Passionfruit Crème Brûlée Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Our delightful Passionfruit Crème Brûlée Recipe offers vibrant flavor and a silky texture under the iconic crème brûlée burnt sugar shell! Bonus: this elegant dessert takes only one hour to make!

• Texture: Crème brûlée has a luxurious custard texture that’s creamy and smooth, yet also has a contrasting layer of crisp caramelized sugar on top. This combination creates a delightful mouthfeel.
• Flavor: Smooth passion fruit contributes a sweet-tart flavor with tropical notes and aroma.  Vanilla in the custard base of crème brûlée adds a rich and aromatic taste. The caramelized sugar on top provides a slightly bitter-sweet contrast that complements the creamy custard perfectly.
• Visual Appeal: The caramelized sugar crust on top of crème brûlée adds visual appeal, creating an attractive presentation. Breaking through the caramelized layer with a spoon is also a satisfying experience.

I adore passionfruit’s sweet, almost delicately perfumey flavor, and its creamy texture melds with the velvety custard. Flavored custard desserts are fun and sophisticated, and even though they’re easy to make, they look restaurant-worthy! You’ll also love Baked Custard with Roasted Rhubarb and Whiskey, Heavenly Chocolate Crème Caramel, and Sweet Pumpkin Persimmon and Ginger Crème Brûlée.

Table of Contents

• What is Passionfruit Crème Brûlée?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Passionfruit Crème Brûlée
• Can I Make Passionfruit Crème Brûlée in Advance?
• How to Store Leftovers
• FAQs
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• More Tropical Fruit Dessert Recipes

What is Passionfruit Crème Brûlée?

• Passionfruit Crème Brûlée is a traditional crème brûlée—a rich custard base topped with a layer of caramelized sugar—flavored with passionfruit, a tropical fruit loved for its refreshing sweet-tangy taste and smooth flesh.
• Crème brûlée, or “burnt cream,” is characterized by its shiny, brittle golden-brown sugar shell. Tap-tapping on the crispy top and plunging your spoon through to the smooth, chilled custard is one of the ultimate dessert-eating experiences!
• Crème brûlée first appeared in the French cookbook Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois in 1691, although Spain also had a similar burnt-sugar dessert at the time. The popularity of French cuisine in the U.S. in the 1970s and 80s made crème brûlée a popular restaurant dessert.

Tools You Need

• Heat-proof bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Four ramekins
• 9″x13″ pan
• Kettle
• Whisk
• Heavy-bottom saucepan
• Sieve
• Glass jug with a pour spout
• Kitchen torch

Key Ingredients and Why

• Granulated sugar

  • Sugar sweetens the crème brûlée custard.
  • Sugar binds with the liquid ingredients in the eggs and cream to keep the egg proteins from coagulating.
  • On top, torched sugar forms a caramelized shell with amazing burnt-sugar flavor and crunchy textural interest.

• Egg yolks

  • Egg yolks provide tenderness, aeration, emulsification, and structure.
  • Using only the yolks in crème brûlée makes it ultra-thick and plush.
  • Room-temperature egg yolk will integrate more easily when mixed with the other ingredients, and they’re less likely to curdle. Use our tips to warm up refrigerated eggs.

• Passionfruit pulp (strained)

  • Passionfruit gives this crème brûlée vibrant, tangy-sweet flavor and a golden hue.
  • Straining removes the seeds, leaving you with a thick, silky-smooth fruit mixture.
  • You can substitute another tropical fruit for passionfruit pulp if you prefer. Mango or guava would work perfectly.

• Heavy whipping cream

  • The proteins in heavy cream form the custard’s structure so that it will set and keep its shape.
  • Using high-fat (36%) heavy cream makes the plushest custard base.
  • If you don’t have heavy cream or you’d prefer a lighter-textured crème brûlée, you can substitute light cream or whole milk for the heavy cream.

How to Make Passionfruit Crème Brûlée

• Prep:
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)
  • Place four 4oz (115 ml) ramekins in a large high-sided baking pan and set aside.
  • Set a kettle of water to boil.
• Make the custard:
  • In a heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and passionfruit.
  • Heat cream in a heavy-bottom saucepan until it comes to a simmer.
  • Whisking the egg yolks constantly, gradually drizzle the hot cream into the eggs. DO NOT add the cream too quickly or stop whisking, as the eggs could curdle.
  •  Strain the mixture through a sieve into a glass measuring jug with a pour spout.
• Bake and chill:
  • Pour the mixture into the ramekins, dividing it equally.
  • Place the pan in the oven and pour the boiling water into the pan until it comes halfway up the ramekins.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until the edges are set but still slightly jiggly in the middle.
  • Remove the custards from the water bath and cool to room temperature.
  • Chill custards in the fridge for at least four hours (and up to two days) until chilled.

• Torch the tops:
  • Right before serving, sprinkle each custard with an even layer of granulated sugar.
  • Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until brown, or run them under the broiler until brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Can I Make Passionfruit Crème Brûlée in Advance?

Yes, you can make Passionfruit Crème Brûlée in advance.

• Creme brûlée is best enjoyed when the crispy caramelized sugar on top has just been torched and cooled. The best way to store creme brûlée is to make it in advance, up to two days, and then finish it with its crunchy top just before serving.
• The custards can be baked and refrigerated for up to two days.
• Top with sugar and torch just before serving, or the caramel will liquefy.

How to Store Leftovers

• You can store leftover Passionfruit Crème Brûlée in the fridge for two days. Cover well with cling wrap before refrigerating to stop it forming a thick skin.
• The top may become soft in the refrigerator, but you can re-caramelize it with a kitchen torch or under a broiler.

FAQs

• What can I use instead of ramekins

  • You can use other small, heat-proof dishes that are slightly bigger or smaller. Watch the oven carefully and remove when the edges are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly.
  • You can also make one larger crème brûlée in a baking dish. Again, watch the oven carefully and remove when the edges are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly.

• What if I don’t have a kitchen torch?

  • You can caramelize your creme brulee under the broiler if you don’t have a kitchen torch.
  • Set an oven rack three to four inches from the broiler.
  • Broil for about five minutes until the sugar is melted.
  • Watch the oven carefully, as broiler strengths vary.

• What can I do with my leftover egg whites?

  • Egg whites can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to six months for use in other recipes.
  • For egg white recipes, try one of my many pavlova or meringue recipes!

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• When pouring hot cream into the egg mixture, be sure to add it gradually and keep whisking the whole time. This process is called tempering. Tempering eggs means stabilizing them by bringing them up to temperature slowly and evenly. If you pour in the hot cream too quickly, the shock of the hot liquid can cause the eggs to curdle.
• Custards are fully baked when they are set on the edges but still a bit jiggly in the center.
• Once baked, remove the ramekins from the water bath immediately, or they will continue to cook in the hot water.
• Try a variation by making this with the strained puree of another fruit, like mango, pineapple, guava, or papaya.
• If you like the idea of caramel and custard, try my flan next!

More Tropical Fruit Dessert Recipes

• Homemade Mango and Passionfruit Sorbet in 5 Minutes
• Fresh Coconut Jelly (Melo Melo)
• Vegan Tropical Fruit Eton Mess
• Mango Butter Mochi Recipe
• Piña Colada Popsicles

Try These Recipes!

Classic Opera Cake Recipe

Mexican Chocolate Flan Recipe

Baked Custard with Roasted Rhubarb and Whiskey

Heavenly Chocolate Crème Caramel