A creme brûlée is a rich decadent baked dessert with cream and egg yolks. It needs only 5 ingredients, 10 minutes to prep, and 30 minutes to bake. And it's also a surprisingly simple and easy recipe that looks impressive and elegant. So, this makes it the perfect dessert to entertain.
Table of Content
Creme Brûlée also used to be known a long time ago as 'Burnt Cream'. It is sweet, creamy, and thick. It also has a velvet-like vanilla custard on the bottom. And it's topped with a crunchy, bittersweet crystalized sugar that's torched just before serving.
Consequently, most people think creme brûlée is a complicated recipe to make or needs special equipment. And yet, it really does not.
Why make this dessert
- If you love custards, then you must try this recipe. Because the baking gives this dessert a smooth and velvety texture.
- This dessert needs only four main ingredients. And it is easier than pies, tarts, or cakes. Yes!! In addition, I love creating variations on this like my apricot creme brûlée and pumpkin creme brûlée.
- And compared to most other desserts, this one has fewer steps with just 10 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of baking.
- Also, it needs a few hours of chilling, which makes it the perfect dessert for entertaining.
- There are just two components to this dessert:
- The custard - Made with hot cream and eggs along with sugar and vanilla. It is baked in a water bath, which keeps it rich, creamy, and smooth.
- The brûlée top - This is burnt sugar on top of the custard base. It is done just before serving and takes as little as 2 minutes.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Cream - This dessert is always made with cream as it bakes thick and rich.
- You can replace half of the cream with milk or half and half (cream/milk). The custard will still set, but it will be less rich. Lighter with a little jiggle to it.
- Alternatively, if using milk, you can add one tablespoon of cornstarch, which will help add firmness.
- Egg Yolks - The use of egg yolks is what makes the baked custard thick and creamy. Unlike creme caramel flan, where we use a combination of eggs and egg yolks.
- Sugar - It's best to use fine-grain sugar (like castor) when making any custard-based dessert. The fine sugar dissolves quickly and easily. You can also use light brown sugar for the top brûlée if you prefer. It adds a nice warm molasses flavor.
- Vanilla - Custard-based desserts such as this are usually always made with real vanilla bean caviar (seeds). This adds a nice strong vanilla flavor as well as reduces the egg smell. Having said that, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or vanilla sugar can be used just as well.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C / Gas Mark 2.
- Place a paper hand towel in a roasting pan with six 4 oz ramekins.
Pro tip - The paper hand towel will prevent the ramekins from moving around.
Custard mixture
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan, over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, vanilla bean scraping, and salt to an almost boil.
Pro tip - To use vanilla bean caviar (seeds), split the bean in half lengthways, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife and add it to the pan along with the bean. - Pour the hot cream mixture gradually into the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously. Strain thru a sieve to remove any curdled eggs.
Pro tip - This is called tempering the eggs. It is important to pour the milk gradually to prevent the eggs from curdling.
Baking creme brulee
- Divide the mixture equally between the prepared ramekins. Place the roasting pan on a larger baking tray.
- Pour enough water in the roasting pan to come to almost ½ way up outside the ramekins.
Pro tip - This is called baking in a water bath. The water outside will create steam and bake the custard without curdling. - Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
Once baked, remove from the oven, and cover with plastic wrap. Then, chill in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight (up to 3 days).
Caramelize the top
- When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar over each ramekin.
Pro tip - This step must be done just before serving. Otherwise, the caramel will soften in the fridge due to condensation. - Spread evenly by swirling the ramekin in your hand. Shake off any excess and clean the rim.
Pro tip - Wipe the rim of the ramekin with a paper towel to remove any sugar. Otherwise, you will have brunt sugar on the edges, which does not give a clean finish. - Carefully caramelize the sugar using a blowtorch. The sugar should turn amber and smooth but also hard, which cracks like glass when eating.
Pro tip - Move the flame of the blowtorch over the sugar in a circular motion to get a more even caramel color. - Warning! Do not touch hot caramel at this point as it can cause serious burns. Wait for the bubbles to cool off.
More custard desserts
Frequently asked questions
How long will creme brûlée keep?
This creme brulee will last in the fridge for up to five days. For food safety, it is recommended not to keep egg-based products for longer.
Do you have to use ramekins for creme brulee?
If you don't have individual serving ramekins you can also bake the creme brûlée in a large ceramic baking pan and adjust the baking time accordingly. You can also use cups, ceramic bowls, as well as earthenware as long as they are all oven safe.
What is the difference between a flan and a creme brulee?
Creme brulee is a custard-based dessert. The custard is made with sugar, egg yolks, and cream. And the brulee is the sugar caramelized on the top of the custard.
Flan is also a custard-based dessert often known as creme caramel. It is also made with sugar, egg yolks, cream as well as milk. And the custard is then poured over a caramel. The resulting dessert is a custard over a sauce-like caramel.
Can I make this vanilla creme brûlée in advance?
I prefer to make these in advance, so they chill thoroughly in the fridge. Custard-based desserts are best served at room temperature. That is why creme brulee is the perfect dessert for entertaining. You can make these up to 3 or 4 days in advance and save them in the fridge. Make sure to wrap them well with cling/plastic wrap. Then just before serving dessert, top with the sugar and brulee the top.
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Printable Recipe
Easy Creme Brûlée Recipe
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save GrowCalories: 418kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 6 servings
Description
A creme brûlée is a rich decadent baked dessert with cream and egg yolks. It needs only 5 ingredients, 10 minutes to prep, and 30 minutes to bake. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that looks impressive and elegant. And, this makes it the perfect dessert to entertain.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
For the Creme
- 2 cups (470 ml) heavy cream ((38% or more))
- 4 Egg yolks (large)
- ⅓ cup (60 g) Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Vanilla bean
For the Brulee top
- 6 teaspoon (5.33 tablespoon) Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C / Gas Mark 2.
- Place a paper hand towel in a roasting pan with 6 x 4 oz ramekins.Pro tip - The paper hand towel will prevent the ramekins from moving around.
Custard mixture
- In a heavy bottom-saucepan, over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, vanilla bean scraping, and salt to an almost boil. Pro tip - To use vanilla bean caviar (seeds), split the bean in half lengthways, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife and add it to the pan along with the bean.
- Pour the hot cream mixture gradually into the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously. Strain thru a sieve to remove any curdled eggs.Pro tip - This is called tempering the eggs. It is important to pour the milk gradually to prevent the eggs from curdling.
Baking creme brulee
- Divide the mixture equally between the prepared ramekins. Place the roasting pan on a larger baking tray.
- Pour enough water in the roasting pan to come to almost ½ way up outside the ramekins.Pro tip - This is called baking in a water bath. The water outside will create steam and bake the custard without curdling.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven, cover with plastic wrap. Then, chill in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight (up to 3 days).
Caramelize the top
- When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar over each ramekin.Pro tip - This step must be done just before serving. Otherwise, the caramel will soften in the fridge due to condensation.
- Spread evenly by swirling the ramekin in your hand. Shake off any excess and clean the rim.Pro tip - Wipe the rim of the ramekin with a paper towel to remove any sugar. Otherwise, you will have brunt sugar on the edges, which does not give a clean finish.
- Carefully caramelize the sugar using a blowtorch. The sugar should turn amber and smooth but also hard which cracks like glass when eating.Pro tip - Move the flame of the blowtorch over the sugar in a circular motion to get a more even caramel color.
- Warning! Do not touch hot caramel at this point as it can cause serious burns. Wait for the bubbles to cool off.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Combine the egg yolks and sugar well. This means to whip the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale in color.
- Always use the best quality vanilla you can get. A vanilla bean is the most preferred for custard-based desserts. And yet you can also try a bean paste or good quality vanilla. NO IMITATIONS.
- Also, be careful when combining the hot cream with the egg yolk mixture. You want to temper the egg yolks but not curdle it. The best way to do this is to whisk the egg mixture while pouring the cream.
- Bake the classic creme brulee in the right baking dish such as a ramekin. This dessert is best baked in a wide shallow creme brulee dish as I have used in my pumpkin creme brulee is preferred. And yet, a ramekin used in this recipe works just as well.
- Custard-based desserts such as creme brulee must bake at low temperatures. A water bath is a great way to protect the yolk and cream mixture from overheating. It usually takes between 40 to 45 minutes after which you must keep a close eye.
- A Brulee is baked when almost set but still has a slight jiggle in the custard. That jiggle will continue to cook with the remaining heat and then placed in the fridge when cooled.
- In addition, classic creme brulee is best served at room temperature. So take it out an hour or more before serving.
- Finally, caramelize the sugar do not burn it. You want a pretty golden color not black color. The best way to do this is to do it slowly and in a circular motion not staying in one place for too long.
- If you do not have a blow torch, place the ramekins under a hot broiler. Making sure the broiler is hot, so it caramelizes the sugar quickly without cooking the custard. You want to serve the creme brulee at room temperature.
- Pour sugar into the ramekin, swirl it around, so it covers the entire top surface. Remove the excess and CLEAN THE EDGES of the ramekins well before you caramelize the sugar. It makes for a pretty presentation, and you won't have burnt sugar on the edges which are difficult to clean and do not look so beautiful.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 63- gCalories: 418- kcalCarbohydrates: 26- gProtein: 3- gFat: 34- gSaturated Fat: 20- gCholesterol: 244- mgSodium: 134- mgPotassium: 75- mgSugar: 23- gVitamin A: 1400- IUVitamin C: 0.5- mgCalcium: 70- mgIron: 0.3- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Nathan
I've always been intimidated by creme brulee for some reason, but this recipe makes it much less scary! I never knew how simple it was. Can't wait to give it a try!
Michelle
It was my first time making creme brulee and it was such a hit with my kids! Thanks for the recipe!
Veena Azmanov
So happy to hear that Michelle. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Alex
I love creme brulee, but I haven't made it in so long! Your recipe looks so simple and lovely!
Cate
This creme brulee looks absolutely perfect! Thanks for the recipe, my first time making it myself!