French Dessert Crème Brûlée
Beautiful, incredibly delicious, melts in your mouth - a celebration every day! Crème brûlée is a famous dessert of French cuisine. It is the most delicate creamy custard under a crunchy caramel crust. You need only four ingredients, and the active cooking takes about 10 minutes, the oven does the rest.
Updated : 01 December, 2025
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
4
Egg yolks
70 grams
Sugar
500 milliliters
Heavy cream
to taste
Vanilla
Caramel
1 tablespoon
Sugar
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
You will only need egg yolks; you can use the whites to make meringue. The cream for this recipe can be of any fat content, but remember: the higher the fat, the higher the calorie content of the dessert. I use 33% cream. As a flavoring I take vanilla sugar with real vanilla.
Step 2
Take a deep bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar. If you’re using vanilla sugar or vanilla extract as a flavoring, add it now. Stir the yolks with the sugar using a whisk until smooth. It’s important to mix, not whip. Crème brûlée should have a dense, custard-like texture, not a fluffy one.
Step 3
Pour the cream into a saucepan. If you use vanilla beans, split the pod lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add them to the cream. Heat the cream until it is warm, about 40 °C (around 105 °F), not hotter. This is done so the sugar dissolves faster and the vanilla, if you use pods, gives off its aroma.
Step 4
Pour the warm cream into the yolks and mix well with a whisk. Thanks to the warmth, the sugar will dissolve quickly. Again, do not whip the mixture, just stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Step 5
Take small ovenproof ramekins. A capacity of about 150 ml (about 2/3 cup) per serving is enough so the custard bakes through properly. Pour the cream mixture into the ramekins. I filled them to the top; I got four 150 ml portions plus a little in another dish. You can fill only halfway - then you’ll get more servings. Place the ramekins on a tray or baking pan with high sides.
Step 6
Use a toothpick to pop any large bubbles on the surface so they don’t spoil the appearance of the finished dessert. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Thanks to this water bath, the dessert will cook gently and turn into a smooth custard, not an omelet.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 170 °C (about 340 °F). Place the pan with the desserts in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The baked cream will resemble jelly; if you shake a ramekin, it will wobble. That’s normal - the dessert will firm up as it cools.
Step 8
Take the ramekins out of the hot water, cool them first at room temperature, then place them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or even better overnight.
Step 9
When the custard is chilled, take it out and sprinkle the top with sugar. Half a teaspoon per ramekin is enough. Distribute the sugar evenly by gently shaking the dish.
Step 10
Make the caramel crust. For this you’ll need a kitchen blowtorch. Use it to melt and caramelize the sugar. If you don’t have a torch, place the dessert under a very hot oven grill. Be careful not to burn yourself while caramelizing!
Step 11
As a result you’ll get an incredibly delicate cream with a crunchy sugar crust. Enjoy your dessert!
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