Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

four creme brulee cupcakes on marble cake stand with one more cupcake behind and two more in front on marble surface.

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

The perfect cupcake for any and every occasion! These sweet Crème Brûlée Cupcakes are reminiscent of the classic French dessert, but now in cake form. Whether you're in need of an extra special treat for the holiday's or simply want something special to bake this weekend, these decadent cupcakes are the treat for you!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 20

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 642kcal

Ingredients

Vanilla Pastry Cream

3 large egg yolks
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup whole milk
¼ vanilla bean
1½ Tablespoons salted butter

Vanilla Cupcakes

1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
½ vanilla bean split and scraped

Vanilla Buttercream

1⅛ cups salted butter room temperature
2¼ cups powdered sugar sifted
2¼ Tablespoons whole milk
⅓ vanilla bean split and scraped

Brûléed Sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Vanilla Pastry Cream

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and corn starch together.
Add egg yolks.
Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Pour milk in a small sauce pan.
Split and scrape vanilla bean into milk.
Add the pod you just scraped.
Heat over medium low heat just until it starts to bubble around the edges.
Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture a little at a time.
Return to saucepan.
Cook over medium low heat, whisking continually, until it reaches a pudding consistency, about 10-20 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Whisk in butter.
Pour into a clean bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it is touching the surface of the pastry cream.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Heat oven to 350℉/177℃.
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or spray with baking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together milk, oil, eggs, egg white, and vanilla bean.
Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients.
Mix until smooth.
Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until done.

Vanilla Buttercream

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth.
Add milk and vanilla bean.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Brûléed Sugar

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Pour sugar into a skillet.
Shake gently to level sugar out.
Heat, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until sugar has melted and turns golden.
Immediately pour onto prepared sheet pan.
Set aside to cool.

Assembly

Use a cupcake corer or sharp knife the cut the centers out of the cupcakes.
Spoon pastry cream into a pastry bag.
Snip the end off so the opening is about ½ inch.
Fill the cupcakes.
Spread, or pipe, buttercream on top.
Break brûléed sugar into pieces.
Place on top of cupcakes.

Notes

Substitutions:

If you don't have vanilla beans, you can use vanilla paste.

Expert Tips:

Remember to take out the vanilla bean from the heated milk before adding it to the egg mixture.
Be careful to not add the heated milk too quickly to the egg mixture! Slowly stream it in while whisking continually. This will ensure no lumps of cooked egg in your custard.
If you think there may be lumps of cooked egg in your custard, no worries! Run the cooked custard through a fine meshed sieve into a clean bowl before refrigerating.
Be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder.
Remember to preheat your oven!
Be careful to not over-mix your cake batter.
When making the brûlée'd sugar, be sure to keep an eye on it! You don't want it to burn. Once all the sugar is dissolved and the sugar turns a golden color, you will need to quickly remove it from the heat and pour it onto the prepared pan.
Make sure to get the brûlée'd sugar as thin as you can when pouring it! You don't want thick chunks of sugar.

Nutrition