Diplomat cream (crème diplomate) is a light and creamy French filling made from vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream. Perfect for Fraisier cakes, fruit tarts, and all your French desserts.
What is Creme diplomate?
As a French baker, I use diplomat cream whenever I need a filling that’s lighter than buttercream but still stable enough for cakes.
It starts with classic pastry cream set with a bit of gelatin, then folded with cold whipped cream for a smooth texture.
This vanilla diplomat cream recipe is ideal if you’re looking for a cake filling that holds its shape, a fruit tart cream with a light texture, or simply want to understand how crème diplomate differs from pastry cream, mousseline, or Bavarian cream.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Authentic French method: Made just like in French pastry, with classic vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream.
- Light but stable: Holds its shape for layering cakes, Fraisier, or fruit tarts without being heavy.
- Versatile filling: One cream you can use for diplomat cream cakes, choux pastries, tarts, and dessert cups.
Ingredients you need
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this vanilla diplomat cream recipe.
- Milk: whole milk for the best flavor, or semi-skimmed milk.
- Vanilla: a vanilla bean, vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste.
- Eggs: whole eggs or just the yolks for a richer pastry cream.
- Sugar: granulated sugar.
- Cornstarch: helps thicken and stabilize the pastry cream.
- Gelatin (optional): sheet gelatin or powder gelatin; you can also use agar agar. This makes the cream firmer but is not mandatory.
- Heavy cream: very cold heavy cream (30% fat or more) to whip. You can replace part or all of the cream with mascarpone for a thicker and more stable diplomat cream.
Tips for this recipe
- Chill the pastry cream fully before adding whipped cream to avoid a runny texture.
- Whip the cream cold and to soft–medium peaks so it folds smoothly into the pastry cream.
- Use gelatin only if needed for a firmer filling (layer cakes, tarts, Fraisier cakes).
- Fold gently to keep the cream airy and avoid deflating the whipped cream.
- Strain the pastry cream to remove lumps and get a perfectly smooth texture.
- Add mascarpone if you need extra stability without using gelatin.
- Keep it cold: diplomat cream softens quickly at room temperature.
How to make diplomat cream
Rehydrate the gelatin in cold water if using.
Heat the milk with vanilla in a saucepan until hot, then let infuse.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth.
Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while whisking to temper.
Cook the mixture back in the saucepan until thick.
Add gelatin to the hot pastry cream and stir to melt.
Spread and chill the pastry cream in a dish until completely cold.
Whip the cold heavy cream (or cream + mascarpone) to soft peaks.
Loosen the chilled pastry cream with a whisk or mixer.
Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream until smooth and creamy.
How to use it
Use diplomat cream for:
- Layer cakes and fraisier-style fillings
- Fruit tarts with fresh berries
- Eclairs and choux
- Cream puffs and profiteroles
- Napoleons / mille-feuille
- Dessert cups or verrines
- Tartlets topped with fruit
Storage
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days. Not freezer-friendly.
Variations
- Chocolate: mix melted dark chocolate into the pastry cream.
- Coffee: add espresso powder to the hot milk.
- Fruit: fold raspberry, strawberry, or passion fruit puree.
- Citrus: add lemon or orange zest.
- Mascarpone: replace part of the cream for a firmer texture.
Recipe Questions
How do I color diplomat cream?
Add fruit puree or a small amount of gel food coloring to the finished cream.
Can diplomat cream be frozen?
No, it loses its texture after thawing.
Why did my diplomat cream turn runny?
The pastry cream wasn’t fully chilled or the whipped cream was too soft.
What’s the difference between mousseline and diplomat cream?
Mousseline combines pastry cream + butter; diplomat combines pastry cream + whipped cream.
More Vanilla Fillings
I hope you’ll love this recipe! Rate it ★★★★★ and leave a quick comment — it always helps. Happy baking!
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Diplomat Cream
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-inch cake
Description
Smooth vanilla diplomat cream made with pastry cream, gelatin, and whipped cream. Light, creamy, and perfect for filling cakes, choux pastries, and fruit tarts.
Ingredients
Pastry cream
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk – semi-skimmed or whole
- 1 vanilla bean – or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 40 g egg yolks – about 2–3 yolks
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 25 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
- 2 sheets gelatin
Whipped cream
- 200 ml (¾ cup) heavy cream – full-fat and very cold
Instructions
Pastry cream
- Place the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.
- Heat the milk with the split vanilla bean until it boils, then let infuse 10 minutes.
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture while whisking.
- Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thick. Once it boils, cook 2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat, add the softened gelatin, and mix well.
- Spread the pastry cream in a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and chill completely.
Whipped cream
- Place the cold heavy cream in a bowl and whip on medium speed for 3 minutes until stiff.
Diplomat cream
- Transfer the cold pastry cream to a large bowl and loosen it for 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula until smooth and creamy.
- Use immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
Storage: Keep chilled for 2–3 days in an airtight container. Not suitable for freezing.
Tips:
- Use very cold cream for stable whipped cream.
- Cook the pastry cream long enough to fully thicken.
- Stir the gelatin well so it melts completely.
- Loosen the pastry cream before folding in the whipped cream.
- Chill the assembled cream if you need a firmer texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: frosting, fillings, cream
- Cuisine: Française
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 914
- Sugar: 69.3 g
- Sodium: 185.5 mg
- Fat: 47.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 92.9 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 553.8 mg
Azra
Thank you for helping me with my problem. My whipped cream was always at the bottom liquid. ♡♡♡
Fadela
Hello, to make a successful whipped cream, you need to use full fat cream with at least 30% fat content and, above all, cold cream. You can place it in the freezer for 15 minutes before whipping it, and also place your bowl and whisk in the fridge before making the recipe.
Anthony
Hello,
You say for the whipped cream that :
You can replace the heavy cream with mascarpone or make a mixture of heavy cream and mascarpone for an even firmer texture.
What exactly do you need to do? make it half and half? and do you have to whip the cream with the mascarpone? or incorporate them after the cream has been whipped?
Fadela
Hello, you can see directly in this strawberry fraisier cake recipe how I use diplomat cream with a blend of cream and mascarpone.
Poinsat isabelle
Hello,
To make a diplomate with 250g of milk, how much mascarpone and cream should I use for the whipped cream? Thank you in advance for your answer.
Fadela
Hi Isabelle, you can use the diplomat cream from my strawberry fraisier or I use a mixture of cream and mascarpone.
Jill
How much water are you using for the gelatin?
Fadela
Hi,
The exact amount of water doesn’t matter — just enough to fully immerse the sheets so they can soften properly. If you prefer a quantity, about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of cold water works well.
Anna
Hello, I'd like to know if it's possible to make this cream without using gelatin, will it still hold well inside a cake? And can I add butter to firm it up a bit instead of gelatin? Thank you for your return and your lovely recipes.
Fadela
Hello Anna, thank you for your message and yes it's quite possible to make this recipe without using gelatine, the texture will be a little less firm but if it's to garnish the inside of a cake that's no problem and yes it's possible to add a little unsalted butter to the custard at the end of the preparation.