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Basic Recipes

Almond Paste Cream Filling

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Smooth almond paste cream filling in a bowl

4.8 (35)out of 5, 35 ratings

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Prep
10 min
Bake
10 min
Total
20 min
Makes
1

This cream is not suitable under fondant! The amount is enough to fill a 10-inch (26 cm) cake. I recommend brushing each cake layer with a little simple syrup before filling, because the cream is fairly firm and doesn't soak into the layers very well. The cream also firms up a little in the fridge, but it still stays relatively soft, so it isn't ideal for filling tiered cakes. This cream was originally made with white wine for a classic Herrentorte (a German layered cream cake). So instead of the milk, you can make it the same way with sweet white wine.

Ingredients

Makes 1

  • 1 ⅓ cups320 mlmilk
  • 475 glarge egg yolksabout 4 large egg yolks
  • 4 tbsp35 gcornstarchA fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes. In the US use cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • 7 tbsp90 ggranulated sugar
  • 7 oz200 galmond pasteRaw marzipan with a high almond and low sugar content, used for baking. In the US use almond paste (not marzipan, which is sweeter); in the UK, almond paste, or the marzipan with the highest almond content you can find.
  • 7 tbsp100 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK, unsalted butter.

Method

  1. Put the almond paste and butter in the freezer for 15 minutes, then grate them on the coarse side of a grater.

  2. Heat the milk and bring it to a boil. (Stir now and then so nothing scorches!)

  3. Mix the egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar together.

  4. As soon as the milk is just about to boil, add a splash of it to the egg yolk, cornstarch and sugar mixture to temper it. After you've added 3 splashes, pour the whole mixture back into the rest of the milk and bring everything to a boil together. Cook it for 1 minute until it's really thick.

  5. Add the grated almond paste and grated butter to the hot mixture and stir until everything has melted in.

  6. The cream is easiest to work with while it's still very warm!