This classic Creme Brûlée is delicious and simple to make. Rich creamy silky brûlée with a perfectly caramelized sugar top, a marvelous combination of crunchy brittle candy and soft velvety creme brûlée.

What is Creme Brûlée? Creme Brûlée meaning ‘burnt cream’ has always been one of my favorite desserts. Basically, it is a creamy, pudding-like baked custard with a brittle caramelized sugar top that cracks when it is tapped gently with a spoon. And in every mouthful, you get to savor a little bit of crunchy sugar with that creamy baked custard.

See that perfectly caramelized sugar top?

The classic Creme Brûlée always looks grandly sophisticated with that hardened caramelized sugar veneer but actually, it is not difficult to make. The English, the Spanish and the French all lay claim to the invention of this delectable dessert. Who knows really; what is more important is once you have added this to your dessert repertoire, be prepared to receive rave reviews. Your dinner parties will never be the same again, it is that good 😄!

Smooth, creamy, delicious creme brulee

So the Sugar Crumble has been experimenting with creme brûlées. I wanted a really Easy Creme Brûlée and this is it. No boiling cream that might accidentally cook the egg or spilling water bath en-route to baking in the oven. Just a really simple and easy-to-do recipe which bakes slowly at low temperature. The result? Smooth, creamy, silky, delicious brûlée custard that is perfect every time.

Frozen creme brulees are the best!

No WARM brûlées please 🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️⁣

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Instead of chilling, I like to freeze my Creme Brûlée. That way, when it is brûlée-ed (i.e. burnt), the Creme Brûlée remains nice and cold. ⁣

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Once you have tried this Easy Creme Brûlée, one may wonder why we ever bothered with boiling cream and precarious water baths! Click the recipe tutorial and check out how to make this Easy Creme Brûlée! 😊

If you like this recipe tutorial and like to see more, subscribe to my YouTube channel here!😊

Tips!

#1 Type of sugar

This Easy Creme Brûlée does not use boiling cream. Therefore I like to use fine granulated sugar (rather than coarse) which dissolves more easily. Make sure to bring yolks to room temperature and thereafter a steady whisk will dissolve and nicely mix in the sugar.

Use fine sugar which dissolves easily

#2 Why use coffee?

Although I note it as optional, my advice? DON’T SKIP THE COFFEE … IMHO it is the X-Factor.⁣ Coffee helps to take away any eggi-ness and it’s only a 1/4 tsp so I promise you can hardly taste it. It also adds complexity to the taste of the Creme Brûlée, giving an added dimension beyond the pure vanilla flavor.

A little caffeine removes egginess …

#3 Make it in a measuring cup

Love this Easy Creme Brûlée. No need for boiling cream or water bath. Everything comes together quickly and simply in a measuring cup. Creamy, silky and delicious creme brûlée with that perfect crackle sugar top. If you love this Easy Creme Brulee, you may also like to try my Asian fusion variation – Black Sticky Rice Creme Brûlée, check it out here.

Easy & quick to make in a measuring cup

#4 Watch for the wobble!

Always check the creme brûlée as it bakes so that it’s not overdone (I usually check around the 35-40 minute mark). There should be a little wobble when it’s done which should set nicely after it is cooled completely and chilled. If the creme brûlée is totally firm when baked, it’s overdone.  To know what this looks like, watch the recipe tutorial and compare the watery jiggle before baking (@ 2:17min) vs the wobble (@ 2:30min) when it’s done.

Watery jiggle before baking …

#5 Why frozen and not chilled?

I like to freeze my creme brûlée for one and only one reason – They remain nice and cold after the brûlée. Because this is made in a shallow ramekin, I find that a chilled creme brûlée quickly becomes warm after torching. No warm creme brûlées please! 🙅‍♀️ Freezing the creme brûlée and torching it frozen just before serving keeps it nicely glacial …. kinda like ice cream, says my kids 😊 !

Quick & easy brulee with the mini torch

If you love creme brûlée like I do, I would recommend investing in a mini kitchen torch. These are easily available online and a good mini torch typically costs ~$15-20 – check here. Whilst some creme brûlée recipes suggest caramelizing the sugar in the oven before serving, again this means that the creme brûlée will be likely warm when served🙅‍♀️ Using a mini torch allows a quick brûlée (~ 15-20 seconds) to scorch the sugar on top, without heating up the custard.

My handy brûlée helper …

Quick note when using the mini torch – Don’t be heavy handed in the brûlée. Use a light flame and move constantly over the sugar surface to let it brown nicely. Go slow and always be careful when using the flame.

#6 Make ahead & storage 

This Easy Creme Brûlée can be made ahead, kept well sealed and frozen for up to two weeks. Always brûlée frozen and serve immediately.

Did you make this? I would love to know how it turned out. Please leave me a comment or hashtag me on Instagram or FB #thesugarcrumble.com

Thank you!

Print Recipe

Creme Brûlée

Love this Easy Creme Brûlée recipe. No need for boiling cream or water bath. Everything comes together quickly and simply in a measuring cup. Creamy, silky and delicious creme brûlée with that perfect crackle sugar top.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Freezing4 hours hrs

Total Time5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Creme Brulee

Servings: 6 inch shallow ramekin

Author: Kai

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks @ room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp fine granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp instant coffee granules (dissolved in 2 tbsp hot cream)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream (this should fill the heavy cream with the egg and coffee mixture up to the 1 CUP mark)
• Some raspberries and mint sprigs for decor

Instructions

• Combine the yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
• Dissolve 1/4 tsp instant coffee in 2 tbsp of hot cream and mix well into the creme brûlée custard. Add heavy cream up till the 1 CUP mark (~2/3 cup) and stir until just combined.
• Pour the custard into a 6 inch shallow ramekin and bake at 125C for ~50 minutes. Note: check as it’s being baked so that the creme brûlée is not overdone. If the brûlée is almost firm with a slight wobble when lightly shaken, it’s done.
• Cool completely and freeze overnight or for at least 4 hours.
• When it is time to serve, sprinkle a spoonful of sugar on the creme brûlée. Gently turn and tap the ramekin to spread out the sugar evenly. Using a mini torch, brûlée lavishly until the sugar is beautifully scorched and forms a hard candy layer.
• Optional: I decorated with raspberry and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

If you like this recipe tutorial and would like to see more, subscribe to my YouTube channel here! 😊

#1 Type of sugar

This Easy Creme Brûlée does not use boiling cream. Therefore I like to use fine granulated sugar (rather than coarse) which dissolves more easily. Make sure to bring yolks to room temperature and thereafter a steady whisk will dissolve and nicely mix in the sugar.

#2 Why use coffee?

Although I note it as optional, my advice? DON’T SKIP THE COFFEE ... IMHO it is the X-Factor.⁣ Coffee helps to take away any eggi-ness and it’s only a 1/4 tsp so I promise you can hardly taste it. It also adds complexity to the taste of the Creme Brûlée giving an added dimension beyond the pure vanilla flavor.

#3 Make it in a measuring cup

Love this Easy Creme Brûlée. No need for boiling cream or water bath. Everything comes together quickly and simply in a measuring cup. Creamy, silky and delicious creme brûlée with that perfect crackle sugar top.

#4 Watch for the wobble!

Always check the creme brûlée as it bakes so that it’s not overdone (I usually check around the 35-40 minute mark). There should be a little wobble when it’s done which should set nicely after it is cooled completely and chilled. If the creme brûlée is totally firm when baked, it’s overdone.  To know what this looks like, watch the recipe tutorial and compare the watery jiggle before baking (@ 2:17min) vs the slight wobble (@ 2:30min) when it’s done.

#5 Why frozen and not chilled?

I like to freeze my creme brûlée for one and only one reason - They remain nice and cold after the brûlée. Because this is made in a shallow ramekin, I find that a chilled creme brûlée quickly becomes warm after torching. No warm creme brûlées please! 🙅‍♀️  Freezing the creme brûlée and torching it frozen just before serving keeps it nicely glacial .... kinda like ice cream, says my kids😊 !

If you love creme brûlée like I do, I would recommend investing in a mini kitchen torch. These are easily available online and cost ~$15-20 - check here. Whilst some creme brûlée recipes suggest caramelizing the sugar in the oven before serving, again this means that the creme brûlée will be likely warm when served 🙅‍♀️  Using a mini torch allows a quick brûlée (~ 15-20 seconds) to scorch the sugar on top, without heating up the custard.

Quick note when using the mini torch - Don’t be heavy handed in the brûlée. Use a light flame and move constantly over the sugar surface to let it brown nicely. Go slow and always be careful when using the flame.

#6 Make ahead & storage 

This Easy Creme Brûlée can be made ahead, kept well sealed and frozen for up to two weeks. Always brûlée frozen and serve immediately.