Description
This easy custard recipe creates a smooth, creamy dessert perfect for drizzling over cakes, pies, or enjoying chilled on its own. Made with rich heavy cream, whole milk, egg yolks, honey, and vanilla, it’s gently cooked on the stovetop until slightly thickened. With simple pantry ingredients and straightforward steps, it’s a reliable go-to custard for home cooks wanting a luscious, versatile treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Custard Base
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the cream: Add the heavy cream and milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally and heat until it just starts to simmer, with bubbles forming along the edges. Then remove the saucepan from the heat to prevent boiling.
- Temper the eggs: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, honey, your choice of thickener (cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca), and vanilla extract. Slowly pour half of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to gradually raise the temperature and prevent curdling of the eggs.
- Combine and thicken: Return the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Stir continuously over medium-low heat for 1 to 3 minutes until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil to avoid scrambling the eggs. The custard will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve or chill: Serve the custard warm as a drizzle over desserts like cakes or pies, or chill it chilled. If chilling, transfer the custard to a bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving in individual glasses.
Notes
- Use gentle, continuous whisking to avoid curdling the egg yolks during tempering.
- Covering the custard directly with plastic wrap while chilling prevents an undesirable skin from forming.
- Serving size affects yield: small pudding servings (4-5 ounces) serve 4 people, larger portions serve 2.
- The custard can be served warm or chilled depending on your preference or the dessert pairing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (about 4-5 ounces)
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 215mg
