I’m freaky in love with crème brulee. I don’t have it near enough because all my fat and carb calories are spent on cupcakes, so when I read on Twitter that The Sweet Tooth Fairy was making crème brulee cupcakes I was interested to say the least!

What exactly is brulee? And more importantly how would The Sweet Tooth Fairy work her magic and pull it into cupcake form? A few things were for sure, I knew it had to be torched, it had to have real crème brulee in it (I wouldn’t settle for a “this is crème brulee flavor” crap) and well it had to be true to The Sweet Tooth Fairy’s style.

For those of you reading that are not familiar with crème brulee (gasp!). Let me introduce you to this eggy, yet-not-so-eggy-if-done-the-right-way, wonder! Crème brulee is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base with a contrasting crackly layer of sugar on top, which has been torched or broiled. It has the most wonderful caramel flavor that could spin your taste buds into a crazy oblivion. Crème brulee actually means “burnt cream” in French and after tasting it you’ll understand that this kind of burnt isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

So how did The Sweet Tooth Fairy accomplish the task of bringing all the wonderful flavors and textures of this French classic into a single-serving cupcake dessert?

First off, The Sweet Tooth Fairy conquered the sought-after caramel flavor throughout the cupcake, starting in the form of the cake, the batter itself is caramel-based. (I’m raising my hands for joy.) If I’m correct, it is the same batter used in their dulce de leche cupcake, which you know I’m a fan of!

Next, I was happy to see that The Sweet Tooth Fairy did not ignore the fact that real crème brulee must be incorporated. Even better, the cupcake is filled with it! It’s a pleasant change in texture, still smooth and creamy like you’d get from the real deal. My only complaint: I wish it didn’t take a couple bites to reach the center. (Or do I just have a small mouth?)

My favorite part of the entire cupcake was the topping. The frosting is a brown sugar meringue that is light and rich with that buttery brown sugar flavor I crave; a nice addition to their current menu, if I do say so. Then to go even further, it has been topped with sugar and torched just like the classic dessert. Seriously, how fun is it to know that the little beauty had a flame to it? (Could it be my inner pyro?)

This cupcake stays true to The Sweet Tooth Fairy’s concept, which is bringing super yummy treats in all their variety and transforming them into cupcake form! She also brings a bit of nostalgia into the project. Growing up The Sweet Tooth Fairy’s mother, we’ll call her Grandma Sweet from now on, made her fair share of crème brulee and its not-so-distant-cousin, flan. The STF’s brother,  (sorry I don’t have a fun nickname for you yet…and don’t worry it won’t include any sort of fairy verbiage) had the idea to experiment with the flavor. Huge success! Bravo.

So next time you are in The Sweet Tooth Fairy search that bakery case for the torched-top cupcake and be prepared for a delicious cupcake that brings you right into the crackly, caramel-ly and up-scale sweetness that is crème brulee.

The Sweet Tooth Fairy

Draper Location
Draper Peaks Shopping Center (right off 12300 South)
Monday through Thursday 10am-9pm
Friday & Saturday 10am-11pm.

Utah County Location
1227 S University Ave
Provo, UT 84601
#(801) 375-3484
Web site: http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/
Blog: http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sweettoothfairy
Facebook: The Sweet Tooth Fairy on Facebook

***This review is based on The Sweet Tooth Fairy’s Creme Brulee Cupcake from the Provo location on April 8, 2010 only. Disclosure – I received these cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy without cost. The complimentary product does not effect the outcome of my review, will never influence the content, topics or posts made on this blog. Opinions subject to change…trust me, if I eat a bad cupcake I will tell you! ***