Crema Catalana Recipe (Classic Spanish Custard)
This Crema Catalana is a classic Spanish dessert: silky custard flavoured with cinnamon and lemon, topped with a crackly caramel layer—easy to make at home.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 inch lemon peel
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
Caramel layer
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup water
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
- Pour the milk with vanilla extract, cinnamon stick and lemon peel into a pan and bring to the boil.2¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 inch lemon peel
- Turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Then strain the mixture.
- Pour the flavored milk back into the pan and heat until it almost boils.
- Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until airy and pale.2 eggs, 4 egg yolks, ½ cup sugar
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking.
- Return to the pan and thicken on low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Custard is ready when you can draw a line on the spoon and it holds briefly.
- Strain custard and divide over dishes.
- Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
Caramel layer
- Put sugar in a saucepan and add water.4 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup water
- Bring to a boil over low heat and cook until amber (watch closely).
- Pour hot caramel over cold custard (it hardens immediately).
- Serve right away (or keep chilled) and crack the caramel with the back of a spoon.
NOTES
1. Cold custard matters: for the crackly top, the custard MUST be very cold before you pour the caramel.
2. Don’t boil the custard: low heat and constant stirring = smooth custard. If it boils, it can turn lumpy (aka scrambled-egg vibes).
3. Strain twice for silkiness: Straining after steeping removes zest/cinnamon bits. Straining after thickening catches any tiny egg bits—worth it.
4. Caramel is FAST: Stay by the stove. Once it hits amber, pour immediately—caramel burns in seconds.
5. Best crunch timing: For maximum crack, add the caramel layer close to serving time.
6. Storage
- Keep the custard (without caramel) covered in the refrigerator. Add the caramel layer close to serving for the best crunchy top.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 293mg | Sodium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 607IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
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