Hello all,

I was wondering if someone would be able to share a really good boston cream filling.. I will be covering the cake in fondant so i was wondering about how long can this type of filling stay out for ? Thanks

anyone ?

This is what I use. It is perishable, though, so it can't be left out more than a couple of hours. When I use perishable fillings I do refrigerate my fondant covered cakes, and I don't have any problems. I know there are cream fillings you can buy that have stabilizers and/or preservatives in them so they can be left out but I don't know what they are.

Pastry Cream

1 cup whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat milk to simmering over medium heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar; add cornstarch and stir until smooth.

While constantly beating with whisk, gradually pour about 1/2 cup of milk into egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into remaining milk and cook, stirring constantly, until boiling and thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in butter and flavoring. Transfer to shallow bowl (I prefer a glass pie pan) and lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until completely cool.

It's vanilla pastry cream, right? For Boston cream pie?

This is what I've done.

http://www.epicurious.com/video/technique-videos/technique-videos-other-desserts/1915458782/other-desserts-how-to-make-pastry-cream/1915433345

There's a video there for technique, and you can check out the recipe. It's usually about the same all over.

Yes, it is vanilla pastry cream. I prefer the pastry cream recipes with cornstarch in them, instead of using white flour. For some reason, I always taste the flour in the latter type of recipe.

Theresa

Then here's another one with cornstarch that I've also made, from the CIA DVD.

http://www.ciaculinaryintelligence.com/desserts/

thank you all for the recipes.. I guess this cake will only be ablel to stay out for 2 hours

I haven't made huge cakes with it, or covered in fondant. Just cakes for family.

Maybe Theresa (playingwithsugar) will help if she's made it for occasions? I know Elcee says she refrigerates, but I would assume if the cake is really cold, then it can stay out longer? Not sure.

Maybe you can find a different filling that tastes similar to this but that is non-perishable?

There's this (Belcreme) but it's really expensive! And I'm confused because there's a hot and a cold version!

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Instant-Pastry-Cream-Hot-Belcreme-Powder/31645359

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XZHFB0/?tag=cakecentral-20

Pastry cream (creme patisserie in French) is my favorite of all fillings.

A few years ago, I did a search on the Web, to find as many of the different flavors as I could.

Since it contains dairy and egg, it must be refrigerated.

I group cornstarch and flour with the rest of the hydrocolloids - ingredients that are used to thicken and/or add structure. They can be activated with heat (think homemade gravy) or cold (think instant pudding) or with the addition of chemical ingredients or gums that react with the liquid or main ingredient to do the same (think coffee caviar).

Because it is a cooked custard, it will separate if it sits out, warm, for too long - the water in the ingredients will start weeping and make your cake soggy. I don't know if there's a time frame before that happens, as I've never experimented with it that way. I do not think 1 day would hurt it, but because of the ingredients, I choose not to risk it.

Also, the warmer it is, the softer it is, and if too much weight is placed atop it, you will get a bulge in the side of your cake. If you're making a Boston Creme Pie, a bulge is almost a requirement, but for a frosted cake, you're better off keeping it cold.

Theresa