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1
Put the cake flour and sugar in a heatproof bowl and mix.
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2
Combine the milk (or soy milk).
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3
Add the eggs and mix well.
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4
Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave at 500w for 2 minutes 30 seconds.
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5
(If using soy milk, see Step 4.)
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6
Mix well with a small whisk or 4 chopsticks held together.
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7
Microwave for another 2 minutes.
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8
Repeat the microwave-mixing steps while observing how thick the custard is.
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9
(If the lines made by the whisk disappear as soon as you move it, the cream is still too thin.)
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10
When I made the custard cream with natural soy milk, it thickened quickly.
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11
Using 2 medium sized eggs and a 500w microwave, it took just 2 minutes of microwaving x 2 times, 1 minutes x 1 time, 30 seconds x 1 time.
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12
Using 2 medium sized eggs and regular milk, after Step 2, it took 1 minute of microwaving x 2 times, 30 seconds x 4 times.
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13
Shake in vanilla essence and mix to finish.
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14
Keep microwaving and mixing until surface firms up.
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15
When mixed, the cream should feel very thick.
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16
When you scoop it up with a whisk it should form soft peaks, and the cream should slowly with a plop.
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17
Keep in mind that the pastry cream will thicken even more when cooled, so stop cooking just before it reaches the perfect, desired consistency.
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18
Keep mixing well to form a cohesive, smooth cream.
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19
If you use half the amount of ingredients *: Microwave for 2 and a half minutes once, then microwave for 1 minute x 2 times to finish.
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20
When you want a little bit of pastry cream to sandwich in bread and so on, half the amount is convenient.
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21
This is a failed example: It's made with milk, and microwaved for 2 minutes x 3 times.
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22
It has lots of tiny lumps.
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23
You need to heat it carefully and mix it well to avoid this.
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24
When using this cream for cakes or tarts, it will drip when you cut the cake or tart if the consistency is too liquid, so I recommend making it on the stiffer side.
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25
How about putting this pastry cream in a tart base for an easy tart?
