transfer the pastry cream to a clean mixing bowl and whip it for a few moments. Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula. Then add the remaining whipped cream and gently mix, working in the same direction and lifting the cream from the bottom of the bowl.
  9. Transfer the ready Diplomat cream to a pastry bag with a decorating tip and use it immediately. Or keep it in a closed piping bag in the refrigerator. 

Notes

  1. 40 g egg yolks, approximately equal to 2 raw fresh egg yolks from extra-large-size chicken eggs.
  2. 2 gelatin sheets equal 1 1/4 teaspoon (4 g) of powdered gelatin.
  3. To prevent milk from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan, add a bit of sugar to the empty pan, then pour the milk.
  4. Cook the pastry cream over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
  5. Using the gelatine powder, follow the package instructions for the amount of water needed and the time required to bloom. Then, add the gelatin mixture to the warm pastry cream.
  6. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, keeping it in contact to prevent skin from forming on its surface.
  7. If the final cream seems soft, refrigerate it for 1-2 hours before using.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/creme-diplomate-diplomat-cream/