Today’s Spotlight is on Bavarian Cream Pie.

Bavarian cream pie is perhaps the easiest of American desserts to prepare. A short crust pastry made with just flour, butter and sugar is pressed into a pie plate and usually baked at a medium temperature. Once cooled, a custard made with milk, sugar, yolks, eggs, and cream is poured into a pie shell and topped with whipped cream. Alternatively, the crust can be made with anything from wafers, chocolate cookies, even sugar cones, and cornflakes, while the standard vanilla custard, depending on the recipe, can be additionally flavored and decorated with, for example, coconut, chocolate, or bananas. Meringue can be used as topping instead of whipped cream in which case it must be baked. Coconut cream pie, as well as banana cream pie, are the most popular kinds, with chocolate cream pie coming in close second. Basically, there is no limit to how you can flavor a cream pie, all that is necessary is to add the desired flavor ingredient to the basic recipe.

 

History

Bavarian cream is a custard made with milk, eggs, and gelatin. It’s often used as a filling for cakes and pastries or eaten on its own. The origins of Bavarian cream are unclear, but it’s believed to have originated in Bavaria, Germany in the 17th century. French chefs who worked for the Wittelsbach princes, a German family that ruled Bavaria from the 12th century until 1918, may have learned the recipe while working in Bavaria.

Marie-Antoine Carême, a famous French chef who lived from 1784 to 1833, is sometimes credited with inventing Bavarian cream. He wrote a recipe for it in the early 18th century.

Bavarian cream first appeared in cookbooks in the late 1800s, in the Boston Cooking School cookbooks. It was initially served in gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels in France in the early 19th century.

Bavarian cream can be flavored with chocolate, coffee, or fruit. It’s usually molded in a fancy shape and garnished with fruit or a sweet sauce.

 

Here are some fun facts about Bavarian cream pie:

• National Bavarian Cream Pie Day is on November 27.
• Bavarian cream was a culinary triumph before refrigeration.
• From 1884 to 2022, there were over 95,000 references to Bavarian cream in US and Canadian newspapers.
• Bavarian cream is also known as crème bavaroise.
• Bavarian cream is made with milk, eggs, and gelatin, and folded with whipped cream.
• Bavarian cream pie is made with Bavarian cream, ice cream, and whipped heavy cream.
• A vanilla Bavarian cream is made with vanilla pastry cream, infused with vanilla or liquor, and lightened with fresh whipped cream.

 

Here is a Bavarian Cream Pie Recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

 

FOR THE CREAM:

• 1 ½ (.25 ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
• 8 tbsp cold water
• 9 tbsp white sugar
• 2 ¼ tbsp cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

 

Instructions:

Bavarian Cream Pie

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pie crust, cover it with foil and place weights such as dry beans or rice to hold the crust down as it bakes.
2. Bake in an oven preheated at 350 °F for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the crust is golden. Once out of the oven, set aside to completely cool.
3. In a small bowl combine gelatin and cold water. In a large saucepan, heat the milk, and remove it just before it starts to boil. Take a mixing bowl, whisk sugar and cornstarch, then add the eggs, followed by milk and softened gelatin, all the time constantly stirring. Place the mixing bowl over a pan of hot water and cook until the custard thickens.
4. Add ice cream to the hot custard and leave it to cool to room temperature. Beat the cream to stiff peaks, then carefully fold 1 ½ cups into the cooled custard.
5. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and place in the refrigerator to set. Decorate with the remaining whipped cream and serve.
6. Enjoy!

 

Consumption

Here’s some information about Bavarian cream:

• Bavarian cream is a versatile dessert that can be served on its own or used as a filling for cakes and pastries.
• Bavarian cream is made with milk, eggs, and gelatin, and folded with whipped cream.
• Bavarian cream is shelf stable for 5–7 days unrefrigerated. It can also be frozen and thawed without issue.
• Bavarian cream is pH balanced.
• One serving of Bavarian cream has 475 calories.
• An unopened sleeve of Bavarian cream filling stays fresh for up to one year from time of purchase. After opening, an opened pack stays fresh for 3–6 months.

 

Celebrating Bavarian Cream Pie

Bavarian Cream Pie Day is celebrated every year on November 27^th. Let us know in the comments if you like Bavarian Cream Pie.