What Can I Use Instead Of Double Cream For The Karpatka?

Asked by AJS888. Answered on 10th November 2026

Full question

Really looking forward to trying the Karpatka after seeing it on GBBO! Would love to see some additional recipe options for folks living outside Europe where double cream is really, really not available outside of a few major cities and wealthy areas. With a suddenly expanded fanbase thanks to the show, I'm certain there are many others who would welcome this information! Love your hosting!

Image of Ren Behan's Karpatka — Photo by Nassima Rothacker

Karpatka — Carpathian Mountain Cake

By Ren Behan

Our answer

On the Great British Bake Off, Nigella set the bakers a challenge to make a Karpatkta, which has two layers of choux pastry sandwiched with a vanilla pastry cream. The name comes from the Karpaty mountain range, also known as the Carpathian mountains, which stretch approximately 1,500 kilometers across Central and Southeastern Europe.

The pastry cream is made using a combination of milk and double cream. Double cream has quite a high fat content of around 48% and is mostly found in the UK. The best alternative in the rest of the world is whipping cream, or heavy cream in North America, with a fat content of 35-36%. If you use whipping or heavy cream then we would suggest also using whole (3.5% fat) milk for the pastry cream.

The Karpatka recipe can be found on the Great British Bake Off website, here.