Custard cream (Крем заварний) is a GOST recipe for a cooked egg-based cream thickened with wheat flour. Unlike buttercream, custard cream contains no butter — it relies on eggs, sugar, milk, and flour for its thick, pudding-like consistency. This cream is one of the most economical options in the GOST confectionery collection and is widely used for filling choux pastry (éclairs, profiteroles) and layering sponge cakes.
Recipe per 10 kg of finished cream
- Whole milk — 5.390 kg
- Granulated sugar — 1.960 kg
- Egg yolks (or mélange) — 1.470 kg
- Top-grade wheat flour — 0.390 kg
- Vanilla flavoring — 0.010 kg
Technological map
Egg yolks are whisked with sugar until thick and pale. Flour is sifted and mixed into the yolk-sugar mass. Milk is brought to a boil separately. The hot milk is poured into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while stirring vigorously to prevent curdling (this step is called tempering — gradually raising the temperature of the eggs). The combined mass is returned to heat and cooked while stirring constantly until it thickens and reaches 95 °C. The cream must not be boiled vigorously to avoid curdling.
After cooking, vanilla is added and the cream is cooled rapidly. Due to its high moisture content (approximately 40–42%) and the absence of preservatives, custard cream has a very short shelf life — typically 6–12 hours at refrigerated temperatures. This is the main limitation of this cream type in industrial production.
Food safety considerations
Custard cream is classified as a high-risk product in food safety terms due to its high moisture, neutral pH, and rich nutrient content — ideal conditions for bacterial growth. Strict temperature control, rapid cooling, and short holding times are essential. Many modern bakeries have replaced traditional custard cream with pasteurized or UHT-based alternatives for improved safety.