Outside of chocolate, one of my favorite flavors is coffee. It is a flavor that works especially well in desserts because the bitter flavor balances out the sweetness from the sugar. That’s what makes this coffee creme brulee so good – balance. A creamy custard is flavored with espresso powder and then topped with melted sugar. It is the perfect balance of sweet and bitter and also a good contrast of creamy and hard textures!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream adds richness to the custard.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks form the base of the custard, and they give the dessert a rich flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the dish.
- Espresso powder – I’ve tested this creme brulee recipe many times, and the only way to incorporate coffee effectively into it is espresso powder. I’ve tried to use coffee grounds before and there were big chunks in my base. I would highly recommend only using espresso powder to get the coffee flavor.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds flavor to the custard. Substitute with 1 vanilla bean or an equal amount of vanilla paste.
Making my coffee creme brulee recipe
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Heat up the heavy cream so that it’s hot but not boiling. You can eyeball it by seeing if smoke is wafting off your cream. After heating up your cream, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl. Make sure you have a smooth consistency. The next step is called tempering. Basically, you want to raise the temperature of your egg yolks, so they don’t cook when you combine the cream and eggs. To do this, add 1/4 cup of cream to the egg mixture. Whisk well until everything is well incorporated. Then pour the egg mixture into the hot cream. Stir together until all the ingredients are mixed well and the sugar has melted. Add the vanilla extract and espresso powder and stir. Remove from the heat.
Add 4 ramekins to a baking dish. I used 4 8oz ramekins in a 9×9 baking dish. Ladle the custard over a fine mesh sieve into the ramekins. Pour 2 cups of hot water into the baking dish to create a water bath for the custard. This helps control the temperature of the custard, so it doesn’t overcook. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Take out the creme brûlée at 35 minutes to check if it’s cooked through. To check if they’re done, shake them a bit, and if they move the same way jello moves, they’re done. If they seem a bit loose in the center, bake them for a few more minutes. Cool for 2 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the fridge. Add a thin layer of sugar on top and shake off any excess. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar and serve.
What is the secret to a good creme brulee?
This is my #1 tip for making great creme brûlée. The most common mistake I see is accidentally cooking the eggs. It is not a pleasant experience getting small bits of egg in your dessert. Tempering your eggs means raising the temperature of your eggs, so they don’t cook. To do this, add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to your egg yolks and stir until well incorporated. Now, it’s safe to add your eggs to the hot cream.
More tips on how to make the perfect coffee creme brulee
Use a spoon to scoop out any bubbles
Whisking your custard causes bubbles to form at the top of your mixture. It’s not a huge deal, but I like to spoon them off so I can see the solid color of the creme brûlée. This is an optional step.
Make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins
I used a 9×9 square baking dish for the water bath, but you can use any size baking dish you wish. If you use a larger baking dish, make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins. This ensures your creme brûlée cooks at a consistent temperature and doesn’t overcook.
Bake the creme brûlée in the center of the oven.
Placing the creme brûlée in the center of the oven allows heat to hit it from all sides, so that it cooks evenly. Placing it too high or too low in the oven causes the top or bottom to burn without the center cooking fully.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.
Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.
Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!
Coffee Creme Brulee
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 4½ tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C).
- Heat up the heavy cream so that it’s hot but not boiling. You can eyeball it by seeing if smoke is wafting off your cream.
- After heating up your cream, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl. Make sure you have a smooth consistency.
- The next step is called tempering. Basically, you want to raise the temperature of your egg yolks, so they don't cook when you combine the cream and eggs. To do this, add 1/4 cup of cream to the egg mixture. Whisk well until everything is well incorporated. Then pour the egg mixture into the hot cream. Stir together until all the ingredients are mixed well and the sugar has melted.
- Add the vanilla extract and espresso powder and stir. Remove from the heat.
- Add 4 ramekins to a baking dish. I used 4 8oz ramekins in a 9×9 baking dish. Ladle the custard over a fine mesh sieve into the ramekins.
- Pour 2 cups of hot water into the baking dish to create a water bath for the custard. This helps control the temperature of the custard, so it doesn't overcook.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Take out the creme brûlée at 35 minutes to check if it's cooked through. To check if they’re done, shake them a bit, and if they move the same way jello moves, they’re done. If they seem a bit loose in the center, bake them for a few more minutes.
- Cool for 2 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the fridge.
- Add a thin layer of sugar on top and shake off any excess. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar and serve.
Notes
- My #1 tip for creme brulee – The most common mistake I see is accidentally cooking the eggs. It is not a pleasant experience getting small bits of egg in your dessert. Tempering your eggs means raising the temperature of your eggs, so they don’t cook. To do this, add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to your egg yolks and stir until well incorporated. Now, it’s safe to add your eggs to the hot cream.
- Use a spoon to scoop out any bubbles – Whisking your custard causes bubbles to form at the top of your mixture. It’s not a huge deal, but I like to spoon them off so I can see the solid color of the creme brûlée. This is an optional step.
- Make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins – I used a 9×9 square baking dish for the water bath, but you can use any size baking dish you wish. If you use a larger baking dish, make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins. This ensures your creme brûlée cooks at a consistent temperature and doesn’t overcook.
- Bake the creme brûlée in the center of the oven – Placing the creme brûlée in the center of the oven allows heat to hit it from all sides, so that it cooks evenly. Placing it too high or too low in the oven causes the top or bottom to burn without the center cooking fully.
Made this for my husband on Father’s Day. It was so similar to my other recipe I use (other than adding the coffee) so I was comfortable making it. It was delicious! He likes it better than my vanilla bean Creme brûlée. Definitely worth making.
Thank you so much for making it and so excited he enjoyed it!