Crème Brûlée Cupcakes
Crème brûlée cupcakes are light, fluffy, and filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream. Each bite delivers the rich flavor of classic crème brûlée with a crisp caramelized top in cupcake form.
Equipment
- Muffin Pan
- Mixing Bowls:
- Kitchen Torch
- Whisk
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 1 Easy One Pot Vanilla Pastry Cream recipe prepared and chilled
Cupcake Batter
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or canola or vegetable oil
Topping
- 1/2 cup coarse sugar like raw, turbinado, or sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Prepare the vanilla pastry cream ahead of time and chill for at least 4 hours until set.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk-oil mixture to the batter. Stir until just combined.
- Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely. Use a knife or corer to remove the center and fill with pastry cream.
- Replace the tops. Chill briefly, then dip cupcake tops in coarse sugar and torch to caramelize.
Notes
For best texture, torch the sugar just before serving. Store un-torched cupcakes in the fridge and add topping fresh when ready.