Our contributor, Olivia Bogacki, is sharing a crème brûlée inspired layer cake recipe! Vanilla bean cake, vanilla custard, and crunchy bits of caramel, all covered in a silky vanilla buttercream and decorated with caramel sugar shards.
I’ve only made crème brûlée once in my life. It was in pastry school, and I remember the process being a bit finicky. It wasn’t exactly difficult to make, but I’m turned off by anything that you need to bake in a water bath. I vaguely remember there being a small window of time where the crème brûlée was either underdone or overdone, but you’re also not supposed to open the oven too often to check it. Stressful!! This is based on my one experience, mind you, so perhaps it’s actually easier than I remember.
As such, I am in no rush to make the real thing, so I’m continuing the theme of turning desserts into cakes because everything is better in cake form. This month, I bring you the Crème Brûlée Cake! Are you as excited as I am??
Crème brûlée (aka burnt cream) is a silky smooth custard topped with a thin layer of crunchy caramel. The contrasting textures are amazing together. The most common and most traditional flavour is vanilla, but these days you can find crème brûlée infused with all sorts of delicious flavours.
I’ve had very good crème brûlée and very, very bad crème brûlée. I will never forget this one I had at a local restaurant. It was completely curdled! Chunks of “stuff” in what was supposed to be a smooth as silk dessert. Needless to say, I took one bite and left it. I’m still kicking myself for not sending it back!
This crème brûlée cake takes all the elements of a traditional crème brûlée and turns them into a delicious layer cake! Vanilla bean cake, vanilla custard, and crunchy bits of caramel, all covered in a silky vanilla buttercream and decorated with caramel sugar shards. A note on the shards: sugar work does not stand up well over time. The shards will get very sticky the longer they sit, so I recommend using them the same day.
I hope you’re enjoying these posts on desserts turned into cakes. There will be more to come!
CREME BRULEE CAKE
a recipe by Olivia Bogacki
(makes one 8” cake – 12 servings)
For the Vanilla Bean Cake:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk (room temperature)
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 8″ cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla bean paste.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Custard:
2 cups milk, divided
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
¼ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
- Place 1 ½ cups milk and vanilla bean paste into a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk remaining ½ cup milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Once the milk mixture is simmering, slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously.
- Return mixture to pot and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil.
- Pass through a strainer and into a small bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on top of cream to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely and refrigerate.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
5 large egg whites
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, cubed (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer*, whisk until combined.
- Place bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Carefully transfer the bowl onto the stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the meringue is fluffy, glossy and holds a stiff peak.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add cubed butter and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla and whip on medium-high until silky and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.**
For the Sugar Shards (do this day of serving):
3 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
- Line 2 half sheet pans with tin foil, set aside.
- Place sugar and water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir to combine and until sugar dissolves. Do not stir from this point forward. Use a pastry brush to wash down the inside of the pot occasionally to prevent sugar from crystalizing.
- Cook sugar, swirling pot occasionally until desired color of caramel is reached (10-15 minutes).
- Immediately pour onto baking sheets. Tilt the sheets as needed to distribute the sugar. Allow to cool slightly (approximately 5 minutes).
- Once sugar has cooled and set (but is still warm), peel off tin foil and break sugar into shards.***
For the Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Using a large round tip, pipe a dam of frosting along the top to hold the custard.
- Top with approximately 2/3 cup of custard and spread evenly. Crush up some smaller bits of the sugar shards and sprinkle over top.****
- Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the cake. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Frost the cake and smooth the sides and top (do a swirl if desired). Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
- Just before serving, place sugar shards randomly on the outside of the cake. You may need to spackle some leftover frosting on a few pieces to help them stick. Remove shards before cutting.
NOTES:
* Ensure there is NO trace of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk are completely grease free or your meringue may not whip up.
** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** Do not let the sugar cool completely. It will shatter when broken and you won’t get large shards.
**** The sugar will dissolve over time but adds a nice caramel flavor.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
S’mores Cake
Lemon Meringue Cake
Mint Cookies N Cream Cake
Orange Creamsicle Cake
Banana Split Cake
a lot of times when someone attaches creme brulee to a dessert, i don’t get how it’s creme brulee. case in point: a creme brulee french toast that was just french toast with caramel drizzled over it. where’s the crunchy caramelized sugar and custard?? but this definitely feels like it deserves to be called a creme brulee cake (:
Thanks Heather! It can be tricky to get sugar to stay “crunchy” in desserts, but I definitely wanted to incorporate some of that texture, hence the shards along the sides :).
Sounds delish and it’s beautiful also. You always have such nice/unique cake stands. May I ask where you got this green one? It’s beautiful.
Thank you Joan! I actually got this one at a discount housewares store here in Canada called Homesense. It was a whole $10! 😮
A master piece… I should try this very soon!! thank you
Thank you Hala! I hope you like it 🙂
Seems delicious!
Tried this one today (7/27) and IT WAS AMAZING!!! Just perfect!! Not too sweet & moist but still fluffy! Thank you very much for sharing! 🙏🏼😊
I’m so glad you liked it, Carmela! Thanks 😀
Due to the vanilla custard filling, can the cake sit out for awhile? Or, does it have to stay in the refrigerator?
Hi Gigi! It will be ok at room temperature for a couple hours, but should be refrigerated otherwise.
Olivia I”ve been cooking and baking for many years and can’t count the mishaps and near disasters. I appreciate your honesty in detailing your catastrophe. You’re a pro and pulled it off. I don’t bake cakes often anymore. Too old to handle all the calories and I don’t entertain enough to share with friends. But in homage to you I’m going to make this one and bring it to my niece and nephew tomorrow. This deserves to be shared, not just the recipe but the cake. Many thanks.
Thanks so much Helen! I’m so excited that you’re going to try this one! Please let me know how you like it :).
Olivia…..I can’t stop smiling (at your expense I’m afraid…) This is the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen! I have made Creme Brulee and I agree with you about how finicky It can be, but, it’s soooo worth it! If you want to impress, this is it, or was, until I saw this beautiful cake! I will make it when I’m having something ‘special’ going on, and it will WOW my guests! Thanks for the tip about filling the tank,, I’m so glad it wasn’t any worse than it was! I’m sure I won’t forget it……….. had no idea that could happen. Thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂 with us!
Thanks so much Peggy! I’m glad you got a kick out of it :). I hope you do end up trying this cake! Less work than an actual crème brûlée, in my opinion ;).
This is incredible! Such a gorgeous cake! Love it!
It appears only ONE other commenter actually made this recipe and everyone else is talking about how beautiful it is and how they think it would taste, well I made this recently and I have a few comments and suggestions.
*The cake itself was really good, but it was a little dry.
* The buttercream frosting tastes DIVINE, however it needs to be made LAST. I ended up making it before the sugar shards, and put it in the fridge while cooking the sugar and it COMPLETELY solidified. It was hard as a rock. I blended it up to see if I could whip it back into shape, and I was not able to salvage it, so I had to make it again.
* When making the sugar shards, the mixture will turn into a hard crystalline looking structure and THEN liquify and deepen in color.
After putting the entire cake together, I thought it was pretty good, but I think the cake recipe needs some work and as DELICIOUS as the buttercream frosting is, it’s not ideal for a cake.
You have to keep this cake in the fridge, and it gets SUPER hard in the fridge. If you like hard frosting the next day, then this shouldn’t be a problem for you, but I prefer for my frosting to stay soft and whipped.
I think this cake is awesome if you eat it the same day, but it’s not a good second day cake.
I think the concept of this cake is awesome, but unless I can consume ALL of this cake the day it is made, I don’t see myself baking it again.
Thanks for your feedback Asia. Yes indeed, Swiss meringue buttercream frosting will set up quite firm. That being said, you can leave it out on the counter while making the sugar shards. IF you need to refrigerate it for a longer period of time before using, let it come to room temperature and then give it a whip with the mixer. It will become light and fluffy again.
If making the cake in advance or storing leftovers, it will keep best in the refrigerator but taste best enjoyed at room temperature. Bring the cake out an hour or two before you plan to eat it so that the frosting can come back to room temperature. It will become light and fluffy again.
Hope this helps if you decide to bake it again in the future. =)
I’ve made this cake twice now and even with all of my mistakes, I loved it and my guests raved!
I’m a novice baker and I have watched what feels like a bazillion youtube videos on how to make the Swiss meringue buttercream and I still keep messing that up. It always turns out runny at the end. I have just thrown it in the fridge for a little while but it then goes from tasting light and marshmallowy to almost like butter. I hope I can figure out my mistake.
I really enjoyed the shards and was surprised at how sharp they were! Today I’m going to try to make this into a cupcake for work (custard filled cake with frosting and caramel shards on top). Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Swiss meringue buttercream can become runny for several reasons. Maybe one of these pointers will help:
– Ensure that you have whipped the egg whites until they are glossy and super stiff before adding the butter. If you don’t create a solid meringue, start over.
– Ensure that the egg whites are completely cool before adding the butter. Otherwise the butter melts and you’ll never get that silky smooth emulsification. (IF you live in a warm climate, the butter melting is a likely factor. Especially if *your room temperature* is on the warmer side and your room temperature butter is super soft! IF the butter melts, pop the whole mixing bowl into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then bring it back out and whip again. Next time, try using butter that is slightly colder so that melting is less likely.)
– Keep whipping after you’ve added the butter for what seems like a very long time. Set a clock for 10 minutes!
– Use a stand mixer. A hand mixer can take even longer to get nice and fluffy.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ve try it, its elegant easy and test delicious.
Thanks again
Hi, I’m making this in the UK so cups are a little vague, please could you let me know how many grams are in your cups!! Thanks!
A cup in the US is 236 gr., 3/4 cups is 177gr., half a cup is 118 gr., 1/3 cup is 78.gr. and a 1/4 cup is 59 gr. although it says ml. Hope that helps
Okay attempted the cake and your directions were so spot on until it came to the sugar shards. Which I failed at miserably TWICE! 🙁 Anyone attempting this I would highly suggest getting instructions from wikihow.
https://www.google.com/amp/m.wikihow.com/Make-Sugar-Glass%3Famp%3D1?client=ms-android-att-us
This sounds amazing! I’m making an anniversary cake for a local French bistro, and this is just what I need. How long would the caramel bits stay crunchy in the filling? I would like to assemble it a day in advanced, but still want the filling to keep it’s texture
I’m sure it tastes delicious for sure as the picture. So My inspiring 🙂
I am happy to say that I have tried this recipe with a success!!!! The cake itself tastes delicious but with the pudding and the buttercream icing and the crunch from the shards, I got two thumbs up from my family. This cake recipe will be included in my recipe book. I will be following your website for sure!!!! Wish I can post photos of the cake I made….
Excellent recipe. Made this for my family to try and got rave reviews. My only issue was not being sure how much of the crushed up sugar shards to put in each layer. I was afraid of making the cake too sweet and only put a little in each layer. I was also afraid of not having enough to decorate the outside. After assembly, I had a lot of the sugar shards leftover – that should have been my clue. I definitely didn’t use enough as that layer was not detectable when we were eating it. I will be making more of these classic desserts converted to cake recipes!
Hi,I have a question, while making the buttercream,.i couldn’t get the mixture up to 160 degrees, is that in F or C? And my cake didn’t puff up as much, it didnt puff up actually,just baked. Is buttermilk used for a reason? Could regular milk work ?
Hi Polly
It is 160 F. I’ve made the cake AND also checked the link below to make sure
https://www.bakersroyale.com/baking-basics-how-to-make-swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting/
Have a great day
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ve try it, its easy and delicious.
Thanks again
Wow
That’s really cool….😍
Thanks for sharing
How high should the individual cakes rise?, trying to decide if I should try again.
I’d like to know too. Mine came out quite thin. I’m. not new to baking cakes either.
Made this cake yesterday for a friend’s 30th birthday! It was SPOT ON! Never have I found a recipe so straight forward and accurate. All the tips were great and the cake turned out FANTASTIC. It’ll definitely be my go-to impressive cake recipe from here on out! I wish I could post a photo to this comment so you all can see how amazing it turned out.
Can I make a two layer 9”cake with this amount of Batter?