lemon creme brulee wtih berries and a lemon twirl on a white surface with a blue linen

Lemon Creme Brûlée

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5 from 1 review

Lemon Creme Brûlée is perfect for springtime, make this easy dessert ahead of time and wow your guests as you serve it up in minutes!

Total Time: 6 hours
Yield: 6 Individual Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Zest of 1 Large Lemon
100 grams (1/2 Cup) + 2 Tablespoons Granulated/ Caster Sugar
20oz (2.5 Cups) Heavy Whipping Cream
6 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
1/4 Teaspoon Pure Lemon Extract
7 1/2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar (1 1/2 Tablespoons per creme brulee)
Kitchen Torch

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F and get a large roasting pan and 6 ramekins out and ready to use.
In a large saucepan add two tablespoons of sugar and the lemon zest then using your clean hands rub the lemon zest into the sugar for two minutes, this helps release all of the lemon oils from the zest. Add the heavy cream and cook over medium heat until just before the boiling point. Turn off the heat and place the lid on to steam for ten minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer whisk the sugar and egg yolks. Beat on high until they start to turn a paler yellow color. Then, slowly add the cream in small increments continually stirring. Then add the vanilla bean paste and lemon oil. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl preferably one with a pouring spout and strain the custard mixture. This will remove the lemon zest and any egg that was scrambled.
Pour the lemon cream evenly into the ramekins. Place ramekins in a large roasting pan and then fill the pan with water until about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 32-42 minutes, you want the center of the creme brulee's to be set but have a little bit of jiggle, if you want to use an instant-read thermometer the internal temperature should be 170F/77C. Take out of the oven and place the roasting pan on a wire rack. After five minutes remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Place in the fridge covered for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Right before serving sprinkle 2 tsp of the sugar on top of each creme brûlée and using a kitchen torch burn the sugar. Add fresh berries and lemon twist if you want.