Yes, I love fall. And every time autumn rolls around, I feel compelled to load up on pumpkin-flavored baked goods. The season is simply not complete without pumpkin and its associated spices. Last year, I made a pumpkin crème brulee and found the combination of pumpkin and caramel to be so breathtakingly delicious that I wanted to spend more time playing with that concept.
This pumpkin spice latte (“PSL”) crème caramel will make you want to host a dinner party simply so you can serve this dessert. The crème caramel is silky smooth, with a creamy pumpkin filling and a coffee caramel sauce. The coffee balances the sweetness of the dessert and rounds out the flavor of the pumpkin pie spice. To maximize the pumpkin flavor without sacrificing texture, I sauteed the pureed pumpkin until it reduced in volume by approximately half, allowing me to add more pumpkin without excess moisture.
This PSL crème caramel’s quintessential fall flavors will transport you right into an episode of Gilmore Girls, or onto a woodsy trail with crisp, colorful leaves underfoot. It is deeply comforting, while also feeling luxurious and sophisticated for when you want to treat yourself to something a little special. And as a bonus, this recipe uses a relatively modest amount of pumpkin, so the leftover pumpkin can be used to make pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, or any other pumpkin recipes your heart desires.
Pumpkin spice latte crème caramel
Course: Cakes and custardsDifficulty: Baking session4
creme caramels40
minutes45
minutesThis pumpkin spice latte crème caramel contains warming spices, fresh pumpkin, and espresso which are baked into a silky custard and topped with a coffee caramel for the perfect autumnal dessert.
Ingredients
- For the caramel
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder
- For the custard
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see note)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the caramel
- Cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Place four 6-oz ramekins or oven-safe cups inside. You can also use six smaller ramekins or cups.
- Place the sugar, water, and coffee powder into a saute pan or small saucepan. Stir together to dissolve the sugar. Then stop stirring, only swirling the pan occasionally, and allow to bubble until the sugar emits a strong caramelized, almost burnt scent and starts smoking. At this stage, the bubbles will also be larger and slower. The caramel will look ready early because of the coffee so you will need to rely primarily on scent.
- Once the caramel is ready, pour into the bottom of each cup. Immediately swirl each cup to ensure the caramel coats the bottom completely. Set aside.
- Make the custard
- Add the canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to a small saucepan and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pumpkin has reduced in volume by about half (should be about 1/4 cup). The spices should be fragrant and the pumpkin should smell slightly caramelized and be darker in color, about 5-7 minutes.
- Pour in the milk, heavy cream, and coffee and stir to combination. Heat on medium low, stirring occasionally just until the milk begins to steam and slightly simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 300F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, whisking vigorously until pale and frothy. Slowly stream in the milk mixture, whisking constantly to make sure not to cook the eggs. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Pour through a small sieve to strain out any little pieces of pumpkin. Then, divide up evenly among the ramekins. Heat some water to a boil and pour it into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Carefully place the baking dish with the ramekins into the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes–the amount of time will vary based on the size of your ramekins. The crème caramel is ready when they are set along the sides but when nudged, the centers still wobbly slightly. Remove from the oven and let rest in the water bath for five minutes.
- Then remove from the water bath, let cool about 20 minutes, and then refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours to fully set.
- To serve, remove a ramekin from the fridge, run a knife along the sides of the ramekin, and turn over onto a plate.
Notes
- For my pumpkin pie spice, I used 3/4 tsp cinnamon, scant 1/4 tsp of ground ginger, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cloves, and two cracks of black pepper
Leave a comment