Creme Brûlée Cake – Layers of vanilla bean cake baked on a graham cracker crust, filled with vanilla bean custard and covered in a vanilla bean buttercream.
Best Day of the Week
Monday is quickly becoming my new favorite day of the week! With my new plan for 2020, which is to publish a new recipe every Monday, I no longer have the Monday blues. I love Mondays now, and I hope you do too!
Creme Brûlée Cake
So let’s get right to it and start talking about this Creme Brûlée Cake! The idea for this was prompted by my friend Metta and her husband Clair. Metta loves creme brûlée and Clair has been begging me to “torch” a cake since I met him a few years ago. Good news for both of them, this cake covers both of those things!
Graham Cracker Crust
I know a traditional creme brûlée doesn’t have any kind of crust, but I’ve had one before that used a graham cracker crust and it was heavenly. Plus, you know how much I like a little crunch and texture in my cakes! For this cake, I used my graham cracker crust that you’ve seen in other cakes like my Ultimate S’mores Cake and my Coconut Key Lime Pie Cake. The one difference in this recipe is that I added a little instant coffee to it. Now, that’s totally optional, but I promise you, the hint of coffee flavoring paired with the vanilla bean is out-of-this-world incredible! If you don’t drink coffee for religious reasons (which is me), you can use decaf coffee granules, a coffee flavored extract or Pero, a coffee substitute. I just think you’ll love the flavor balance it brings to the cake.
Assembly: How to Stack a Cake with a Soft Filling
Similar to other cakes I’ve made, my Creme Brûlée Cake has a soft filling and needs to be assembled properly so you don’t end up with a giant mess and tears running down your face (been there, done that – here to make sure you don’t).
Step 1
To begin, place your cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Using a piping bag, you’ll then pipe a rim around the edge of the cake layer.
Step 2
Pour about 1 cup of the vanilla bean custard on top of the cake layer.
Using an offset icing spatula, evenly and gently spread the filling out over the cake layer.
Step 3
Place the second cake layer on top of the filling and repeat steps 1 and 2.
Step 4
Place the final cake layer, also top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Step 5
Apply a thin layer of vanilla bean buttercream around the entire cake. This becomes your crumb coat.
After you’ve applied your crumb coat, freeze your cake for about 15 minutes.
Step 6
Continue frosting your cake with the remaining vanilla buttercream. Once you’ve done this, freeze your cake for another 15 minutes.
Step 7
When the cake is chilled, sprinkle on an even layer of granulated sugar. This should be thick enough that you don’t see the frosting, but nothing more than about 1/8th of an inch.
Step 9
Using a kitchen torch, heat the sugar until it browns and crystalizes. I have a basic, kind of small kitchen torch. It took a bit of time, but did the job just fine. When I make this again next month for my sister’s baby shower, I’m going to try a stronger, more powerful torch to see if I can get it to cook a little better.
Storing the Creme Brûlée Cake
Once you’ve finished decorating the cake, and if you plan to serve it the same day, store it in an airtight container or cake box in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. If you’re making the cake several days in advance, don’t add the brûléed sugar and store in the freezer.
Pictures to Drool Over
And now for just a few pictures to really get you drooling!
Sure hope you love this one as much as I do!
All I can say is WOW!! This is a must try. Creme Brûlée is my all time favorite indulgence and this just adds another option. Although I use graham cracker crumbs in crust recipes, it’s not my favorite flavor. Would a Biscoff cookie crumb be ok to use or would it be too overpowering of a flavor? Thank you for all your coaching and encouragement. So much fun.
You can totally use biscoff crumbs!
Can’t wait to make this cake. I do have a question about the vanilla paste. If I cant find where I live can I use a extract?
Yes you can.
This cake looks so amazing. A side note, several times I have tried signing up for your emails and am unable to do it. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
How would you change the ingredients using Gluten Free Flour instead of Cake Flour? Exact or add cornstarch?
You can just sub the GF flour.
Do you think this cake could be used as a stacked wedding cake? I’m making my daughters cake in May, but I haven’t decorated or made a wedding cake in like 25 Years, so I feel like a newbie at everything. Maybe you have a better suggestion on a cake flavor for us?
Cakes with a soft filing like this isn’t a great idea for a stacked wedding cake. You can use the cake layers but only put frosting in the middle so it stays nice and sturdy.
I have all the components ready to go for tomorrow to put this cake together for our super bowl party. My only fear….I won’t have enough vanilla bean custard for the filling…I couldn’t stop eating it, it’s SO good! As is everything thing else, can’t wait to put all these yummy flavors together.
I haven’t yet made this cake but was considering doing vanilla bean cheesecake instead of cake layers. Do you think the cheesecake flavor will work with the rest of the flavors?
Sure! Try it out!
I’m so excited to make this cake. In the past I haven’t loved baking the graham onto the cake layers so I usually make it as a crumble to go into the layers. Do you think that will work for this cake? Or do you think it’s important to have it as Is as a good stabilizer for the cake and custard?
You can make it as a crumble.
Question on the sugar measurements: the crust and filling both call for 1/2c of sugar, but in the crust it calls for 100g in the custard 150g?
I will fix it. It should be 100g.
Just made the cake layers and the graham cracker crust is a bit crumbly as I took it out of the pans so now the edges are not smooth. Also the edges of my cake are a lot darker than yours. I took it out of the oven when the toothpick had a few moist crumbs and I use fat daddios pans. Any tips?
Your oven might be a little too hot. Next time turn it down by 25 degrees and keep an eye on it.
Looks amazing! Is this a cake that could be turned into a sheet cake like you’ve talked about in the past with others? I want the flavors, without the fuss.
Yes totally
Could this cake be frozen after the “crumb coat” step for an extended length of time? I don’t need a cake at the moment but do need an activity to distract during these crazy times:)
Yes! Just make sure you wrap it in saran wrap in your freezer.
My custard does not end up as stiff as yours, mine is a lot runnier. What should I do different?
Let it cook longer!
If you store in the freezer, how long until it is able to be served after you move it to the fridge?
Move it into the fridge in the morning and by the afternoon you can take it out!
It seems like you only use a tiny bit of the custard in the piping bag to pipe the rings between layers. What do you do with the extra?
Use as much as you can without having it overflow and then eat the rest!
I made this cake last night for my Dad’s birthday today but I’m having some worries if it turned out ok or if I need to remake it.
It didn’t raise very high as it baked. I made your Funfetti cake a couple of weeks ago and it raised to the top of the pans. This cake didn’t. I followed the directions to the letter and my baking powder is good until 2022.
Any insights?
I love following you!
Some of my cakes don’t rise as high as the funfetti! You are ok as long as it didn’t sink!
I made this cake for Christmas dinner and it was an ABSOLUTE HIT. Buttercream was too sweet but all in all the flavours complimented each other so well it was a simple vanilla creamy biscuity party in my mouth!
What vanilla bean paste do you use? I couldn’t get the link to work.
I use a bunch of different ones! Any you find will be great.
I’ve been wanting to make this ever since you first posted it. Finally got around to it for New Year’s Eve and it was incredible! The cake, the custard, the graham cracker crust, all delicious and when you put them together, you get one of the best cakes I’ve ever had! Rave reviews all around.
This was so so nice! Thank you!
Hii ! what a beautiful, great ideia ! the graham layer stays crispy ?
thanks !
Yes it does.
Do you recommend letting the cake get to room temperature after it’s been sitting in the fridge before slicing into it? If so, how long?
A couple hours after being taken out of the freezer.
Could I torch sugar on top of each layer? Also, could I make on sheet pan and cut out circles for 3 mini layer cakes?
You can if you want! And yes you can make it on a sheet pan!
What size sheet pan do you recommend? Also does anything in the recipe need to be altered to make it 12 three layer mini cakes?
Wow!! My first time using a recipe from your site and it was the best cake I’ve ever had! My first time using graham cracker crust with a cake and it was life changing! The cake was moist and soft and the filling was a perfect custard! Will be using your recipes from now on 🙂
Thank you so much!!
If I want to freeze the cake how do I thaw it? Will the icing still be ok?
Take it out of the freezer the morning of and put in the fridge for a couple hours. Then bring out to room temp.
This took me a little bit of time to make but the result was fantastic! Everyone was impressed and not a crumb was left on anyone’s plate. Thank you for creating and sharing this wonderful recipe.
Loving hearing that!!!
Can’t wait to try this. When making the custard I know you remove from heat and let the cream, sugar, vanilla mixture steep for 10 min. However for the next few steps of adding the next cup of heavy cream, tempering the eggs and adding it all back into the pot is this all still done off of heat?
Yes off the heat.
This recipe was delicious! I made the mistake of not reading through the whole thing and underestimated how much time it would take. Plan on two days. Personal preference- I’d probably cut the Graham cracker layer in half for each layer. It was a little thick next to the cake… and I love me a good Graham cracker crust.
Courtney does it again! So delicious!
Hi Courtney!
I’m wanting to make this cake and I have some fresh vanilla pods I’d love to use for it, especially for the custard filling in the middle. Any idea what the ratio would be if I wanted to use some? Even if it was half vanilla pod, half vanilla bean paste? Thanks in advance!