Easy Homemade Crème Brûlée
A smooth and creamy vanilla custard finished with a crisp caramelized sugar topping.
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Ingredients
Custard
- 2½ cups cream
- pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla essence or 2 tsp vanilla paste with seeds
Topping
- 1½ tsp caster sugar or fine white sugar per ramekin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°C bake.
- Heat the cream, vanilla, and salt until hot but not simmering.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually whisk a few tablespoons of hot cream at a time into the egg mixture to temper the yolks.
- Slowly whisk in the remaining cream.
- Divide the custard evenly between ramekins.
- Place the ramekins in a deep baking dish and add hot water until it reaches halfway up their sides.
- Bake until set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre.
- Remove from the water bath, cool, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Before serving, sprinkle approximately 1½ tsp sugar evenly over each custard.
- Caramelize with a kitchen blowtorch, allow the sugar to harden, then serve.
Notes
Notes
- Don’t allow the cream to simmer or boil.
- Temper the egg yolks slowly to prevent scrambling.
- The custard should still have a slight wobble when cooked.
- Chill completely before adding the sugar topping.
Variations
- Swap vanilla essence for vanilla paste with seeds.
- Use caster sugar or fine white sugar for the topping.
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 2–3 days.
- Add and caramelize the sugar just before serving.
- Freezing isn’t recommended.