Heavenly Coffee Crème Caramel Recipe (Inspired by Häagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream)
If you’ve got a sweet tooth and a soft spot for creamy desserts that hit harder than your morning coffee, then buckle up – you’re in for a treat. This Coffee Crème Caramel is basically a love letter to Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream, with a caramel that’s burned just right, like the last bridge you set on fire. It’s got that perfect mix of bittersweet, rich, and slightly dangerous, like dating someone who’s way too good-looking for you but you do it anyway.
Now, here’s the kicker – you bake this thing in a water bath. I know, it sounds fancy and unnecessary, like getting bottle service at the club, but trust me, it’s key to nailing that dense, jiggly texture. And don’t worry, we’ve got lemon juice in the mix to keep your caramel from turning into a disaster. Ready to level up your dessert game and impress literally anyone? Let’s get after it.
🍮 Coffee Crème Caramel: The Perfect Dessert for Coffee Lovers ☕
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours (or up to 2 days)
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups whole milk
¼ cup coffee beans, coarsely chopped
1 wide strip of lemon zest
½ cup + ⅔ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (careful, don’t add more if you want to keep the coffee flavor strong!)
6 large eggs
How to Make Coffee Crème Caramel Like a Pro:
Step 1: Flavor Infusion
In a small saucepan, combine the whole milk, coffee beans, lemon zest, and ½ cup of sugar. Scrape in the seeds from a vanilla bean and toss the pod in for good measure. Heat gently over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Then remove from the heat, cover, and let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes. The longer they sit, the better!
Step 2: Caramel Perfection
Preheat your oven to 350°F (or even higher if your oven’s seen better days). Set a 9” pie dish or 1½-qt. loaf pan nearby.
In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, ⅔ cup sugar, and ¼ cup water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes). Once it’s dissolved, stop stirring and crank up the heat. Swirl the pan every few minutes until the caramel turns a deep mahogany and you see the first wisps of smoke. Be ready to pour that caramel into your pie dish and quickly tilt it around to coat the bottom and part of the sides.
Tip: If you accidentally add more than 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, expect a lemon-drop vibe that could overpower the coffee – not a bad thing, but not the goal here!
Step 3: The Egg-Coffee Combo
Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Don’t overdo it, just break them up. Reheat the coffee mixture until steaming, then pour it slowly into the eggs while whisking constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the caramel-lined pie dish to get rid of any lumps.
Set your pie dish into a larger roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pie dish. Bake for about 50 minutes – but here’s the trick: if you see the top starting to turn golden brown, pull it out immediately! If you see bubbles forming, it’s gone a bit too far.
Step 4: Cool and Set
Let the custard cool in the water bath for 30 minutes, then transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours (or up to 2 days if you’re the make-ahead type). This is where it gets that perfect dense, luscious texture.
Step 5: The Moment of Truth
To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the custard to loosen it. Invert a large plate over the dish and quickly flip. Give the plate a tap or two on the counter to encourage the custard to release. Slice and spoon the caramel over each serving.
📌 Pin This Recipe for Later! 🖇️
Looking for a coffee-flavored dessert that’s ridiculously easy but makes you look like a pro? This Coffee Crème Caramel is exactly what you need! Pin this now and whip it up later when you’re ready to impress your friends and make them wonder how you got so fancy. It’s smoother than your morning coffee, and trust me, they’ll be talking about it for weeks. ☕🍮
