This coffee creme brulee recipe is super easy to make with 5 ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time. The classic French dessert is the perfect coffee flavoured dessert for a dinner party or special occasion!
3largeEgg Yolksequivalent to 60 grams, at room temperature
30gr (2 1/2 tablespoon)Caster Sugar
Sugar Coating
4teaspoonsCaser Sugardivided in 4
Instructions
Coffee Custard
Preheat your oven on 100 degrees Celsius / 215 degrees Fahrenheit. Place four deep 7 cm wide ramekins, or shallow 13 cm wide ramekins (2,5 inch and 5 inch) on a baking tray or large baking dish.
In a small saucepan, mix the Cream, Vanilla and Instant Coffee. Stir to dissolve the coffee granules and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
In the meantime, place the egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof large bowl. Whisk until smooth (see note 1).
Slowly pour the warm cream mixture over the sugar / yolks while constantly stirring. Mix until you get a smooth, liquid mixture (see note 2). Optionally, strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and air bubbles.
Pour the custard into the prepared ramekins. Carefully tap the tray the ramekins are sitting on to pop any air bubbles. If you notice some foam on top of the custard, remove it with a small spoon.
Bake for about 60 minutes for the 7 cm ramekins, or 40 to 45 minutes for the 13 cm ramekins. The sides of the custard should be set but the centre should be still very slightly jiggly (see note 3).
Place on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Sugar Coating
Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of caster sugar over each coffee custard. Gently shake the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and make sure you get an even layer throughout (see note 4).
Using a kitchen blow torch, caramelise the sugar until it turn into a crispy, golden coloured shell. Make sure to constantly move the flame and not put it in direct contact of the sugar to avoid burning it.
Place in the freezer to set for 15 minutes, then serve straight away (see note 5).
Video
Notes
Try not to over-mix or you will create a lot of air bubbles that will make the top of the custard uneven.
This step is known as "tempering" the eggs: you slowly increase the temperature of the eggs to avoid any quick temperature change that would make the eggs curdle.
you will notice that I do not use a water bath here. This is the way I learnt how to make crème brulée at pastry school. Baking the custard at a very low temperature give you a creamier, less rubbery texture. And no fuss!
Depending on how thin or thick you want the caramelised shell to be, you could use more sugar that one teaspoon per creme brulee. You could also double coat it, caramelising the first coat then topping it with more sugar.
Freezing the dessert before serving will allow for the sugar coating to harden and the cream under to firm up again.