Strawberries & Cream Doughnut Filling

Strawberries & Cream Doughnut Filling

For Patrick Ryan’s strawberries & cream doughnuts he uses a diplomat cream filling. A diplomat cream involves combining vanilla custard with lightly whipped cream to create a light yet indulgent vanilla cream.

Watch Patrick’s Doughnut Masterclass here.

For the vanilla custard:

• 225ml milk
• 60g sugar, divided
• 1 vanilla pod
• 15g cornflour
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 25 g butter, diced

For the diplomat cream filling:

• 200g strawberries, very finely diced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 100g double cream
• 20g icing sugar
• 200g vanilla custard

Method:

1. To make the vanilla custard, place the milk into a heavy based saucepan along with 25g of the sugar.
2. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the vanilla pod to the milk. Place saucepan over medium heat until it starts to steam and bubble around the edges. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine cornflour, remaining 45g sugar and egg yolks, whisk together with a fork to form a paste. Avoid whisking to incorporate any air into the mixture, just mix until combined.
4. Once the milk has been scaled, remove the vanilla pod, then pour 1/3 of the milk into the egg paste, whisk together. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan while whisking gently. Return to the heat.
5. Whisking continuously, bring the custard to a boil, the mixture will begin to thicken. It is important that the mixture is stirred continuously to prevent the eggs from splitting.
6. Once the mixture has begun to thick, reduce the heat and continue to cook the custard for a further 2 minutes, still stirring.
7. Remove the custard from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk in the butter and stir until completely melted and custard is smooth.
8. Pour custard into a bowl and cover with clingfilm, pressing it against the surface of the custard to avoid a skin from forming. Allow to cool before placing in the fridge to chill completely.
9. For the doughnut filling, place finely diced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle over sugar. Toss lightly and leave strawberries to macerate and soften.
10. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks. Pour 200g of the chilled custard into another bowl and add the whipped cream. Fold through.
11. Use a slotted spoon to spoon the macerated strawberries into the diplomat cream and fold through. Spoon filling into a large piping bag ready to fill your doughnuts.