Description
Delightful crème brûlée cake blends French pastry elegance with classic dessert charm. Creamy custard layers and caramelized sugar topping create a luxurious experience for dessert enthusiasts wanting something extraordinary.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1.75 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 3 tbsps cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar (for brulee topping)
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Cake Foundation: Preheat oven to 350F and prepare cake pans with parchment paper and light grease, ensuring smooth cake release.
- Ingredient Fusion: Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl until uniformly combined, creating a consistent flour mixture with baking powder and salt.
- Butter Transformation: Cream butter and sugar in a spacious mixing bowl, developing a light, voluminous texture that serves as the cake’s fundamental base.
- Liquid Integration: Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each, then introduce vanilla extract to elevate the flavor complexity.
- Batter Harmonization: Gently fold flour mixture and milk into the creamed base, alternating ingredients to create a smooth, homogeneous batter with balanced consistency.
- Baking Process: Distribute batter evenly across prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, confirming doneness with a clean toothpick test.
- Cooling Stage: Rest cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack for complete temperature reduction.
- Pastry Cream Creation: Combine milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan, whisking until seamlessly dissolved, then temper with egg yolks while continuously stirring to prevent curdling.
- Cream Refinement: Cook egg mixture over medium heat, stirring consistently until achieving a luxurious thick consistency, then remove from heat and fold in vanilla extract and butter.
- Cake Assembly: Position first cake layer on serving plate, spread pastry cream generously, then carefully place second layer and cover with remaining cream.
- Caramelization Technique: Sprinkle granulated sugar across the cake’s surface and use a kitchen torch to transform sugar into a golden, crisp caramel topping, alternatively broiling for 1-2 minutes with careful monitoring.
- Serving Preparation: Allow caramelized sugar to harden, creating a delicate, crackling surface before presenting the finished dessert.
Notes
- Calibrate Oven Temperature: Verify precise 350F setting to ensure even cake baking and prevent uneven texture or undercooked centers.
- Prevent Pastry Cream Curdling: Temper egg yolks gradually by slowly adding warm milk mixture while constant whisking prevents unwanted scrambled egg formations.
- Master Caramelization Technique: Use kitchen torch at consistent distance, moving smoothly to achieve uniform golden-brown sugar crust without burning or creating dark patches.
- Optimize Cake Moisture: Let cakes cool completely before assembling to maintain structural integrity and prevent cream from melting, ensuring clean layering and professional presentation.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg