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A white ramekin of coffee crème brûlée with a cracked caramelized sugar crust being broken by a spoon to reveal the creamy custard beneath, with a second ramekin visible alongside on a pink surface.

Coffee Crème Brûlée

An exceptionally rich, silky coffee custard baked gently in a water bath, chilled completely, and topped with a shattering, torch-caramelized amber sugar shell.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Course: Dessert
Calories: 390
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream the dense, luxurious dairy fat foundation needed for a silky texture profile
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder infuses the cream with a rich, aromatic gourmet coffee depth
  • 5 large egg yolks freshly separated from whites to provide standard baked structure lines
  • ½ cup granulated sugar divided evenly for the smooth yolk base and the final caramelized top shell
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste adds a warm, delicate background fragrance that balances the bold espresso profile

Equipment

  • 3 White Staub Ramekins Shallow ceramic baking dishes to facilitate an even bake and clean sugar cracking layout
  • 1 Kitchen Blowtorch Used to cleanly melt and caramelize the surface white sugar layer into a crisp amber mirror crust
  • 1 Fine Wire Mesh Sieve To filter micro-bubbles and stray foam out of the egg cream mixture before baking
  • 1 Deep Metal Baking Pan Holds the arranged ramekins and hot water layer safely to build an indirect steam blanket

Method
 

  1. Heat the heavy whipping cream and instant espresso powder inside a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles break along the edges.
  2. Whisk the fresh egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, and a quarter-cup of granulated sugar inside a separate bowl until slightly pale and thick.
  3. Trickle a tiny splash of the warm coffee cream into the yolk base slowly while whisking constantly to temper the eggs safely without scrambling.
  4. Pour the remaining coffee cream into the bowl in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously until the mixture looks uniform.
  5. Strain the coffee egg liquid through a fine wire sieve and divide it evenly into your three white ceramic Staub baking dishes.
  6. Arrange ramekins inside a deep pan, fill with hot water until it reaches halfway up the dish walls, and bake at 325°F for thirty minutes.
  7. Remove ramekins from the pan, cool completely at room temperature, and chill inside your refrigerator for a minimum of three hours.
  8. Scatter a thin teaspoon of granulated sugar uniformly across each cold custard surface, then melt with a blowtorch into a glassy amber shell.

Notes

Always strain your custard base through a fine sieve before pouring into ramekins to eliminate surface air bubbles. Bake the ramekins inside a hot water bath (bain-marie) to distribute gentle, indirect heat and prevent the egg yolks from curdling.