Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

I absolutely love making Creme Brûlée Cupcakes. They are the perfect combination of rich and creamy custard filling surrounded by a light and fluffy cupcake base. The best part is, of course, the crackly caramelized sugar top that adds a delightful crunch with every bite.

These miniature treats are a unique twist on the classic French dessert, adding a fun and portable element to the indulgent experience. Whether for a special occasion or just a sweet treat at home, Creme Brûlée Cupcakes are always a hit with family and friends.

Tips for Perfecting the Recipe

Understand the Importance of Ingredients’ Temperature: Ingredients like butter, sour cream, and eggs should be at room temperature to ensure they mix thoroughly without overmixing. This leads to a smoother batter and, consequently, a more tender cupcake.

Creaming Butter and Sugar: The process of creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy incorporates air into the mixture, contributing to the cupcakes’ lightness and volume. Don’t rush this step; a good 3-4 minutes of creaming makes all the difference.

Measuring Flour Correctly: Use the spoon-and-level method to measure your flour. Overmeasuring flour is a common mistake that can lead to dense cupcakes.

Avoid Overmixing the Batter: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough cupcakes.

Pastry Cream Consistency: For the filling, ensure your pastry cream is thick enough to hold its shape when the cupcakes are filled. If it’s too runny, it may soak into the cupcakes instead of providing a distinct creamy texture.

Frosting to Perfection: When making the caramel frosting, adjust the consistency with milk or water sparingly. You want it to be firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough to pipe smoothly.

Caramelizing Sugar: When torching the sugar, keep the flame moving to avoid burning. Aim for a golden-brown color, which indicates the sugar has caramelized without becoming bitter.

Ingredients for Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes

6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups (155g) sugar
6 tbsp (86g) sour cream, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (163g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp (90ml) milk, room temperature
2 tbsp (30ml) water, room temperature

Pastry Cream Filling

2 egg yolks
6 tbsp (78g) sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup (240ml) milk
1 tbsp (14g) salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup (112g) salted butter
1/2 cup (95g) shortening
4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
3–4 tbsp caramel sauce
2–3 tbsp water or milk
1/4 cup (52g) sugar for caramelizing

Instructions for Making Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
Cupcake Batter: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mix well. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing well after each. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and milk and water in another. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter, mix, then the milk mixture, and finally the remaining dry ingredients.
Bake: Fill liners halfway and bake for 15-17 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Pastry Cream: Beat egg yolks in a bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and milk in a saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until it thickens, then simmer for 2 minutes. Add a bit of this mixture to the egg yolks, then combine all and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, and let cool to room temperature.
Caramel Frosting: Beat butter and shortening until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar, mix, then add caramel sauce. Add remaining sugar and adjust consistency with water or milk.
Assemble Cupcakes: Core cupcakes and fill with pastry cream. Pipe frosting on top. Dip the frosted top into sugar.
Caramelize Sugar: Refrigerate cupcakes for 30 minutes. Then, use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.
Serve: Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served cool but not cold.

Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

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Recipe by Alexandra Course: All Word Recipes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

1

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Vanilla Cupcakes

• 6 tbsp 6 (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cups 3/4 (155g) sugar

• 6 tbsp 6 (86g) sour cream, room temperature

• 2 tsp 2 vanilla extract

• 3 large 3 egg whites, room temperature

• 1 1/4 cups 1 1/4 (163g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp 2 baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 6 tbsp 6 (90ml) milk, room temperature

• 2 tbsp 2 (30ml) water, room temperature

• Pastry Cream Filling

• 2 2 egg yolks

• 6 tbsp 6 (78g) sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp 1 1/2 cornstarch

• 1 cup 1 (240ml) milk

• 1 tbsp 1 (14g) salted butter

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla extract

• Caramel Frosting

• 1/2 cup 1/2 (112g) salted butter

• 1/2 cup 1/2 (95g) shortening

• 4 cups 4 (460g) powdered sugar

• 3 3 –4 tbsp caramel sauce

• 2 2 –3 tbsp water or milk

• 1/4 cup 1/4 (52g) sugar for caramelizing

Directions

• Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
• Cupcake Batter: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mix well. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing well after each. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and milk and water in another. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter, mix, then the milk mixture, and finally the remaining dry ingredients.
• Bake: Fill liners halfway and bake for 15-17 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
• Pastry Cream: Beat egg yolks in a bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and milk in a saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until it thickens, then simmer for 2 minutes. Add a bit of this mixture to the egg yolks, then combine all and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, and let cool to room temperature.
• Caramel Frosting: Beat butter and shortening until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar, mix, then add caramel sauce. Add remaining sugar and adjust consistency with water or milk.
• Assemble Cupcakes: Core cupcakes and fill with pastry cream. Pipe frosting on top. Dip the frosted top into sugar.
• Caramelize Sugar: Refrigerate cupcakes for 30 minutes. Then, use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.
• Serve: Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served cool but not cold.

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