{"id":3557,"date":"2021-04-26T02:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T06:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thequaintkitchen.com\/?p=3557"},"modified":"2021-08-11T15:30:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T19:30:13","slug":"vegan-creme-caramel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thequaintkitchen.com\/en\/vegan-creme-caramel\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Cr\u00e8me Caramel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I haven\u2019t had cr\u00e8me caramel since before I went vegan (which was years<\/em> ago). But this vegan cr\u00e8me caramel tasted almost exactly as I remember the egg-based ones tasting. Without the weird eggy flavour I disliked about flans. So it\u2019s a win-win in my book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s smooth, creamy and just melts in your mouth. Plus, there\u2019s no baking in a water bath required. You simply cook the \u201cflan\u201d on the stovetop, pour it over the caramel in the ramekins and let it set in the fridge. And boom, you\u2019ve got vegan cr\u00e8me caramel. The perfect dessert when you\u2019re planning on having people over (when that becomes a thing again).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to make it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s an easy 2 step process. Start by making the caramel that goes in the bottom of the ramekins. Since this is a wet caramel, it\u2019s important not to stir it as that could promote crystallization. So let it cook down until it\u2019s a deep amber colour, swirling the pan occasionally if you see it colouring unevenly. Then pour it into the ramekins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While it hardens, make the flan. It\u2019s very similar to the cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re<\/a>, wherein you mix the dry ingredients together with a bit of the milk, then add it to the saucepan with the rest of the milk plus the vanilla and cook the mixture until it thickens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then you simply pour it over the caramel, put cling film directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate it to let the flan set and the caramel dissolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why tapioca starch and<\/em> cornstarch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I originally made it only using cornstarch. Which worked well but it wasn\u2019t exactly<\/em> the right texture. If I used too little for a softer flan, it wouldn\u2019t hold up as well, and if I added more to compensate, it was too firm and would kind of \u201cbreak\u201d or crack when unmolded and when a scoop was taken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With cornstarch.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I know most recipes use agar agar for that reason (and I\u2019m sure they\u2019re great), but I wanted to avoid that. It\u2019s great in certain applications, but it does tend to have a firm and \u201drubbery\u201d (for lack of a better word) texture to it once it sets. I preferred to have a softer and lighter texture for the flan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With cornstarch.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tapioca starch, on the other hand, yields a bouncy and almost elastic result once set. Perfect to add \u201cstretch\u201d to the cr\u00e8me caramel to avoid it cracking. 100% tapioca starch was not the answer, it resulted in a strange and slimy alien-like blob that was weirdly chewy. So it was just a matter of finding the right ratio of cornstarch to tapioca starch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once that was done, the texture was amazing. Just like an egg-based flan, it jiggles, holds well, but somehow still melts in your mouth and scoops like a buttery barely set custard. And because tapioca starch is more \u201celastic\u201d, it holds it together much better so there\u2019s less chance of cracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em>With cornstarch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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cr\u00e8me caramel troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The caramel hardens before I have time to swirl it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caramel sets only once it cools, so to give yourself time to swirl it, keep your ramekins warm by keeping them in a warmed oven. And when the caramel is almost ready, take them out to have them near you. That way the caramel won\u2019t harden immediately when you pour it because it won\u2019t be hitting a cold surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s still hard caramel at the bottom of my ramekin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally the caramel dissolves into the flan as you\u2019re baking it in the oven. Since we\u2019re not doing that here, it needs to stay in the fridge long enough for the caramel to disslove just from the humidity and moisture of the filling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although you could technically flip out the cr\u00e8me caramel the moment the flan has set (about 3-4 hours), if you wan\u2019t allll<\/em> the sauce with it, it\u2019s best to leave it overnight. But it\u2019s not the end of the world if you don\u2019t and there\u2019s still some caramel left at the bottom. It\u2019ll still be delicious even with a bit less sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My cr\u00e8me caramel has cracks in it after I unmold it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t fret, it happens. Unmolding a bit too forcefully, the filling not being set enough or it not being cooked enough are a few reasons that might happen. But also, flans are delicate in general since they\u2019re softly set, so there\u2019s always a chance it might happen (even with non-vegan ones), there\u2019s no need to worry about it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My cr\u00e8me caramel isn\u2019t setting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the filling isn\u2019t cooked well enough on the stovetop before pouring, the starches won\u2019t be well activated. Make sure it\u2019s thickened and that it\u2019s bubbling lightly before transferring it to the ramekins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vegan Cr\u00e8me Caramel<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\nTatyana<\/span>\n
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Smooth, light and creamy cr\u00e8me caramel that\u2019s easy to make and swimming in delicious caramel sauce.<\/span><\/div>\n
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