How to make Crème Caramel From Scratch

Crème caramel is a delicious custard that is baked in a mold coated with caramel. The custard is then chilled before being inverted onto a plate, releasing a wonderful caramel sauce.

Crème caramel only requires a few basic ingredients and is the perfect make-ahead recipe. It was one of my mum’s go to birthday desserts when I was a kid. She would make it during the cooler months and there was something so comforting about having a bite of custard soaking in caramel sauce.

Crème Caramel vs Crème Brûlée

When making crème caramel, the ratio of eggs to liquid is higher than it would be for a crème brûlée. More eggs means more structure, making this dessert easy to invert onto a dish while a crème brûlée is eaten straight out of the mold.

You might also have noticed that a crème brûlée recipe generally calls for egg yolks only. But when making crème caramel, it’s best to include whole eggs. The egg whites provide structure and firmness, making the crème caramel sturdy enough to be inverted onto a plate.

Ingredients

• Eggs: You’ll need at least 3 eggs/500 ml (17 fl oz.) of liquid. The eggs provide structure to the crème caramel, as well as moisture, flavor and color. Some recipes use a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks, for richness and flavor. I personally haven’t found it necessary and use only whole eggs.

• Milk/Heavy cream: For moisture, richness and flavor. It’s best to use whole milk when making this recipe. We’ll be using heavy cream (35% fat) as well, for even more richness.

• Sugar: You’ll need sugar to make caramel but also for the custard. The sugar will add sweetness and also protect the eggs from curdling. The amount of sugar used for the custard shouldn’t be too high, since it will be covered in sweet caramel sauce.

• Flavorings: You can use whatever you’d like such as vanilla extract (or beans), citrus zest (orange, lemon), rum etc.

How to Make Crème Caramel

There are two components in crème caramel: the custard base and the caramel. We will start by preparing the caramel, which we will pour into the ramekins.

The caramel can be made through two methods: the dry method (no water used) or the wet method. In case you missed it, we discussed in depth how to make caramel when making salted caramel sauce.

Since we will be making a small quantity today, I thought a dry caramel would be more convenient and speedy. But first, let’s prepare the ramekins and water bath.

In case you missed it, I shared some tips on how to bake in a water bath when making crème brûlée (section 3.3).

Prepare the pan for the water bath

A water bath (bain marie) protects the outside of the custard from baking much faster than the inside. The water should never reach a full boil. If it does, the oven temperature is too high and should be reduced.

• Place a kitchen towel in the bottom of a pan. The kitchen towel will protect the custard from the bottom heat. It will also keep the ramekins in place. Try to keep the towel as flat as possible so the custards don’t tilt towards one side. The pan should be big enough to fit two ramekins, leaving a gap between them and the edges of the pan. The edges should also be high, so that you don’t end up spilling boiling water while trying to remove the pan from the oven.
• Place two ramekins in the pan.
• Boil water in a kettle and save it for later. We will be using it for the water bath. We want the water to be hot, not boiling, when we pour it into the pan.

Prepare the caramel for the crème caramel

• Pour the sugar into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. I use heat 6 out of 9. Don’t stir the sugar yet.
• When the sugar starts to melt, lower the heat to medium-low (heat 4 out of 9).

• Wait for the sugar to be almost fully melted before stirring (see left picture below).
• If the color starts to change quickly but the sugar hasn’t fully melted yet, lower the heat. Then gently push the undissolved sugar crystals towards the melted sugar with a heatproof spatula.
• When the caramel turns amber and all the sugar has melted, remove from the heat. In the middle picture, the caramel is almost ready. Optional: Keeping the saucepan far from you, gradually add 2 teaspoons of hot water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. The caramel will bubble up so stir quickly (and carefully) to combine fully. If the caramel is lumpy, return to low heat and stir until completely smooth.

Adding a little bit of water to the caramel before pouring it into the ramekins will soften the caramel a little, making it easier to release the caramel sauce when unmolding.

• Quickly coat the bottom of the prepared ramekins evenly with caramel. Be careful as the ramekins will heat up. The caramel will set very quickly so pour it into the ramekins as soon as it’s ready. Set aside while you prepare the custard.

Prepare the custard

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F), conventional setting and place the oven rack (or a flat oven tray) in the middle of the oven. Try to use a tray or rack without edges so it’s easier to remove the ramekins from the oven later on.
• In a small saucepan, heat the milk, heavy cream and orange zest (if using) with half of the sugar until warm (not boiling), swirling the pan occasionally. You’ll notice steam appearing when swirling the saucepan. If using a thermometer, it should register about 71°C (160°F).
• In the meantime, gently whisk the egg with the remaining sugar in a small bowl just until combined. Try not to whisk too much so you don’t incorporate a lot of air bubbles like I did!
• Temper the egg: Gradually pour the warm liquids over the egg mixture whilst stirring with a spoon (not a whisk). Don’t pour too quickly or you will scramble the egg. You want to slowly increase the temperature of the egg.
• Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Set aside for 5-10 minutes (to get rid of air bubbles).
• In the meantime, lightly grease the sides of the ramekins with butter (over the caramel layer). This step is optional but will make it easier to unmold the crème caramel.

• Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup.
• Divide the custard evenly between the two ramekins, filling them almost to the top. You can strain the custard again if you’d like while pouring into the ramekins. Tip: Don’t pour from a distance which could cause splashing and bubbles. If you notice bubbles on the surface of the custard you can gently pop them with a paper towel. Alternatively, skim the foam off with a spoon.

Keep in mind that you should be able to fill the mold with custard almost to the top. If the mold is too high, you risk smashing your custard while attempting to invert it onto the plate.

Bake the crème caramel

• Carefully fill the pan with the boiled water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Note: The water is usually at around 71°C (160°F) when I pour it into the pan. If it’s much hotter than that, you might get a lot of bubbles on the custard. If it’s much cooler than that, it will take longer to bake the custard.
• Wear oven mitts then place the pan in the oven. Loosely cover with parchment paper (or aluminum foil).

Why should you loosely cover the crème caramel when baking? To prevent the custard from browning and a skin from forming on the surface. If you cover the pan too tightly however, the water won’t evaporate properly. If evaporative cooling doesn’t occur, the water in the bain marie (water bath) might reach a full boil and overcook your custard.

• Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the custard is set but still jiggly. Tip: A digital thermometer inserted into the center of the custard (without touching the bottom of the ramekin) will register about 77-79°C (170-175°F). If the temperature is lower than that, the custard won’t have set and might fall apart when you invert it. If the custard gets too hot on the other hand, it will have bubbles on the surface and might be rubbery instead of smooth and creamy. The baking time will depend on your oven, the ramekins used, how hot the water was etc. Keep a close eye on the crème caramel the first time you make it.
• Remove from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack. Cool down to room temperature for about an hour.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight), well covered in cling film.

Why should you refrigerate the crème caramel several hours before inverting it? 1) The crème caramel will be quite fragile when taken out of the oven and might fall apart when inverted. 2) Sugar is hygroscopic and tends to absorb liquids nearby. As you chill the crème caramel, the hard caramel layer will start to turn into a sauce. If you don’t chill it long enough, you’ll find that most of the caramel is still stuck to the ramekin.

How to Unmold Crème Caramel

Make sure the crème caramel has been properly chilled before trying to invert it.

1. Gently press down the sides of the custard with the back of a spoon or a clean finger.
2. Hold the ramekin (open side up) and gently tap the sides. You might see some of the caramel coming up the sides.
3. Place a plate onto the ramekin and carefully invert it. Gently shake the ramekin up and down while holding the plate, to release the custard.

If this doesn’t work, slide a thin knife around the edge of the ramekin, being careful not to damage the surface of the custard. Place a plate onto the ramekin and carefully invert it. And if all else fails, you could also try dipping the ramekin briefly in a bowl of boiling water to warm up the caramel.

Troubleshooting Crème Caramel

The crème caramel isn’t smooth and has a lot of bubbles on the surface

1. Foamy mixture: The custard base was whisked too vigorously. Whisk the egg and sugar very gently. If you incorporate a lot of air bubbles, you’ll have to skim the foam off the custard before baking it. If you don’t already, heat part of the sugar with the liquids (milk/cream). It will make it much easier to gently stir the egg with the remaining sugar.
2. The custard was exposed to high temperatures or was heated for too long and started boiling. Heat the crème caramel very gently, preferably in an oven water bath. Check for doneness before the recommended baking time as it might differ depending on your oven, the ramekins used etc.

These two custards were from the same batch.

• Mistake #1: I tried to mix all the custard ingredients together without first heating the liquids. I ended up overmixing the custard because the sugar wouldn’t dissolve and both baked custards had bubbles in them. That’s not to say you always need to heat the liquids first. I know people who skip this step and still get good results. You’ll just have to be a bit more careful and use room temperature ingredients.
• Mistake #2: I poured tap water in the water bath for the custard on the left (baked for 39 minutes at 180°C/356°F) and boiling water for the custard on the right (baked for 15 minutes,180°C/356°F). Despite the much shorter baking time, you can clearly see that the surface of the custard on the right is full of bubbles. It was exposed to too much heat suddenly. Since I did not temper the egg first (by pouring hot liquids on it) and just used a cold egg, the boiling water caused the eggs to curdle.

The crème caramel falls apart when inverted

1. Underbaked: Make sure the custard is properly baked before you take it out of the oven. It should be just set and still a bit jiggly (not runny).
2. The crème caramel wasn’t chilled: The crème caramel will be quite fragile when taken out of the oven. Let it cool down at room temperature. Then chill it for at least 4 hours before inverting it onto a plate.
3. Not enough eggs: Make sure you are using enough eggs in your recipe for structure. You’ll need at least 3 eggs/500 ml (17 fl oz.) of liquid. Another thing to note is that if you’d like to use egg yolks, use them in combination with whole eggs. You need the egg whites for a firm custard.
4. The crème caramel wasn’t unmolded properly: As tempting as it might be when the custard just won’t release, don’t shake the ramekin up and down vigorously! Gently tap the sides of the ramekin to release the custard before inverting it onto a plate.

The crème caramel tastes eggy and/or is rubbery

You probably overcooked the crème caramel if you detect an eggy taste or if the texture isn’t smooth. Another reason for a rubbery texture could be that you are using too many eggs (or egg whites) in your recipe. Solution: Try baking the crème caramel at a lower temperature or reduce the baking time.

And that’s it! An easy make-ahead dessert! The hardest part is probably unmolding the crème caramel! I accidentally banged my fingers on the kitchen counter while swinging the ramekin up and down! That’s when I realized I got a bit too carried away!

If this happens to you, stop shaking the ramekin! Take a deep breath and try again! Hopefully, you’ll be all set!

You Might Also Like

• Crème brûlée
• Mini chocoflan
• Chocolate lava cake
• Chocolate mousse

Bibliography

Cook’s Illustrated (2013). The Cook’s illustrated baking book: Baking demystified: 450 recipes from America’s most trusted food magazine. America’s Test Kitchen.

Figoni, P. (2011). How Baking Works (3rd ed.). Wiley.

Gilles, C. (2009). La Cuisine Expliquée. Editions BPI.

McGee, H. (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Scribner.

Zuckerman, K. (2006). The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle. Bulfinch Press.