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Crème Mousseline (To Finish Custard Filling):
200 grams (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
25 grams (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
Assembly and Finishing:
Butter for greasing pan
Confectioners’ (powdered) sugar for topping
Instructions
Crème Pâtissière (First Step of Custard Filling):
Place the milk, about half the sugar, and the salt into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering but not boiling.
Meanwhile, in a heat-proof mixing bowl whisk together the remaining sugar and cornstarch and then stir or whisk in the egg yolks until smooth. It will be fairly thick.
Once the milk is simmering, remove from the heat and then very gradually whisk in about ½ cup of it to the egg yolk mixture. Whisk vigorously to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into a saucepan with the remaining milk.
Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and continue whisking the mixture until it thickens, about 5 to 9 minutes. Don’t stop whisking or it can get lumpy and curdle.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Transfer the mixture to a large shallow container. The larger surface area will help it cool faster. Cover with plastic wrap so the plastic is pressed against the surface of the custard (to prevent a skin from forming). Cool to room temperature. The custard needs to be at room temperature (not cold) for the later steps.
Pâte à Choux (Choux Pastry):
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with the rack in the center. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch springform pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles. The butter on the bottom will help the paper stick to the pan and make it easier to spread the dough without the paper moving around. (If you only have one springform pan you will need to bake one layer first and then prep the same pan again to bake the second layer afterwards).
Add the water, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour all at once. This helps to prevent clumps from forming in the paste.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the pan to the heat. Stirring constantly, continue to cook until the dough forms a ball and leaves a white residue on the bottom. (The cook time will vary depending on the pan you use, heat of your stovetop, etc. For some people it may only take a couple minutes, but it took me closer to 10 minutes to ensure the dough was really coming together nicely and forming a film on the bottom–look for the visual queues rather than relying on the timing).
Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. It should still be quite warm. With the mixer running, add one egg at a time until fully incorporated. The resulting batter should be smooth and glossy. You’ll know it has the correct consistency when the batter falls from the paddle in the shape of a long V.
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