Recipe courtesy of Jenica Braddock

Creme Brulee Cupcake

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 24 cupcakes
  • Total: 1 hr 30 min (includes cooling time)
  • Active: 45 min
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Ingredients

Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 whole eggs plus 1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature

3 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 3/4 cups milk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla

Custard Frosting:

2 ounces cornstarch

10 egg yolks, at room temperature

6 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Brulee Sugar Mixture:

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

Special equipment:
a kitchen blowtorch
  1. For the cake batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.
  2. Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat slowly until it is smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and salt and cream at moderate speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs and egg whites together a little at a time, beating after each addition until the eggs are absorbed before adding more. Mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl to insure even mixing, about 5 minutes.
  4. Sift together the cake flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix the milk and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Add one-quarter of the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture and beat just until blended in. Add one-third of the milk mixture and beat just until blended in. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, alternating the flour with the milk, until all the ingredients are used. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally for even mixing.
  5. Scoop some batter into each liner and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
  6. For the custard frosting: Using an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the cornstarch and egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl until light and fluffy. Warm the whipping cream and confectioners' sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When the cream mixture reaches about 100 degrees F, add about half of it to the egg yolks, whisking, and then transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Continue cooking the yolk and cream mixture until it reaches a boil (about 180 degrees F). Remove from the heat immediately and pour into a clean stainless steel bowl. Whip in the butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. (The mixture may be stored in an air-tight container up to 5 days.)
  7. For the brulee sugar mixture: Mix together the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
  8. Top each cupcake with 1 1/2 ounces of the custard frosting. Sprinkle on some of the brulee sugar mixture and torch. Repeat several times to desired thickness.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Paul W.

Made these for mothers day, very nice all around.  The recipe is missing some important info if you're not familiar with custards.  <div><br /></div><div>While heating the egg/cream/sugar mixture to 180, you need to constantly stir the bottom with a spatula to prevent the eggs cooking.  Stir until the mixture thickens, this might be a couple of minutes at 180.  Then chill the mixture fully (overnight) <i>before</i> whipping in butter and vanilla.  </div><div><br /></div><div>The cupcake base is amazing, fluffy.  The custard frosting is excellent, exactly as creme brulee.  The topping I had trouble with, the brown sugar was too moist.  Suggest a 2:1 ratio of white to brown sugar, and it needs sifting onto cupcakes.  Torching gave them the proper flavor but I could not get the crunchy texture to stay while torching them - I think the whipping cream in the frosting adds too much moisture.  Chill them between sugar/torching to keep the frosting from melting off entirely.  The heat of the torch precludes fancy piping, it will melt and lose shape.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall very nice flavor and appearance but I do miss the crunch.  I may try adding a pane of sugar to each.</div>

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