Creme Brulee Cupcakes

I love this idea! Creme brulee in a cupcake!? These are the perfect sweet custardy caramelized vanilla treat to have during the fall/winter season. I love that there's no need for frosting because these are filled with creme brulee after the cupcakes are baked. If plain vanilla isn't your thing you can make any cupcake flavor you like! What about chocolate or pumpkin? I almost went there myself, but I wanted to use up a vanilla bean I bought forever ago. And they were fuh-reak-ing amazing! As you can see, I couldn't get the custard part of the cupcake to brown under the broiler because it's super moist compared to the cupcake. But, seriously, who cares?! For the purposes of deliciousness, these were perfect.

Creme Brulee Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the vanilla bean cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the vanilla custard filling:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean + pod
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
pinch salt
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

For the bruleed topping:
4 tbsp raw sugar

DIRECTIONS
To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside.  Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter (reserve the other half of the seeds and pod for the custard).  Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

Add the sugar to the butter mixture and beat for another 4 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cool, use a knife to cut a large cone out of each cupcake, leaving at least 3/4" border at the sides and bottom (don't cut all the way through to the bottom). Save the scraps for cake pops or snacking.

Make the vanilla custard: Heat milk, vanilla seeds, and pod in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling. Remove vanilla pod, discard,

While milk heats, whisk together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add 1 cup hot milk to yolk mixture in a stream, whisking, then add remaining milk, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and registers 170 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 6 to 10 minutes (do not boil).

Immediately force custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter. Scoop or pour enough custard into each hollowed out cupcake to fill almost to the top. Refrigerate cupcakes for at least two hours.

To brulee the cupcakes: Preheat the broiler and place an oven rack 1/3 of the way down from the top of the oven. Sprinkle each cupcake with 1 tsp of the raw sugar and arrange on a baking sheet. Place the cupcakes under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar is browned and bubbly, watching to make sure you don't burn the sugar (alternatively, use a kitchen torch). Remove and eat.

SOURCE
inspired by Bake it in a Cake, cupcake recipe adapted from Annie's Eats, custard recipe heavily adapted from Epicurious