Blackberry Creme Brulee
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This Blackberry Creme Brulee features a cool creamy blackberry custard topped with a caramelized sugar topping. It’s a flavorful dessert to make with summer-ripened berries and requires only 5 ingredients.
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This blackberry creme brulee combines sweet summer blackberries with a creamy baked custard. It’s perfect for berry season and is surprisingly easy to make.
The best part about eating this creme brulee is cracking through the layer of caramelized sugar on top and dipping into that silky sweet blackberry custard underneath.
The slightly sweet tart flavor of the blackberries works so well with the custard. This is certainly a fun twist on a classic creme brulee and much lighter than my chocolate creme brulee.
Why This Recipe Works
- I followed my favorite creme brulee recipe and used blackberry juice in place of some of the dairy.
- The ramekins bake in a water bath for slow, even heating.
- The recipe calls for straining the custard to remove any air bubbles which makes for a smoother top and a more evenly caramelized crunchy top.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Blackberries: Use fresh summer-ripened blackberries for the best flavor.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream offers a rich flavor.
- Vanilla: You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the custard and creates the caramelized top.
- Egg yolks: These will be the thickener for the creamy custard.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Puree the blackberries and press through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the pulp and seeds.
- Heat the blackberry juice and cream in a medium saucepan. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar separately in a medium bowl.
- Slowly pour the hot blackberry cream into the sugar mixture while whisking continuously.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup.
- Put ramekins into a roasting pan. Pour strained custard into the ramekins and place the baking pan into the oven.
- Add hot water to the baking pan – enough so that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake the blackberry custard for 25-30 minutes, until the custard is set and slightly jiggly.
- Take the ramekins out of the water bath once cooled., cover each with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or for up to a few days if made in advance.
- Immediately before serving, sprinkle with about two teaspoons of the granulated sugar and broil or torch until browned and crispy.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries and mint leaves.
Tips For Success
- It’s important to slowly pour the hot cream into the eggs. To make this easier, you can use a ladle and add 1 spoonful at a time while whisking. If you go too fast the eggs may scramble.
- Remove the foam! When stirring to get the ingredients combined, you will likely incorporate air into the custard. This in turn will create foam. After straining the custard through a sieve, use a spoon to skim the foam off the top. If the foam is baked on top of the custard, it can inhibit the sugar from caramelizing properly.
- Make sure the water for the water bath is hot when you pour it into the baking pan. Using a tea kettle works well and makes it easier to pour into the pan. Take extra care to make sure you don’t get water into the custard when you fill the pan for the water bath, as it will ruin it.
- Try to spread the granulated sugar in a thin, even layer across the top of the custard, so that it crisps up evenly, especially if broiling rather than torching.
FAQ
Timing can be tricky and will vary depending on the type of ramekin you use. I used shallow ramekins and they took about 25 minutes to bake. The custard is done when it jiggles uniformly from edge to edge when shaken gently. You can also test with a fingertip – press it lightly in the center and the custard should spring back will leaving your fingertip clean.
Yes, and I’m sure it would be delicious. You need 1 cup of berry juice from pureed fresh berries in order for the recipe to work.
Blackberry Creme Brulee
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453 g) fresh blackberries
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, for sugar topping
- fresh blackberries and mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Arrange six 4-ounce ramekins in a 2-inch deep baking dish. Set aside.
- Add blackberries to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the pulp and seeds.
- Add the puree and cream to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbles appear along the sides of the pan and the mixture is steaming. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, quickly whisk ½ cup (100g) sugar and egg yolks together.
- Slowly pour the hot cream into the yolk mixture while whisking continuously until well combined.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or large liquid measuring cup. Pour the custard into the ramekins.
- Place the baking pan with filled ramekins inside the oven. Then, carefully fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, just until set. Start checking the custard early. Bake time will vary depending on the thickness and depth of your ramekins. The custard should be set and not soupy with only a small area of jiggle in the center.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath. Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, remove them from the water, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days before serving.
- Just before serving, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar evenly over each custard, then immediately caramelize the sugar with a propane torch or broiler. Garnish with fresh blackberries and mint leaves.
Notes
- Remove the foam: When stirring to get the ingredients combined, you will likely incorporate air into the custard. This in turn will create foam. After straining the custard through a sieve, use a spoon to skim the foam off the top. If the foam is baked on top of the custard, it can inhibit the sugar from caramelizing properly.
- Water bath: The water bath will help the custard bake slowly and evenly. Take extra care not to get water in the custard. This will ruin it.
- Baking the custard: Timing can be tricky and will vary depending on the type of ramekin you use. I used shallow ramekins and they took about 25 minutes to bake. The custard is done when it jiggles uniformly from edge to edge when shaken gently.
- Make ahead: While the custard requires 4 hours of cooling time in the refrigerator, if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap you can make it 2-3 days in advance.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.