Creme Brulee Cupcakes
July 19, 2008 at 11:05 PM | Posted in cupcakes | 42 CommentsTags: creme brulee
I was in the mood to bake. Do you ever get those moments? I am not sure what brought it on. Maybe its b/c I haven’t bake anything in 2 weeks! (At least not for human consumption. More for the honey bunny persuasion.) I was definitely overdue! Wouldn’t you agree?
I’ve had Cassie’s Creme Brulee Cupcakes on my must-bake list ever since she posted about them. So today I decided to break in my birthday gift torch by baking up a batch of creme brulee cupcake as promised in my previous post.
These were a heck of a lot of fun to bake! Who knew setting sugar on fire could be such a blast!?? (Pun intended. LOL)
(Recipe adapted from HowToEatACupcake | photos from me!)
Makes about 24 cupcakes (I halved the recipe and barely got 12)
INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk (I used half and half)
3 tablespoons caramel syrup (I used Hershey ice cream topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream
1 cup light brown sugar
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
INSTRUCTIONS
To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and milk.
[NOTES: I always like to end with the dry ingredient.]
Add caramel syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into batter.
Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.
[NOTES: I baked for 20 minutes.]
To make meringue buttercream—
Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.
EXTRA-EXTRA! I thought it would be useful to see step-by-step instructions to make swiss meringue buttercream for other SMB newbies like me. Click here and here for how-to videos!
To assemble cupcakes—
Remove center of cupcake using the cone method. Fill cupcake with buttercream. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and caramelize with creme brulee torch.
ENJOY! :)
Husband rating: A+
He raved about how much it really tasted like a creme brulee.
Wifey rating: A+
I absolutely loved this cupcake! My favorite part of a real creme brulee is the caramelized sugar layer on top. Its fabulous on this cupcake too! I think I have a new favorite now. Definitely will make again!
Other rating: A+
My little brother ate 3 of them. I know that means something since he’s really not a desserts person.
42 Comments
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mmmm! yeah. definitely overdue!
torch looks totally wicked ;)
any idea what cupcake design for a girl who loves to run?
Comment by khoo— July 20, 2008 #
oh and i do understand what you mean by having the ‘mood to bake!’
it really makes a big difference of how the cupcakes turn out aye?
good job btw (:
Comment by khoo— July 20, 2008 #
I can’t wait to try these! And I get in moods to bake all the time!
Comment by Cherie— July 20, 2008 #
Oh my gosh! I love, love, love creme brulee! I will be making these cupcake very soon, thank you so much for posting them!
Comment by Melissa— July 20, 2008 #
KHOO, Wicked is definitely the word I would use! Design for a girl who likes to run? Does she wear any name brand? Nike? The swoosh would be easy to make out of fondant, melted chocolate or piped buttercream. Maybe some running shoes? or ipod? out of fondant. Let me know if those ideas are on the right track. (I am so good at puns, no? HAHA)
CHERIE and MELISSA, Definitely let me know what you think if you try it!
Comment by CB— July 20, 2008 #
omg. you’re a genius! i love the ipod idea.
didnt think of that! THANKS!
i should be baking them by this weekend.
will show you how it went!
and yes! you’re a natural at puns :P
nice one. haha!
Comment by khoo— July 20, 2008 #
I definitely understand the mood to bake. But it’s really silly hot here, so no baking going on. Actually I’m trying to think what to make that doesn’t require heat.
Comment by Mary— July 20, 2008 #
MARY, Hmmm… ice cream maker? ;)
Comment by CB— July 20, 2008 #
I love creme brulee, and what better way to eat them, but in cupcake form! YUM!!
Comment by April— July 21, 2008 #
How wonderful! And you adapted the recipe from one of my favorite sites, so double triple wonderful!
Comment by Cakespy— July 21, 2008 #
APRIL, if you love creme brulee, then you totally dig this recipe! I swear it tasted just like one!
CAKESPY, double triple indeed! haha.
Comment by CB— July 21, 2008 #
These look AWESOME! I love creme brulee! Send me some, mmmkay? Thaaaanks!
Comment by April— July 21, 2008 #
What a great idea! They looked like they turned out great!
Comment by My Sweet & Saucy— July 21, 2008 #
APRIL, haha will do!
SWEET&SAUCY, Best cupcake ever. Seriously.
Comment by CB— July 21, 2008 #
Oh. My. I love creme brulee and these cupcakes are seriously making my mouth water! I’m like one of Pavlov’s dogs!!!! Yummy!!!!
Comment by Gina— July 21, 2008 #
GINA, Pavlov’s dog. HAHA. I hope you give the recipe a try! Its definitely mouthwatering. :)
Comment by CB— July 21, 2008 #
Ok these I HAVE to try. We love creme brulee. But I am having a brain fart. After taking out the cone of cake and putting in the buttercream and sprinkling with sugar, I then torch it right? What about the extra cone of cake?
Comment by Kristen— July 22, 2008 #
KRISTEN, Yup. bake, cone, fill with buttercream, sprinkle with sugar and torch. Uh cones? I eat them. HAHA. Probably a good reason why I don’t do the cone method much. I don’t have the heart to throw the innards away so they end up in my belly!
Comment by CB— July 22, 2008 #
These sound incredible! I am totally impressed with your torching abilities. :) I just unpacked my torch this weekend and hubby sure does love some creme brulee….hmmmm….
Comment by Janna from Honeyed Hashette— July 22, 2008 #
JANNA, I got skillz! ;)
Comment by CB— July 22, 2008 #
Hello
We’re inviting you to join our blogroll!
The Key Ingredient blogroll features a growing list of food blogs that focus on baking and cooking a combination of sweet and savory foods.
Please contact sophiekiblogger@gmail.com for more details on how to join the blogroll or sign up at http://blog.keyingredient.com/BlogrollSignup.html
Warm Regards,
Sophie
KI’s Chief Blogger
Comment by Sophie— July 23, 2008 #
SOPHIE, thanks for the invite. I’ll have to check out your website! :)
Comment by CB— July 23, 2008 #
Oh YUM!! I’ll have to give this one a try at some point!
Comment by Stefani— July 25, 2008 #
STEFANI, Trust me. Its absolutely scrumptious!
Comment by CB— July 25, 2008 #
I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for your wonderful blog! I featured you on my last entry on my blog. Have a magical weekend!
Comment by Marianne— July 25, 2008 #
MARIANNE, aawww thanks for the shoutout. You’re so sweet!
Comment by CB— July 25, 2008 #
Dude no fair! Your idea of filling them and torching the brown sugar is genius! Why didn’t I think of that????????
Comment by Cassie (howtoeatacupcake)— July 29, 2008 #
CASSIE, … and your recipe was BRIL! Why couldn’t I think of that?? I think we make a great team. :)
Comment by CB— July 29, 2008 #
[…] like cheesecake, tiramisu and the best of all, creme brulee! When I saw Clara make these over at I *Heart* Cuppycakes, I was beyond excited. I love creme brulee, but it is kind of a pain to make and you have all those […]
Pingback by Creme Brulee Cupcakes « Made by Melissa— July 29, 2008 #
I made these to bring to a Xmas party and they were PHENOM!!!!!! The only change i made was to use white granulated sugar, then you don’t get that black burny stuff on them (i tried the brown sugar first and got that too), the white sugar was perfecto! Thank you for such a yummo recipe! xo
Comment by Lauren— December 30, 2008 #
LAUREN, Way to substitute. Honestly I prefer the black burny brown sugar myself but you can definitely use the white sugar if you like it better. Glad to hear it was a success!
Comment by CB— January 2, 2009 #
I just made these a few days ago. To. Die. For. Hands down, the BEST cupcake I have ever eaten. I love Creme Brulee and these taste just like it. I especially like the meltiness of the frosting after it’s torched. MMMM
Comment by Super Crackers— May 29, 2009 #
SUPERCRACKERS, So glad you loved it! Honestly one of my FAVORITE cupcakes to date. Thanks for letting me know :)
Comment by CB— May 31, 2009 #
No, you can’t DO this to me!!! Creme brulee is my favourite of favourite desserts and now you’ve made it into a cupcake (my newest fetish)? Pure evilness (rushes off to go buy the ingredients…)
Comment by Lennongirl— July 24, 2009 #
LENNONGIRL, HA HA! Sorry sorry! But if you like creme brulee half as much as I do then you MUST make these cupcakes. You won’t regret it! (Well maybe your waistline will…)
Comment by CB— July 26, 2009 #
anyone know a sneaky macgyver trick for caramelizing the brown sugar if i have no torch???
Comment by Shannon— November 2, 2009 #
SHANNON, You can put it under your broiler but don’t walk away b/c it will brulee really fast!
Comment by CB— November 3, 2009 #
I made these for a 40th Anniversary party this past weekend and EVERYONE loved them! My mother-in-law LOVES creme brulee so when I was asked to create something special for a surprise anniversary party, I immediately did some research and testing, which is where I came across your post!
As I brought out the desserts, and party-goers flocked to the table, there were tons of oohhs and ahhhs and then Yummms.
Thanks for the step-by-step instructions and pics! I’m sure I’ll be making these again and again!
Comment by Amy Trapp— August 1, 2011 #
This sounds SO amazing..I am going to the store right now to buy the ingredients~~
Linnie
CupcakeLinnie.wordpress.com
Comment by Cupcake Linnie— August 15, 2011 #
I just made these tonight! My buttercream isn’t come out really smooth, was kind of wet. Not sure If I beat it for too long. Taste was good, cupcakes were a little dry, might have needed to take a little more of the center out but will definitely try again!! Thanks for the recipe :)
Comment by Laura— October 17, 2012 #
Are you able to make these the night before a party? Will they hold up well overnight?
Comment by Michelle— March 5, 2013 #
You can make the cupcake portion and maybe even the filling, but would wait to add the brownsugar and “fire it” as close to the time of the event as possible — otherwise, the top gets soggy. They are delicious and one of my most often requested!
Comment by Amy— March 5, 2013 #