Layered Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
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This cheesecake bakes a real crème brûlée custard right into the layers, not just a caramelized sugar top. Every slice gives you both textures: dense, tangy cheesecake and silky, vanilla-rich custard, finished with that shatter-crisp caramel crust.
What Is a Layered Crème Brûlée Cheesecake?
Crème brûlée means “burnt cream” in French, and it’s a baked custard finished with a torched sugar crust. This dessert bakes that same custard directly on top of a cheesecake layer instead of serving them separately, so one slice gives you both desserts at once.
- Crust: Graham cracker crumbs, dark brown sugar, and melted butter. Pressing the crumbs about halfway up the sides gives the layers something to hold onto as you slice.
- Cheesecake layer: Full-fat cream cheese at true room temperature blends smooth without lumps. Cornstarch helps the layer set firm enough to support the custard without cracking.
- Crème brûlée layer: Egg yolks, heavy cream, and vanilla, plus a separate batch of superfine sugar for torching right before serving.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese – Use full-fat blocks, not the tub kind, and let it come to true room temperature. Cold cream cheese won’t blend smooth and leaves lumps in the batter.
- Cornstarch – This is what helps the cheesecake layer set firm enough to hold the weight of the custard on top without sinking or cracking.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – This recipe uses it in both layers. It’s what gives the custard its silky, spoonable texture, so don’t swap in anything lighter like half-and-half.
- Egg Yolks – Room temperature yolks blend into the hot cream more evenly, which helps you avoid scrambled bits in the custard.
- Superfine Sugar – This dissolves and caramelizes faster and more evenly under a torch than regular granulated sugar. If you don’t have it, pulse granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds.
Tips for the Best Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
- Use a water bath. It keeps direct heat off the pan so the eggs and cream in both layers cook gently instead of curdling. I explain this technique in more detail in my eggnog cheesecake post.
- Pour the custard slowly. Pouring too fast or from too high is the main reason the layers switch places during baking.
- Don’t skip the jiggle test. The center should wobble slightly like set gelatin, not liquid. It firms up completely as it chills.
- Chill overnight if you can. The layers hold their shape better and slice more cleanly after a full night in the fridge.
- Torch just before eating. Caramelized sugar softens in the refrigerator, so if you have leftovers, only torch the slices you’re about to serve.
Ways to Serve It
- I like tossing fresh berries with a little sugar to spoon over each slice for color and a fresh contrast to the richness.
- A small dollop of unsweetened whipped cream keeps things classic, or add a few mint leaves for a restaurant-style finish.
- Pair it with an espresso or affogato if you’re serving it after dinner.
Layered Creme Brulee Cheesecake FAQs
How do you know when crème brûlée cheesecake is done baking?
Look for set edges and a center that jiggles slightly but doesn’t look liquid. If it still looks wet in the middle after the full bake time, give it another 10 to 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and let it rest inside with the door cracked.
Can you make this cheesecake ahead of time?
Yes. Bake and chill it up to 2 days ahead, but hold off on the sugar topping and torching until you’re ready to serve.
How do you store crème brûlée cheesecake?
Cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Only torch the portions you plan to eat, since the caramel topping won’t stay crisp in the fridge.
Do I need special equipment for the caramelized top?
A small kitchen torch gives the most even, controlled result. If you don’t have one, you can caramelize the sugar under a broiler, watching closely since it browns fast.
Layered Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Recipe
This cheesecake bakes a real crème brûlée custard right into the layers, not just a caramelized sugar top. Every slice gives you both textures: dense, tangy cheesecake and silky, vanilla-rich custard, finished with that shatter-crisp caramel crust.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 632kcal
Ingredients
- For Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 5 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For Cheesecake:
- 16 ounce Cream Cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Crème Brûlée:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tbs white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup extra fine sugar for burning
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- ~ Grease a 9-inch spring form, set aside. Preheat the oven to 300.
- For crust:
- Crush the graham crackers in the food processor. Mix in the sugar. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Mix very well. Press graham crackers into the pan, evenly, all over the bottom and about half way up the side.
- Cheesecake:
- Start beating the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and the heavy cream into the cream cheese. Add the eggs, one at the time, beating after each addition.
- Add the sour cream, sugar, corn starch and vanilla extract. Make sure that all ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan with crust. Place in the oven while making the Crème Brûlée custard. (about 13-15 minutes)
- Crème Brûlée:
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine heavy cream and 4 tbs of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until just starting to boil. Set aside.
- Beat the egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. Pour in hot cream very slowly (if you do it too fast, you will cook the eggs), a little bit at a time. Do not stop beating the mixture.
- Pour the mixture over the cheesecake. Here is where it got really interesting for me! I guess, I poured it a little too heavy, the creme brulee custard broke through the center of the cheesecake and the layers literally switched places! The creme brulee ended up on the bottom and cheesecake on the top! It was AWESOME!
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- When chilled, take out of the refrigerator and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of extra fine sugar over the top. Using a cooking torch, move the flame continuously over the surface in a smooth and even motion until the sugar is melted and golden brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 258mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 1820IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 1mg
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I tried a delicious slice of creme Brule cheesecake at a local restaurant with my family. They wanted me to recreate it & I found Lyuba’s recipe to be very similar to the one I tried. I baked it a little longer than called for since I could see it was not quite done. I chilled it, then I transported it to Easter dinner where I Bruled it in front of the guests. They were fascinated, intrigued & entertained. Then I served it & they loved it. Smooth, creamy & the brule topping just put it over the top with the sweet crunch. Fun to make, delicious to eat. Thanks Lyuba!
I’ve been searching for a recipe to combine my 2 favorite desserts. Recipes that I have found titled as ‘crème brûlée cheesecake’, only have the ‘brûlée’ layer and not the ‘creme’ layer. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have come across yours! There is one other recipe that I have found with the actual layers, but it is on a much larger scale.
Thank you so much for your posting!
You are so welcome! I hope you love it!
I make this all the time, it’s a crowd favorite at our house. I add vanilla bean paste to the cheesecake and custard to amp up the vanilla flavor, as you mentioned Cream Brûlée isn’t a flavor forward dessert. But I serve mine with fresh berries lightly tossed with sugar .
Yum! That sounds delicious!
Honestly speaking my mouth is full of water…..this cheesecake is absolutely outrages.
I hope you will feel the same way after trying it, Chyral! 🙂
How do you make sure creme brulee is done?
Hi Janice!
A couple of thoughts:
Did you try to cut it before it was cooled and refrigerated? 15 and then 45 minutes should be enough to cook through but you can absolutely try adding 10-15 more minutes. Then, turn off the oven and crack it open. Let it sit in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Definitely make sure it’s cooled on the counter for about an hour and then in the refrigerator for about 4 hours before cutting.
I hope it all works well!
In regular oven. Not convection oven
I bake everything in a regular oven too. The original oven I made it in didn’t even have a convection setting 🙂
In my quest for the perfect cheesecake, I ran across this recipe. Like most people, here, I found this recipe to be enticing, but it does have some stiff competition; my last cake was a coconut/lemon cheesecake. It drove several people insane. So, I got up this morning and followed these instructions to a “T”. Right now, the cake is in the fridge cooling and waiting for the sugar and torch. (It took an extra 16 minutes to get the color and “done-ness” to where I wanted it to be.) It didn’t achieve the height that is apparent in the photo(s). But, I’m looking forward to serving it tonight.
Will let you know, ok?
Okay. The deed was done. The overall response to this cheesecake produced more positive responses to its texture than its flavor, which was lacking, in spite of three doses of vanilla. I used a good, organic vanilla extract, but that didn’t do the trick. Using whole beans might have made a difference. Maybe not. Physically, as I stated above, it didn’t obtain the height seen in the photos. The Crème Brûlée did its job, but the cheese seemed to sink under the weight of the Crème Brûlée. As stated above, I had to add 16 minutes to the baking time to achieve the desired results, but some of that time could have been used in the first round of baking the cheesecake, only. This may have made it dense enough to withstand the weight of the top layer (which, by the way, stayed on top!). The most flavorful component was the caramelized sugar on top. The over-all cake needed an edge, flavor-wise. Now that the cake is baked and there’s some left from last night, I’m going to add an organic peach syrup. I’ll try this recipe again with the syrup infused and baked into the cake.
There’s potential, here…the kind that makes you dizzy and levitates you several inches above your seat. I think that, even if it was baked flawlessly, it would still have been flat, taste-wise. Am thinking that Peach in the cheese and lemon in the Crème Brûlée might do the trick.
I’m lowering the recipe to a “3”, leaving some room for improvement. Thanks. Was fun to make.
Hi Ridge!
I just realized that I didn’t noticed your comment. I’m so sorry!
First, thank you for your thorough breakdown!
Vanilla and creme brulee are not a popping kind of flavors, I agree. It is a mild cheesecake. To add more flavor pops, you can absolutely add vanilla bean to both cheesecake and creme brulee parts. A caramel drizzle would be a nice compliment to this cheesecake as well. If you want to take in another way, you can make the cheesecake part lemon flavored and have a lemon/creme brulee flavor combination.
I agree on the improvement 🙂 It’s been quite a few years since I first made this cheesecake. Check out my newer cheesecakes for some that may interest you.
I would recommend using a ‘Bain marie’ or water bath for the Cheesecake while it bakes…especially when using a convection oven. I always use the bath for cheesecakes and Creme brulee, I am a baker for a living and all we use in restaurants are convection ovens. The bath prevents the cracking over the top, the mixing of layers, and helps bake evenly. Ifor the cakes are still.not baking completely, then it is an issue of too much mixture in the pan.
This recipe cheesecake sounds amazing.
Hi Leslee!
I do use Bain Marie now. This was one of my early (very early) cheesecakes and I didn’t use that technique back then. I definitely love all the benefits from the water bath 🙂
Thanks for sharing these useful information! Hope that you will continue doing nice post like this. The contents are very good and very informative.
Thank you, Ruby!
Howdy. just wondering if you have ever tried to freeze this cheesecake? I am wondering about baking it now for the holiday season.
I haven’t had creme brule in ages, but you’ve got me thinking!!!
Awe, well I really hope you will try it! Thank you, Rachel!
I made it yesterday for a potluck. I cooked it 40 mins. longer than you said, it was still wobbly in the center, but I finally took it out. I have a convection oven so maybe that was the problem???
When serving it I could not find the two distinct layers, it all just looked like regular cheesecake. I ref. it for 4 hours but it was not really cold. Next time, I will make it a day ahead so it chills longer. It was good for sure. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi JJ. I haven’t heard of baking in a convection oven and I wouldn’t recommend it.
The batter may have mixed while you poured the creme brulee batter and it’s probably because the cheesecake part was still raw. Definitely try using a regular oven but I am so glad that you still liked the taste! Also, if you used an 8-inch spring form vs a 9-inch spring form, the cheesecake would have been thicker in size. That could alter baking and cooling time.
Thank you!
Baking in a convection reduces cooking time not adds to it. Baking with convection is the ultimate. Beautiful even heat and a lot of top chefs recommend baking with convection.
This cake is AMAZING!!! <3 The only problem is, when I cut the cake to eat it, the cheesecake layer was liquidy (center part only). I don't know if it was because of the torch I used or if I didn't bake the cheesecake layer long enough. I've made this twice and it has happened twice. Please help! Thanks!
Hi, Christale! I’m so happy that you like the cheesecake! It sounds like it’s not baking all the way through. I would suggest turning the oven off at the end and cracking the oven door open. Don’t take out the cheesecake yet but let it sit in the oven with heat turned off and door ajar for about 10 more minutes (you can even do 15 if you want to be sure). Hopefully this will take your cheesecake all the way to the right consistency.
I made your Layered Creme Brulee Cheesecake for my wife and her co-workers. They absolutely loved it. I’m told the cheesecake was devoured in an hour and a half.
Thanks for sharing your recipe
Joe
Yay!! That makes me so happy 🙂
I’m so glad that everyone liked it. I hope you will get a piece next time 🙂
Looks delicious! 🙂 Love cheesecake so I am going to give your recipe a try! I love Crème Brulee too, it is one of my favorites!
Michael 🙂
Thank you, Michael!! I hope you enjoy it!
I tried this recipe on Sunday Jan 2014 . I cooked the chese cake for 25 mins rather then the 10-15 mins.. When I poured the creme brule over the top it didn’t reverse the layers. Which is what I was looking for . So I was actually able to tortch the creme brule like it should be. I brought it into work and everyone loved it. Once I poured the creme brule on the top of the cheese cake it took a good 3 hrs to bake at 300 degrees Fah. But it was worthi it.
I’m so glad that you were able to make it the way you wanted it and liked it! Thank you 🙂
It’s in the oven as we speak. After being shafted once again by my mother in law… She Always does Christmas lunch and it’s always the same boring gammon and peas. This year I insisted on dessert. I actually had the idea of creme brulle and cheescake layered and searched for receipts. Yours is only one I found and by the pictures it looks amazing, I’m not going to do the burnt sugar on top, instead I have decided to do caramel swirls on top, looking forward to trying that now. I’ll post tomorrow with the verdict. So excited to blow mother in law out the park. (I love my parents in law, a lot, but when it comes to food, we have a major disagreement)
I am so excited to find out how you liked it! This is the most made recipe on my site and so far I hear all good things. Merry Christmas and I can’t wait to hear how you liked it 🙂
Hiya, sorry for the late reply.
The desert was amazing!! However I think I left it in the oven too long, I was worried that it was too wobbly, without realizing that it actually sets in the fridge. Everyone loved it. I didn’t get the caramel swirls right though..haha. That was tricky. So I just did caramel shards with silver balls to make it Christmassy. I will do this again and follow the recipient to a tee this time. Lovely dessert. Thank you for sharing all your amazing ideas with us.
I’m so glad you liked it! It would be a little wobbly when you take it out and it sets on the counter and then the fridge. I am not sure what caramel you are talking about. Did you add caramel? How was it? It sounds like it would be good 🙂
Oh, I see it in your original comment 🙂 How was it with caramel? It sounds good
do you have any advice on how to make sure the creme brulee stays as the top layer? maybe make sure the cheesecake bakes a little longer before adding the creme brulee mixture?
•sorry, i originally commented on the caramel apple cheesecake, but i meant to leave the comment for this recipe!
Hi, Sarah!
I can suggest pouring the creme brulee very slowly and may be over a spoon, that way it’s not a harsh stream coming down and breaking the cheesecake surface. You can also bake the cheesecake for a few minutes longer. Hope it will work!
Hey there Lyuba! I had my first piece of creme brûlée cheesecake at a restaurant recently with my SIL & niece, we all proclaimed it was ridiculously good & that I HAD to make it for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Sure, no pressure. After much analyzing and researching, I landed on your fabulous recipe. Headed to BB&Beyond & bought a torch & a good double boiler pan. I made the cheesecake last night and this morning I bruleed the top. I made a few changes…I used sweet butter & crushed Nilla wafers for the crust based on that restaurant cheesecake. I found a few very minor corrections in your recipe..you mention to add the vanilla twice in the cheesecake part of the directions, make sure to wrap the bottom of the springform pan in foil or place it on a lipped baking pan or else your butter will leak out of the pan into your oven, leave the finished cheesecake in the oven with the door open to cool, then finish cooling it on a rack before placing it in the fridge to avoid cracks.
Now the review…omg..nom..nom!! It’s the real deal…I’m not changing anything else. The crispy burnt sugar top-crunch! The super creamy & fluffy cheesecake layer-mmm! The creamy-sweet creme layer-yummo! The cookie bottom-crunchy & candied! Wowee! Thank you so much for your hard work, beautiful pictures and finally for giving the world your recipe. I can now go to Thanksgiving at my SIL’s with my head held high and watch as the family scarfs down this masterpiece. If you can make a cheesecake and temper eggs, you can make this..it’s simply delicious. Now where is that crepe boston creme cake? You’re next on my list…
I am so happy that you love it!! It truly is a great recipe and everyone who make it seems to enjoy it! You have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for your tips! I will definitely try that next time I make a cheesecake 🙂
I made this yesterday and enjoyed it today. It turned out very well. Mine also switched layers. The only modification I made was to cook the cake in a water bath as I do for all of my cheesecakes. I cooked it for 20 or 25 minutes before adding the creme layer.
Wonderful, Kelly! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Yum! That would totally make me want Creme Brulee too; food air scents are dangerous around here! 🙂