why you will love this recipe
- Simple ingredients: My recipe only requires five basic ingredients. While other recipes call for heavy cream and milk, this creamy custard is made using only milk.
- Creamy texture: You’ll love the smooth texture and beautiful vanilla flavour of this homemade custard. It is also not too sweet.
- Easy to make: If this is your first time making custard, you’ll love how simple this recipe is. You don’t need any special equipment for this recipe. Made on the stove-top, it’s surprisingly easy.
- Make-ahead: Get prepped and make your custard days in advance for easy entertaining. Whether you enjoy it by itself or alongside your favourite pie, pudding or trifle, this custard is the perfect holiday dessert.
recipe testing
One of my core childhood treats was homemade custard with banana. But while I grew up on custard that was made using custard powder, I was floored when I discovered how easy it was to make custard from scratch.
And even more so, I couldn’t believe how much better it tasted. I first worked on my own custard recipe years ago, when I was dabbling with a thick custard for my Boston Cream Pie recipe.
So it was the perfect place to start. I wanted to create a smooth custard with a pouring consistency similar to a creme anglaise – so it could accompany my favourite Apple Cake, Apple Crumble or a slice of Peach Cake.
But I ran into some trouble as I started to play around with the ingredients. I reduced the cornflour as I didn’t want it too thick (or powdery) and added extra egg yolks for richness.
While my custard tasted good and even looked good, I was often left with an ever-so slightly grainy texture and a powdery after-taste. I couldn’t understand since it had barely any cornflour in it.
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
720 ml (3 cups) full fat milk or full cream milk
30 grams (3 level tablespoons) cornflour or corn starch
65 grams (1/3 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add 600 ml (2 and 1/2 cups) of milk.
- Place milk on the stovetop on medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until milk is hot to the touch but NOT boiling. You might see some steam rising from the milk.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cornflour, caster sugar and egg yolks. Add remaining 120 ml (1/2 cup) of milk. Whisk using a hand whisk just for 20-30 seconds until combined and smooth.
- Add a splash of the hot milk to the egg mixture, and continue to whisk. Add a little bit more, while continuing to whisk, before pouring in the remaining milk in a slow but steady stream.
- Rinse and dry saucepan (if using the same one) to make sure it’s clean and there’s no milk stuck to the bottom. Run the custard through a sieve to remove any little lumps of eggs or flour.
- Then pour custard back into saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir continually using a spatula or wooden spoon until mixture thickens slightly. Be sure to stir around the edges of the saucepan as this is where the custard can catch.
- This will take around 10 minutes. Watch the heat – if your custard gets too hot, you can scramble the eggs, but if it’s too low, your custard won’t thicken. Bring the custard up to 80C / 176F but don’t let it go hotter than 85C / 185F or it may split.
- Remove custard from heat and stir through vanilla extract. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
- Immediately place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the custard, making sure it touches the top of the custard. This will help prevent a skin from forming as the custard cools.
- Place custard in the fridge for 2-3 hours to cool and thicken. (Or you can enjoy it warm too if you like too). To reheat, place in the microwave and heat until warm.
NOTES
Corn flour: Corn flour, also known as corn starch, is a key ingredient in this custard recipe. Not only does it act as a thickener, it also coats the egg yolks and prevents them from splitting over high heat (see recipe testing above to hear how we learnt that the hard way).
Caster Sugar: Caster sugar, also sometimes called very fine sugar, is ideal in this recipe as it dissolves easily. If you don’t have access to caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar.
Vanilla: I always use a high quality vanilla extract in my custard. My preferred brand is Nielsen Massey. However, if you prefer, you can use a vanilla bean pod. Simply halve it lengthways using a sharp knife, and scrap out the vanilla beans and add them to your milk in step 1 of the recipe method.
THICKER CUSTARD: This recipe makes a thin custard with a pourable consistency. It’s perfect for pouring over Fruit Cake or serve alongside pies and puddings. If you want a thicker custard, you can remove 1/2 cup of milk AND/OR add an extra 1 tablespoon of cornflour. Follow instructions as written.
Storage: Once completely cooled, you can remove the plastic wrap on the top of the custard. Transfer custard to an airtight container with a lid and place in the fridge.
Make-ahead: Custard will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold or to reheat, place in the microwave and heat until warm.