Fillings, frostings & basics

Pastry cream, buttercreams, curds, glazes and doughs that other recipes build on.

• All-Butter Pie CrustA flaky, tender double crust made only with butter, flour, salt and ice water. Flake size, how much water to add, resting times and rolling without cracks.
• Almond Paste and MarzipanMake smooth almond paste for baking, then knead part of it into firmer, sweeter marzipan for modeling and covering cakes. Ratios, texture cues and storage.
• Big-Crumb Streusel ToppingBrown sugar streusel made with melted butter so it bakes into large, crisp clumps on muffins, pies and coffee cakes. Amounts, chilling and fixes for sandy crumbs.
• Chocolate Fudge FrostingA deep, spreadable chocolate frosting with cocoa and melted chocolate for sheet cakes, layer cakes and cupcakes. Gram weights, texture cues and swirl tips.
• Chocolate Ganache (Pourable, Whipped and Truffle)One method, three ratios: a 1:1 glaze, light whipped ganache at 1:2 and firm 2:1 for truffles. Chocolate choices, pouring temperatures and split-ganache fixes.
• Cream Cheese Pastry FillingA sweet, lemon-scented cream cheese filling with a yolk and a spoonful of flour so it bakes set instead of running out of danishes and kolaches. Amounts and storage.
• Crème Anglaise (Vanilla Custard Sauce)Silky, pourable vanilla custard sauce thickened only with egg yolks. Covers the 82°C target, the spoon-coating test and how to rescue a sauce that starts to curdle.
• Dulce de Leche from Condensed MilkThick, spoonable dulce de leche made by baking sweetened condensed milk in an open dish in a water bath. A safe method that never heats an unopened can.
• Ermine Frosting (Cooked Flour Frosting)The old-fashioned cooked-milk-and-flour frosting for red velvet: fluffy, smooth and not too sweet. How to cook the paste and avoid a curdled or lumpy finish.
• Frangipane (Almond Cream)Rich almond cream made from equal weights of butter, sugar, almond flour and egg. Bakes golden and puffed in tarts, galettes and twice-baked almond croissants.
• Graham Cracker CrustA firm, golden crumb crust for cheesecakes, key lime pie and cream pies. Crumb-to-butter ratio, how to press it evenly, and baked or no-bake options.
• Homemade Cherry Pie FillingThick, glossy sour cherry filling cooked on the stove so it sets cleanly in pies, bars and on cheesecake. Sugar for sweet cherries, thickener notes and storage.
• Italian Meringue ButtercreamThe sturdiest meringue buttercream, made by streaming 118°C (245°F) sugar syrup into whipped whites. Holds up in warm rooms; syrup and rescue tips included.
• Lemon CurdTart, glossy lemon curd made with whole eggs and yolks, cooked to 77°C (170°F) and finished with butter. For tarts, layer cakes, scones and toast.
• Marshmallow FondantHomemade fondant from melted marshmallows and powdered sugar that rolls thin and tastes better than most store brands. Amounts, kneading, coloring and covering a cake.
• Mirror Glaze for Mousse CakesA glossy white chocolate and gelatin glaze that pours like silk over frozen mousse cakes. Exact temperatures, coloring tips and fixes for bubbles and drips.
• Passion Fruit CurdA sunny, tangy curd from strained passion fruit pulp or frozen purée. How to separate juice from seeds, sweeten to taste and cook it smooth for pavlovas and tarts.
• Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)A thick vanilla custard set with yolks and cornstarch for fruit tarts, éclairs and cream puffs. Exact ratios, the full boil it needs, and fixes for lumps.
• Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough)A crisp, cookie-like sweet tart shell made by the creaming method. Rolling between parchment, chilling and blind baking so the walls stay tall and do not shrink.
• Pipeable Cream Cheese FrostingTangy cream cheese frosting firm enough to pipe on cupcakes and layer cakes. The mixing order and brick-style cheese that keep it from going runny.
• Royal Icing for Piping and FloodingMeringue powder royal icing mixed stiff for piping, then thinned to outline and flood consistencies. Timing tests, drying times and color tips for cookies.
• Salted Caramel SauceGlossy, deep amber salted caramel cooked by the wet method with a spoon of corn syrup to block crystals. Color cues, safe handling and how to fix grainy caramel.
• Seven-Minute FrostingGlossy, marshmallowy boiled frosting whipped over simmering water until it reaches 160°F. Swoops beautifully on coconut and devil's food cakes; timing and fixes.
• Simple Syrup for Cake LayersA 1:1 sugar syrup for brushing sponge and layer cakes, with how much to use per layer, flavor options and how to keep cake moist without making it soggy.
• Smooth American ButtercreamA quick butter and powdered sugar frosting that pipes cleanly and never tastes gritty. Ratios, beating times, color tips and fixes for stiff or runny batches.
• Stabilized Whipped CreamGelatin-set whipped cream that pipes cleanly and keeps its ridges on a frosted cake for up to three days in the fridge. Ratios, timing and rescue tips.
• Swiss Meringue ButtercreamSilky, lightly sweet buttercream made by heating egg whites and sugar to 71°C (160°F) before whipping. Rescue steps for soupy or curdled batches included.
• Whipped Mascarpone CreamThick, lightly sweet mascarpone whipped with heavy cream into a stable filling for layer cakes, fruit tarts and pavlova. Ratios, speed tips and how to avoid graininess.

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