crème caramel Archives

Pumpkin Creme Caramel is the perfect sweet-spicy dessert that is so easy to make. Gluten free, creamy and delicious.

You did it guys! You truly, deeply inspired me to create a dessert with pumpkin, right in the middle of a beautiful Aussie Spring-Summer. I mean, we have mangoes and peaches and blueberries to choose from. No-one is looking at pumpkin (or not). Well, someone is! My feed on Instagram and Pinterest has nothing else but beautifully curated pumpkin soups and pumpkin pies. I just ended up feeling inspired, even though there is no hope of canned of pumpkin puree here. So I made a large batch and stocked up my freezer for the base of a few pumpkin treats starting with this Pumpkin Creme Caramel. And well, we all have to agree, pumpkin is delicious.

Since, the scene is very different on our side as compared to the Fall vibes in the Northern hemisphere, my pictures would look very different and I’m totally fine with that. I didn’t want to go out there and create a Autumn-ish ambience in my photos when the truth is that great food can be enjoyed in any season, in any part of the world. Especially since this Pumpkin Creme Caramel is gluten-free and is really easy to make.

I love the texture of a Creme Caramel. It’s light but creamy and silky and can make such neat slices. To add some crunch, I topped them with cinnamon roasted walnuts that very easy to make as well. The most challenging thing about this dessert for me is the wait time to eat it. If you are planning to make it for a special occasion or event, I would recommend that you make it a day in advance.
Do you ever crave non-seasonal food? What non-seasonal food are you craving today?

Pumpkin Creme Caramel
Makes a 8 inch round dessert serving 6-8

1/2 cup castor sugar
2 tbsp water
4 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (home-made or store bought)
1/2 tsp powdered nutmeg
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 can condensed milk (395 g)
1 can half and half (use the same can to mix equal parts of milk and pouring/single cream)

Cinnamon roasted Walnuts
1 egg white
1/4 castor sugar
2 cups walnut halves
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Lightly grease an 8 inch round cake pan.

Make the caramel : Place castor sugar in a medium saucepan with 2 tablespoons water. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat slightly and bring to the boil. Cook, without stirring, for about 7 mins, or until mixture is a deep golden-caramel colour. Use a wet pastry brush to brush away any crystals from the side of the saucepan. Quickly pour the caramel into the prepared cake pan. (Be careful as this mixture is really hot). Stand the cake pan in a baking dish.

Place the eggs, pumpkin puree, spices, condensed milk and half and half together in a mixing bowl. Using a blender or in a food processor blend everything together till you have a smooth consistency. Pour into the round pan over the caramel. Add boiling water to the baking dish so it comes halfway up the sides of the creme caramel. Carefully place the baking dish with the cake pan into the preheated oven.

Bake for an hour to an hour and 10 minutes or until the mixture seems set but is slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove from oven and the cake pan from the baking dish. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled to room temperature, place in the fridge to set (approx 4 hours, preferably overnight). When ready to serve, turn the Creme Caramel onto a serving plate (a lot of liquid will also pour out which is delicious). Top with cinnamon roasted walnuts. Enjoy!

To make the Cinnamon roasted walnuts : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Beat egg whites lightly. Add walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Toss to coat evenly.
Pour on to the prepared baking tray and spread in a single layer. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until caramelized and golden.

Peeking through my cold frosted window every morning, hoping to get a glimpse of the sun, I am coming to embrace the changes of the season. The sun is late in rising and so are we. Perhaps that is a convenient way for me to interpret the changes that come about with cold weather. Sleep is so dear and so welcome. Or is it Citrus that makes it obvious. Citrus fruits are everywhere and the only excuse for not using them in a recipe is probably eating them as they are. Maybe not lemon and lime. My new way of enjoying them are squeezing the juice into tea. But Oranges..there are more dishes to try on my wish list than I could fit into one season.

Crème Caramel, a dessert that I can associate with my growing up years. When tortes, tarts or for that matter even mousse was not that popular where I lived. It was served in smaller individual portions and I liked it that way. But today, convenience takes precedence over anything else and a single round pan works great for me. It has the charm of a after-dinner centrepiece much like a cake without a lot of effort.

There are many flavour variations of this dessert out there and a few different recipes too. I have tried out a few and I find that a combination of eggs and egg yolks yields a fabulous texture. Smooth, creamy but enough to hold shape and can be easily sliced into portions.

Orange Crème Caramel (adapted with variation from Coles recipes)
Serves 6

3/4 cup castor sugar (for the caramel)
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk
300 ml heavy or thickened cream
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup castor sugar (for the custard)
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 orange, sliced into small wedges
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Place sugar in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat slightly and bring to the boil. Cook, without stirring, for about 7 mins, or until mixture is a deep golden-caramel colour. Use a wet pastry brush to brush away any crystals from the side of the pan.

Stand a 19 cm round cake tin in a baking dish, and pour the caramel over the base of the cake tin (take care as the tin will get hot). Set aside to cool completely.

Combine milk, cream and orange zest in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Stand for 5 mins.

Whisk extra sugar, eggs and yolks until combined. Pour milk mixture onto egg mixture, stirring constantly. Strain the custard into cake tin over the caramel. Pour hot water around the tin to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 50 mins to an hour, or until set. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight. Turn out onto a serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve with fresh oranges and strawberries