Quick reference guide to pastry and baking creams and crèmes.
Mother/Foundation Creams
- Whipped (Fouettée): Whipped Heavy/Whipping Cream (>30% Milkfat)
- Chantilly: Whipped Cream + Sugar/Vanilla
- Custard: Sweetened Milk/Cream Cooked/Thickened with Egg or Egg Yolks
- Anglaise: Cream or Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Vanilla [Thin/Pouring]
- Patisserie: Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Starch (Flour and/or Cornstarch) [Thick]
Daughter/Advanced Creams
Crème Anglaise (CA) or Crème Pâtissière (CP) Base
- Légère/Madame/Princess: CP + Whipped Cream
- Diplomat: CP + Whipped Cream + Gelatin
- Mousseline: CP + Whipped Butter
- Chiboust: CP + Egg Whites Whipped with Sugar (Meringue)*
- Saint-Honoré: CP + Meringue* + Gelatin
- Frangipane: CP + Crème d’Amandes (see Mock and Cheese Creams)
- Bavarois/Bavarian: CA + Whipped Cream + Gelatin
- Crèmeux: CA + Chocolate/Fruit Base ± Gelatin
Butter, Cheese, and Mock Creams
- Buttercream: Butter and Sugar Based Icing/Frosting
- American Buttercream: Butter + Powdered Sugar + Milk/Cream ± Vanilla ± Salt
- French Buttercream (Crème au Beurre): Hot Sugar Syrup Drizzled into Egg Yolks (Pâte à Bombe) + Butter
- German Buttercream (Crème Mousseline): CP + Whipped Butter (see Daughter/Advanced Creams)
- Russian Buttercream: Butter + Condensed Milk ± Powdered Sugar
- Flour Buttercream (Ermine Frosting): Flour + Sugar + Milk Cooked into a Paste then Whipped with Butter
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Egg Whites Whipped Over Heat with Sugar*, Then Whipped with Butter
- Italian Meringue Buttercream: Hot Sugar Syrup Drizzled into Egg Whites*, Then Whipped with Butter
- Crème d’Amandes/Amandine: Butter, Almond Powder, Sugar, Eggs, and Flour
- Cream Cheese: Soft Fresh Cheese Made From Milk and Cream
- Crème de Marrons: Sweetened Chestnut Paste (No Dairy)
- Mascarpone Cream: Mascarpone (Fresh Cheese Made from Cream and Citric Acid) + Sugar + Egg Yolks
*Meringues:
French Meringue = Egg Whites Whipped with Sugar Over No Heat (Often Baked to Dry/Harden, e.g. Pavlova and Meringue Kisses)
Swiss Meringue = Egg Whites Whisked with Sugar Over a Double Boiler or Bain-Marie, then Whipped (Good for Decorative Elements/Buttercream)
Italian Meringue = Hot Sugar Syrup Whisked into Egg Whites (Often for Fruit Mousses: "Cream in a Foam" = Fruit Base + Gelatin + Whipped Cream ± Meringue)
Dairy Creams
Cream is made by separating out milk fat from milk by varying percentages, wherein the fattier liquid becomes cream and the remaining lean liquid becomes skim milk. Whipping the cream creates whipped cream, and further whipping, known as churning, separates the fat, which becomes butter, from the remaining liquid, which becomes buttermilk.
- Cream: Dairy Product Composed of the Higher-Fat Layer Skimmed from the Top of Milk (Types by Country)
- Clotted Cream: Thick Cream (≥55% Milkfat) Made by Heating Milk with Steam and Cooling in Shallow Pans
- Crème Fraîche: Cream Soured with Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture Containing 30–45% Milkfat with a pH of ~6
- Sour Cream: Cream Soured with Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture Containing 15–20% Milkfat with a pH of ~4.6
Crème Liqueur
Contains No Actual Dairy Cream
- Crème de Banane (Banana)
- Crème de Cacao (Chocolate)
- Crème de Cassis (Blackcurrant)
- Crème de Figue (Fig)
- Crème de Framboise (Raspberry)
- Crème de Menthe (Mint)
- Crème de Moka (Coffee)
- Crème de Mûre (Blackberry)
- Crème de Noisette (Hazelnut)
- Crème de Noyaux (Almond)
Cream Liqueur
Contains Dairy Cream
- Amarula (Fermented Fruit of the African Marula Tree)
- Dooley's (Vodka)
- Irish Cream (Whiskey)
Cream and Custard-Based Desserts
- Blancmange: Milk/Cream + Gelatin Set in a Mould and Served Cold
- Boston Cream Pie/Doughnut: Cake/Doughnut Filled with Thick Custard Topped with a Layer of Chocolate Icing
- Crème Brûlée: Thickened Crème Anglaise-Based Custard Topped with a Layer of Caramelized Sugar
- Crème Caramel: Flan/Caramel Custard, Caramael Cooked Over a Thick Custard Base
- Crème Catalana: Citrus/Cinnamon Flavored CP-Based Custard Topped with a Layer of Caramelized Sugar
- Crème Glacée: see Frozen Custard
- Crème Plombières: Frozen Crème Chiboust-Based Custard with Candied Fruit Macerated in Kirsch
- Cream Pie: Uncooked Custard Added to an Uncooked or Partially Cooked Pie Crust and Baked Together
- Custard Pie: Cooked Custard Poured Into a Cooled, Precooked Pie Crust
- Floating Island (Île Flottante/Œufs à la Neige): Crème Anglaise with French Meringue
- Frozen Custard: Ice Cream with Egg Yolks
- Ganache: Chocolate and Cream Glaze, Icing, Sauce, or Filling
- Ice Cream: Frozen Milk or Cream, Sugar, and Spice/Fruit
- Nougat Glacé: Cream, Egg White, Sugar and/or Honey, Nuts and/or Dried Fruit
- Pot de Crème: Cream, Egg Yolks, Sugar
- Semifreddo: Cream, Egg Yolks, Sugar; or Italian Meringue (Egg Whites + Sugar Syrup) and Whipped Cream
- Zabaione (Sabayon): Egg Yolks, Sugar, Moscato d’Asti or or Marsala