Love was definitely in the air when I made these raspberry custard cups. Not only because it was Valentine’s Day, but also because I LOVE any dessert with fresh berries. These custard cups are like crème brulée meets vanilla pudding, but they’re super easy to make! Adding cream cheese to a basic vanilla custard gives these cups some extra tartness along with the warm raspberries that explode in your mouth with each bite.
The secret to a great custard
The trickiest part of any custard-y recipe is getting the consistency right. When you put an egg over heat, you have to be super careful that the egg doesn’t start to cook and leave you with little scrambled egg chunks. Yuck.
Once you get the hang of it, though, making custard is very easy. You just have to be very attentive and patient with the low heat setting. Once you put all the ingredients in the saucepan, make sure to keep the heat very low. I typically start at the lowest setting, and then gradually raise it as I stir, allowing the custard to thicken. If I see even a single bubble, though, I reduce the heat again.
The other key is making sure you stir constantly, so the custard doesn’t start to stick on the bottom and create a film. It shouldn’t take too long, but just keep lightly stirring until the custard is at the consistency you want.
Time to raid the baking cabinet
Chances are, if you’re an avid baker like me, you already have most of these ingredients.
Egg, milk, sugar, and cornstarch These are the key ingredients you’ll need for the custard
Vanilla, flour, and cream cheese To give the custard that delicious flavor and some viscosity
Fresh raspberries The cherry—ahem, raspberry—on top
⟶ the recipe
raspberry custard cups
ingredients
1 large egg
1 cup milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces cream cheese
2 containers of fresh raspberries
Prep time
5 minutes
Cook time
10 minutes
Total time
1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 6 custard cups
instructions
Whisk egg with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in vanilla and milk. Continuously stir the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until the custard is nice and thick. If the liquid begins to boil at any point, reduce the heat.
Transfer custard to a medium bowl and stir in the cream cheese until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or until completely cool.
Divide the custard among six ramekins and press about 5-6 raspberries into each. Place ramekins in a rimmed baking pan and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until custard is golden brown.
Sprinkle the custard cups with brown sugar and place under the broiler for another 2-3 minutes or until sugar has hardened and is beginning to bubble. Alternately, you can use a brulée torch outside the oven.
Set the custard cups on a cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with additional fresh raspberries on top.
⟶ recipe notes
- Adapted from Food52
⟶ modifications
You can also try these with different berries! Blueberries and blackberries would work great as well
If you don’t have fresh raspberries, you can also use frozen berries, and just thaw them in warm water for about thirty minutes
⟶ make it ahead
- You can prepare the custard and, covered tightly with plastic wrap, chill the ramekins in the fridge for up to three days. Just pull them out and add the raspberries right before bruléeing them
