Creme Brulee Cupcake Food

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

VEGAN CREME BRULEE BUTTERMILK CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line standard-size cupcake pans with 16 cupcake liners.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and lemon juice; set aside until the mixture is curdled. In a medium bowl, melt the margarine in the microwave. Once melted, add in the cane sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract and the soy milk mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet mixture and whisk together until everything is evenly incorporated with few lumps remaining.
• Fill the liners three-quarters full and bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• To assemble: Using a large round frosting tip, pipe a generous amount of Creme Brulee Frosting onto each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes until the frosting is pretty stiff, about 5 minutes. Place the raw sugar in a small bowl and dip the tops of the cupcakes in the sugar. Using a small kitchen blowtorch, torch the tops of the cupcakes (the raw sugar part only) until the sugar turns a dark caramel color.
• Combine 1/4 cup of the coconut milk with the soy milk, cane sugar, tapioca starch and salt. Whisk well to combine. Combine the remaining coconut milk with the brown sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add the coconut milk/tapioca starch mixture to the pan. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and set in the refrigerator to cool completely.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the vegetable shortening and margarine until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix until it is fluffy.
• Remove the creme brulee mixture from the fridge and add to the buttercream. Whip this mixture on high until all ingredients are fully incorporated and very fluffy.

THE BEST CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line a large heavy roasting pan (a turkey roasting pan works great) with a clean kitchen towel and place 4 six-ounce ramekins on top of the towel spaced a few inches apart.
• Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Using the back of a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from both halves of the pod. Add the seeds and pod to the cream. Whisk in the salt and 3 tablespoons of the sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
• Vigorously whisk the yolks and 3 more tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer on high speed and beat until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 1 minute.
• Whisking the yolks constantly, add a couple of teaspoons at a time from 1 cup of the hot cream, then increase to a steady stream until the cream is fully incorporated. (Don't pour too much hot cream at once or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.) The yolks are now tempered. Whisk the tempered yolks back into the remaining hot cream until combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or medium pitcher for easier pouring; discard the vanilla pods.
• Skim the foam off the top of the custard by placing a clean paper towel on top and lightly pressing down so it touches the surface and absorbs some of the liquid. This will make for a completely smooth and silky custard. Fill the ramekins with the custard, about 3/4 cup per ramekin.
• Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins without getting any water in the custard. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the custard is set around the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate until very cold, about 3 hours.
• Just before serving, evenly spread 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the top of a custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above the surface. Starting in the center of the ramekin, move the flame in a circular motion and work your way out to the edges to caramelize the sugar. Repeat with the remaining sugar and custards.
• Alternatively, arrange a rack in the top position of the oven and heat the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a rack set inside a baking sheet and broil until deep golden brown, 15 to 60 seconds, checking every 10 seconds.
• Freeze the custards for 5 minutes before serving (see Cook's Note).

CRèME BRûLéE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs and adding vanilla bean paste. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray; line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray. In 2-quart saucepan, cook sugar and water over medium heat, without stirring, to 325°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads, swirling pan occasionally. (Watch carefully so mixture does not burn.) Immediately remove from heat. Pour mixture onto lined cookie sheet, spreading in thin layer. Cool completely. Break into shards.
• Scoop out small cavity in center of each cupcake. Spoon pudding into large resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off 1 corner of bag; squeeze bag to pipe pudding into center of each cupcake, filling full.
• Spoon frosting into decorating bag fitted with #1G star tip. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish with sugar shards.

CREME BRULEE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• 1. TO MAKE CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350° F.
• 2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
• 3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and milk. Add caramel syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
• 4. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
• 5. Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.
• 6. TO MAKE MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into mixing bowl. With mixer on high speed (using whisk attachment if you have a KitchenAid), beat egg white mixture until it forms stiff, but not dry, peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total.
• 7. With mixer on medium-low speed (using paddle attachment if you have a KitchenAid), add butter, two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.
• 8. TO ASSEMBLE CUPCAKES: Remove center of cupcake by cutting out cone shape. Ovefill cupcake with buttercream so there is no apparent recess. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and caramelize with creme brulee torch. (If you don't have a creme brulee torch in your cooking arsenal, fear not! Place cupcakes under broiler, but only with constant supervision because they will brown quickly, and blackened, while popular in Cajun cuisine, wouldn't appear appealing atop these magnificent morsels.)

LEMON CREME BRULEE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Zest lemons into a small bowl and set aside. Juice lemons into a separate bowl and set aside.
• Whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Add half-and-half and whisk until fully combined. Add egg yolks and lemon zest and whisk thoroughly.
• Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently with a large spoon. Continue stirring until liquid thickly coats the back of the spoon.
• Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and butter until blended. Pour through strainer into a container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until set.
• Once filling is set, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine butter with brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Blend in eggs, vanilla extract, salt, and half-and-half.
• With a mixer running on low, gradually blend in baking powder and flour, scraping down the sides if needed.
• Place 24 cupcake papers in cupcake tin, and spoon batter evenly into each.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the cupcakes. Remove from cupcake tin and allow to cool somewhat.
• Remove wrappers from the cakes. This is necessary to keep the paper from buring when the torch is used.
• Scoop out some of the cake to make a well, ensuring it's about a 1/4 inch thick (thinner than that my cause the filling to leak through the sides). Press together any holes that bubbles may formed in the carved out cake to ensure the filling stays in the cake.
• Spoon enough filling to fill the well, and smooth out to make a level surface. Don't spend too much time with making it perfectly smooth.
• Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on a few cupcakes at a time. Don't do more than a few at a time because the sugar will start to be absorbed by the filling. Tap the sides of the cupcake to level out the sugar if needed. Using a brulee torch, melt the sugar on the surface of the first cupcake. When it starts to smoke, move on to the next cupcake. Return to the first cake, if needed, to melt the remaining sugar. Repeat, doing a few at a time, until done.