Crème brûlée is one of those desserts that so many people love, but think that it is too difficult or complicated to make at home. This is not true. This chocolate mocha crème brûlée takes just a few simple ingredients and can be whipped up in the morning (or the night before) and chilled until you are ready to enjoy it or serve it to some very lucky friends.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 4 large egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 2 cups of heavy cream, 6 ounces of roughly chopped milk chocolate, 2 tablespoons of strongly brewed coffee, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
You will also need 4 eight ounce ramekins and a deep baking dish large enough to fit all of the ramekins into. I really prefer the wider, more shallow ramekins to the deeper ones for crème brûlée. The custard bakes up more evenly in a shallow dish and you get more surface area for that classic caramelized sugar topping. Its a win-win.
In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk 4 large egg yolks with 1/3 cup of granulated sugar until they are fully combined and creamy.
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of heavy cream to a simmer over medium high heat. As soon as the heavy cream begins to form bubbles around the edges of the saucepan, transfer it off of the heat and onto a heat proof surface.
Add 6 ounces of roughly chopped milk chocolate into the hot heavy cream and whisk until fully melted. Add 2 tablespoons of strongly brewed coffee, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in with the chocolate and heavy cream and whisk to combine.
Slowly drizzle the chocolate and cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks and sugar. Add the cream slowly and whisk constantly until it has all been incorporated. Once this mixture is ready, transfer it into a large measuring cup with a pouring spout.
Line your deep baking dish with a thin kitchen towel and set the ramekins on top of the towel. The towel will help to both steady the ramekins and absorb some of the water in our water bath making transferring the baking dish in and out of the oven easier.
A “water bath” is simply adding enough very hot water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins. This helps the crème brûlée to bake evenly.
Divide the crème brûlée mixture between the 4 ramekins and add enough very hot tap water to come about half way up the sides of the ramekins.
Very carefully transfer the baking dish into a preheated 300 degree oven making sure that none of the water splashes into the ramekins. Bake the crème brûlée for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are lightly set, but the center still jiggles.
Once the crème brûlée is baked, carefully transfer the ramekins out of the water bath and onto a cooling rack. The best way to do this is using a thin, flexible spatula to lift the ramekins out of the baking dish.
Allow the crème brûlée to come to room temperature and then tightly cover each ramekin with plastic and chill them in the refrigerator until they are cold and fully set. This typically takes about 2 hours, but you can make them further ahead of time and chill them until you are ready to serve them.
When you are ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar over the surface of the crème brûlée and use a chefs torch to caramelize the sugar. Turn the torch on low and keep it 2-3 inches from the surface of the crème brûlée constantly moving to avoid the sugar from burning. You will see the sugar start to bubble up and get all golden brown and dark. As soon as all of the sugar is caramelized and has formed that classic crackly crust, let the crème brûlée sit for a minute or two to cool off and then dig in…
My favorite thing about crème brûlée is the first time I crack into that sugary crust. You can either scoop your spoon along the edges of the ramekin to loosen the crust or use the back of the spoon to smack the center of the crème brûlée and shatter the crust… either way, its fun…
Look at that gorgeous crust! And hidden underneath is the most silky, rich chocolate mocha custard that you will ever taste. It’s sheer perfection… every single bite.
The next time you are thinking about how good crème brûlée sounds (and this happens more than you’d think), why don’t you just whip yourself up a few ramekins of this fabulous chocolate mocha crème brûlée?
You are going to absolutely love it!
Chocolate Mocha Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 6 ounces of milk chocolate, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons of strongly brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
- Add 2 cups of heavy cream into a small saucepan over medium high heat
- As soon as the heavy cream begins to steam and bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan, transfer the saucepan off of the heat and onto a heatproof surface
- Add 6 ounces of roughly chopped milk chocolate to the hot heavy cream and whisk until it is fully melted
- Whisk 2 tablespoons of strongly brewed coffee, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the chocolate and heavy cream and set aside for now
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 4 large egg yolks and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar vigorously until fully combined and creamy
- Very slowly drizzle the chocolate and heavy cream mixture into the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, transfer the mixture into a large measuring cup with a spout that will be easy to pour from
- Place four 8 ounce ramekins into a large deep baking dish lined with a thin kitchen towel
- Divide the mixture between the four ramekins (this should fill them up to about 1/2 inch from the rim of each ramekin)
- Turn your tap to its hottest setting and then carefully fill the baking dish with enough hot tap water to come approximately half way up the sides of the ramekins
- Carefully transfer the baking dish into a 300 degree oven being sure to not splash any water into the ramekins
- Bake the creme brûlée for 40-45 minutes or until the outer edges are lightly set and the center is still slightly jiggly
- Carefully transfer the ramekins out of the water bath and onto a heat proof surface
- Allow the creme brûlée to come to room temperature and then cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until fully set (2 hours +)
- When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar over the top of each ramekin and then use a chefs torch to caramelize the top of each creme brûlée
- Enjoy!
