Crème Brule Cupcakes

Step 1

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a small bowl. Add flour, and mix until smooth and free of lumps.

Step 2

Thin egg-yolk mixture with approximately 1/4 cup of warm milk. When remaining milk begins to boil, add it to egg-yolk mixture, and stir well. Return to saucepan, and place over high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until pastry cream thickens and boils, about 1 minute. (Turning the pan as you whisk helps to easily reach all areas of pan.)

Step 3

Reduce heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, until cream becomes shiny and easier to stir, about 2 minutes more. Run it through a sift over a bowl and sift out the lumps. Add vanilla bean paste and stir until well combined. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool.

Step 4

Preheat your oven to 180C (356F) or 160C (320F) for a fan forced oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

Step 5

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt. Turn mixer on low speed and allow it to mix for a couple minutes to help everything combine well (alternatively you may do this by sifting the ingredients together). Add the softened butter and let it mix until it resembles a fine sand like texture.

Step 6

Next, add milk, eggs, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract in a large jug and whisk well.

Step 7

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.

Step 8

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way (using an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter into the cupcake liners makes this a quick and easy process otherwise you can use two tablespoons). Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Step 9

While your cupcakes are baking, and cooling prepare the buttercream frosting by adding vanilla bean paste to the frosting and mix until well combined with flicks of vanilla bean pods.

Step 10

Brush some maple or golden syrup on top of each cupcakes and dip them in the brown sugar to help the sugar stick. Use a kitchen blow torch to caramelize the sugar on top. Let them cool down completely before you core the centre and fill it with the crème patisserie.

Step 11

Fit the end of a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip and frost your cupcakes in a swirl motion as demonstrated in the video.