Homemade Bavarian Cream Recipe
Published February 2, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious homemade Bavarian cream recipe with sweet vanilla bean custard is combined with whipped cream for a simple, decadent dessert. You will love how easy this is to make and how tasty it is.
If you’ve never worked with Bavarian cream and are interested in serving it as a filling instead of as a stand-alone dessert like chocolate mousse, try putting it into my Profiteroles or Cream Puffs.
Bavarian Cream
Bavarian cream is a dessert served chilled with flavored custard that is mixed with whipped cream and gelatin so that it is stabilized. It is common to serve them in stemmed wine glasses or use a decorative mold to set them in. It is also used to fill in pastries.
This custard cream recipe is very easy to prepare and has perfectly subtle sweet flavors. I prefer to add more sugar when making it to make it sweeter. If you want it to be more traditional, then remove ¼ cup of sugar from the recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cream – You will need heavy whipping cream for the whipped cream.
- Milk – I used whole milk, which is best for making the crème anglaise. However, you can use 1%, 2%, or skim milk.
- Eggs – Chilled or room-temperature eggs work perfectly.
- Water – Tap water is fine.
- Vanilla – I used fresh vanilla beans. Substitute with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is what’s needed.
- Gelatin – Unflavored gelatin is needed for this Bavarian cream.
How to Make Bavarian Cream from Scratch
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Add a vanilla pod sliced in half longways to a sauce pot along with the milk.
Transfer the pot to a cooktop and scald over low to medium heat.
In the meantime, add the sugar and eggs to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
Pour a small amount of the scalded milk into the bowl with the eggs and sugar and whisk to combine and temper the eggs, ensuring they do not scramble.
Pour in the rest of the milk and whisk to combine.
Remove the vanilla pod and, using a knife, scrape the beans out of the pods.
Add the vanilla beans to the bowl and mix to combine.
Transfer the pot back to the burner and constantly whisk it over low to medium heat.
The mixture will become thick and easily coat the back of a spoon, which is also known as nappe.
Remove the pot from the burner and strain it into a large bowl through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.
Add in the gelatinized water and whisk until mixed into the mixture. There should be no clumps. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator and cool it until the custard is thick but has not yet set.
While cooling, add the cold whipping cream to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Whisk on high speed until soft peaks are formed. Do not over-mix. Chill the mixture until the custard has thickened.
The custard should resemble a less thick pudding.
Add the mixture to the bowl with the whipped cream and gently fold it together to combine.
Use the Bavarian cream in any manner that you see fit.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead for freshness.
How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze this covered for up to 3 months. When thawing, it will turn to liquid, so it’s best to serve it frozen once you freeze it.
Chef Notes + Tips
- This filling can easily replace any recipe that uses whipped cream.
More Dessert Recipes
Homemade Bavarian Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ ounce unflavored gelatin
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced in half long ways
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Next, add a vanilla pod sliced in half longways to a medium-sized sauce pot with the milk.
- Transfer the pot to a cooktop and scald over low to medium heat. I know it’s scalded when the milk is too hot to touch (180°), and when I tilt the pot, I can see small bubbles collect on the bottom of the pan.
- In the meantime, add the sugar and eggs to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour a small amount of the scalded milk into the bowl with the eggs and sugar and whisk to combine and temper the eggs, ensuring they do not scramble.
- Pour in the rest of the milk and whisk to combine.
- Remove the vanilla pod and, using a knife, scrape the beans out of the pods.
- Add the vanilla beans to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Transfer the pot to the burner and constantly whisk it over low to medium heat.
- The mixture will become thick and easily coat the back of a spoon, also known as nappe.
- Remove the pot from the burner and strain through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- Add in the gelatinized water and whisk until mixed into the mixture. There should be no clumps. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator and cool it until the custard is thick but not yet set.
- While cooling, add the cold whipping cream to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Whisk on high speed until soft peaks are formed. Do not over-mix. Chill the mixture until the custard has thickened.
- Add the custard to the bowl with the whipped cream and gently fold it together to combine.
- Use the Bavarian cream in any manner that you see fit.
Thank you, Billy, for a wonderful recipe that a novice like me can follow. I made this recipe and looked like a pro to my dinner guests…a miraculous achievement for me, I can assure you!
Thanks for giving it a try!
Sounds delicious. Will try it shortly. 🙏