This is a deliciously awesome trick to have up your sleeve. This is, How to make Caramelized White chocolate, and then how to make custard and Caramelized White Chocolate Cream Patisserie from it! (This glorious beauty was stuffed inside a Glazed Coffee Doughnut for which you can get the recipe here too!)
Perfectly sweet, creamy and light, Pastry cream filling
If you want to take that white chocolate flavour and kick it up a notch, then you have to caramelize it. It turns regular, creamy, sweet white chocolate into a glorious, caramel coloured sauce with an incredible caramel-fudge flavour! As someone who doesn’t really like white chocolate (I find it simply too sweet), this completely transforms my opinion of it every time, without fail!
I learnt how to do this from David Lebovitz. I haven’t changed anything about the way he does it, but I’ll outline it here for you!
How to make caramelized white chocolate.
⇒You need to find good quality white chocolate made with cocoa butter (not the other kind). Chop the white chocolate into smaller pieces.
⇒Spread this on a tray that’s lined with a silpat (or non stick silicone baking mat).
Place the chocolate in an oven on its lowest setting (the lowest setting on my oven is “keep warm”, which is less than 200°F / 90°C.
⇒Check every 10 minutes, and using an offset spatula, mix and re-spread the chocolate as it melts and starts to change colour.
⇒Keep checking every 10 minutes, until the white chocolate has turned (light) golden in colour and is smooth. The chocolate may change texture and become a little chalky, which is why its important to mix and spread while it heats, and after it comes out of the oven too.
Caramelized White Chocolate is almost the colour of peanut butter. That’s a spoonful of peanut butter for comparison
The smallest amount of chocolate I have used is 4 oz (113g) (about 30 minutes) and the largest amount I have used is 12 oz/ 340g (45 – 60 min). The more chocolate you use, it obviously takes longer to caramelize. The yield is 1:1 too.
To make a sauce you can thin it out with some cream. OR you can use it as a base for custard and/or cream patisserie (pastry cream).
Ingredients for Caramelized White Chocolate Pastry Cream
Ingredients
- 4 oz / 113g caramelized white chocolate or substitute with regular melted white chocolate
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 whole egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp of sugar optional, if making pastry cream with whipped cream
- 1/2 tsp salt OR 2 tsp salt if you want a salty-sweet combination
- 2 tsp vanilla extract/ vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp bourbon optional
- 1 ½ cups full-fat milk or half and half
- ⅓ cup whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks, optional
Instructions
Place the caramelized white chocolate, milk, vanilla bean paste, bourbon and salt, and heat on medium heat. Stir to ensure that the chocolate and white sugar melt properly.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, cornstarch and sugar (if using) with a whisk until smooth and the eggs are pale in colour.
- When the milk starts to steam, drizzle the hot milk into the eggs slowly, while whisking the egg mix (tempering the eggs to prevent them from curdling). After drizzling in about 3/4 cup of the milk and the eggs are warm, pour it back into the milk saucepan and stir to combine.
If using vanilla extract - add this at this stage. Keep stirring or whisking consistently to prevent the custard from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan, or curdling. Heat the custard (lower the heat if needed) until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency (when the first bubbles break the surface of the custard).
Pour the custard into a bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap over the custard (touching the surface of the custard) to prevent a skin from forming on top. Let it cool down to room temperature and chill for a few hours.
When the custard is chilled, use as is, OR, fold the whipped cream through the custard until just mixed. Cover and leave it in the fridge until ready to use.
Recipe Notes
Note 1 - I like this custard without the addition of extra sugar. The custard is sweetened just with the white chocolate, which I find to be sweet enough. However, when I use whipped cream, I prefer some extra sweetness, which is why I would add an extra 2 tbsp of sugar IF I was adding whipped cream.
Note 2 - Some recipes call for the milk or cream to be scalded. I did not scald the milk for this particular custard (because I melted the white chocolate in the milk). I didn't find a noticeable difference between scalding and not scalding the milk. If you prefer to scald the milk, please feel free to do so!
Note 3 - As noted, the custard should have a pudding-like consistency. You will know it's reaching this consistency when you see the first bubbles breaking the surface of the custard.
This is so, so versatile! I just cannot tell you enough about how much we love this. We have actually piped this straight into glasses, let it set and then just had it as a pudding!
We have filled mini chocolate tarts with this delicious pastry cream (non-salty version) in these Mini Chocolate tarts with Caramelized White Chocolate pastry cream with a boozy raspberry center.
And used the salty-sweet pastry cream to fill these delicious Coffee glazed Coffee Doughnuts!
The choices are truly endless. And you’re welcome! 🙂
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Can i put this pastry cream on a meringue nest? And eat it right away ofcourse.
Hi Nesrin!
Yes you can 🙂 It might be quite sweet though (meringue topped with caramelized white chocolate).
Thank you very much for the reply. I did it today with Milka white chocolate (although you told not to use other kind 🙂 ). I failed after 1 hour passed for 150 grams of chocolate. I am going to buy Callebaut white chocolate which has 28% Cocoa tomorrow.
Hello again. I bought Callebaut white chocolate and tried again. After 1.5 hour passed it didn’t change in color. I re-read and re-read the recipe and the comments as well . So ,i looked at David Lebovitz recipe and it says 120 degree celsius not the lowest setting! Now i have non-liquid caramelized white chocolate. I didnt understand how it worked for you .
Hi Nesrin!
Thank you for letting me know. I will have to reword my recipe as I’ve realized from your comment that ovens do vary greatly. In my oven, the lowest setting is about 200°F (which is 90°C), and that’s why it worked for me, it likely doesn’t work at lower temperatures than that. I went lower than David Lebovitz’s temperature, because it caused the chocolate to burn if you’re not careful. But I am glad that you were finally able to get the chocolate caramelized for your recipe! But thank you again for letting me know, I will retest this recipe as soon as I get a chance.
Cheers,
Dini
Hi. I want to make a caramelised white chocolate tart with this recipe. Any tips on how to do it would be helpful. Plus I’ve noticed a spelling mistake, it’s Creme patisserie instead of cream patisserie.
Thanks
Thank you Henry!
The creme patissiere here, is probably not stiff enough to fill a tart, but adding a little extra cornflour when cooking the custard might make it stiff enough to be pipeable into a tart! The tart I made had Pastry Cream that was fairly fluid.
Instead of 40g of cornflour to maybe add about 50g would be a good place to start, but I haven’t tried this before. I will try to find another recipe online for a White Chocolate tart for you.
A couple of years ago, I was visiting friends in Cape Town and one of them was in the middle of a catering course. They had learned how to caramelise white chocolate and that weekend we made the most incredible topping for a sky high cake. I seem to remember stirring it on the hob rather than putting it in the oven though! Thanks for the reminder and also for the wonderful recipe for creme pat too – and those doughnuts – oh my!!
Your pictures and videos make me soooooo hungry! These look absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for sharing at FF, and have a wonderful weekend. 😀
Oh my Dini – you are one amazing cooker of all things sweet :))
Thank you Tentimestea! I was the same… I saw the post and it was in my saved links for a long time until the beginning of this year and now I can’t stop!! 🙂
I’ve seen the caramelized white chocolate from David Lebovitz too but never tried it, and now wonder why I never did–this really looks incredible! The photos speak for themselves, and your description of just eating the pastry cream straight as pudding is so very very winning 😀
Oh Dini, this is amazing! I can really use this technique. The little chocolate tarts are adorable and the stuffed donut just has my mind leaping ahead!
Thank you Julie! 🙂 I hope you do check out the doughnuts too! I did a tutorial on what to look for to get perfect doughnuts in it too!
Absolutely Dini!
OMG Dini! This is totally to die for! I can just imagine the flavour…..I am going to dream about this for a long while! 😀
Thank you so much Julianna!!! I hope you have “Sweet” dreams!! 😀 (That was WAY too cheesy Dini!, I’m so sorry!!!)
Caramelized what? I only know caramelized onions. 😛 Because I am not a fan of caramel, I better take Caramel 101 class. 😀 Dini, you are so very creative and this looks fabulously delish! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy FF! 🙂 xx
Thank you Jhuls! 🙂 I love caramel ONLY if it has been used properly!! 😀 I’ve made caramel so many times and some of them have had to been thrown out 🙁 But this?? This is actually easier than making sugar caramel! 🙂
I may start loving caramel from now on. 😀 Thanks, Dini. I will be sure to remember this. Hmm, I guess this should be perfect with cheesecake, too. You know, instead of the oldie salted caramel. 😀
I’m just going to move next door to you so I can come over and eat, okay? LOL… seriously though, that looks so decadent and incredible!!!!!
Amanda, we should just move closer so we can eat each others goodies!! 😀 I know I need more taste testers!! You in?? 😀
You know I just hit my head as i fainted after watching that video. Seriously that should be labelled dangerous, oh my and the creation at the end that is dangerous too! Wow those look good, do you ship to the UK? please haha….Thank you for coming to FF #68, Justine x
I did love that video! 😀 There were out takes too 😉 hahaha!! Thank you so much Justine and thank you for co-hosting too!
Oh.my.word. Dini!! Killing me! I can’t look at your blog in the mornings. It makes me want to cheat on my cereal. PINNIN!
Thank you so much Christie!!! 😀 I try to avoid looking at blogs in the morning too!! Especially if I haven’t had breakfast!
Oh my goodness, Dini…I need this recipe in my life! Serious yum! Pinning!
Thank you so much Michelle! 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try caramelising white chocolate since I saw your boozy raspberry tarts and I still haven’t done it!! I’m bookmarking this how to though and it’s going to the top of my list as soon as I decide what I want to use it for!!
Michelle there are SO many things! 😀 One thing I forgot to add into the post was that I even made a small batch of Ice cream with this Chocolate! It. Was. AMAZING!! 😀
Funny you should say that because ice cream is exactly my plan! Silly question probably, but can let the chocolate harden and re melt it over a double boiler? Or do you need to use it straight away?
I’ve left it to harden (there will be some blooming) and re melted it to use it for things too 😀
Let me know when you plan to post it, because I have a post for it too! hahahaha!!! 😀 Great minds definitely do think alike Michelle!
Ah cool thank you!
Hahahaha will do! Not too sure when it’ll be up, I’m hoping to make it tonight but no idea when I’ll get the post up yet! Although unless you put macadamias in yours they will at least be a little different! Can’t wait to see yours!
ooh I already like your version better!! 😀 Can’t WAIT!
It may be dangerous with me having this recipe–looks incredible!
hahaha!! 😀 It has been dangerous in our house too! I usually don’t like White Chocolate either!