Swiss Caramelköpfli — the Crème Caramel That Sets in a Water Bath
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianMelt sugar dry to a golden caramel and pour into the ramekins. Mix eggs with sugar — stir, do not whisk — add warm milk with vanilla. Fill the ramekins and set in a water bath at 150 °C for 40 minutes. Chill overnight, then turn out. Baked too hot, they get holes.
Caramelköpfli are on every Swiss pub's dessert menu and in every chilled aisle in a pot — and the homemade ones are a different world: more caramel, real vanilla, and a texture that wobbles. They need only milk, eggs and sugar. The one thing to know: low temperature and a water bath, or they turn holey instead of silky.
Ingredients
Caramel
- 120 g Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
Custard
- 6 dl Milk
- 1 piece Vanilla pod
- 3 pieces Eggs
- 2 pieces Egg yolks
- 80 g Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2 dl Double cream (whipped, to serve) (optional)
Method
- 1
Caramel
Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Melt 120 g sugar with the water in a pan over medium heat without stirring — just swirl the pan — until golden brown. Immediately divide between 6 ramekins and tilt to coat the bases.
- 2
Infuse the milk
Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Heat the milk with seeds and pod until steaming, not boiling. Infuse 5 minutes, remove the pod.
- 3
Custard
Stir the eggs, yolks, 80 g sugar and salt with a whisk — just combine, do not beat until foamy, or you get bubbles. Slowly stir in the warm milk. Pass through a sieve.
- 4
Water bath
Divide the custard between the ramekins. Stand them in a deep oven dish and pour in hot water to come two-thirds up their sides. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes — they should still wobble slightly in the centre.
- 5
Chill and turn out
Lift out of the water bath, let cool and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. To serve, run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a plate. Serve with whipped cream.
Tips
- The caramel is ready when it is the colour of amber. Too pale tastes merely sweet, too dark bitter. It darkens further after leaving the heat — better a second early.
- Overnight in the fridge the caramel on the base liquefies completely — which is why the wait is worth it. After only 2 hours, part of it stays hard in the ramekin.
- Caramelköpfli keep three days in the fridge, in their ramekins and covered. The ideal dessert for guests — nothing to do on the evening itself.
What can I substitute?
Paste comes closest to the pod. Vanilla sugar works; then use 10 g less sugar in the custard.
Richer and firmer — closer to French crème caramel. Same baking time.
So 4 whole eggs instead of 3 plus 2 yolks. Slightly less creamy, but no leftover whites.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my crème caramels have holes?
Baked too hot. Above 160 °C the custard boils and the bubbles remain as holes. 150 °C, a water bath to soften the heat, and eggs stirred rather than beaten — then they come out smooth as silk.
Why will they not turn out?
Either not chilled enough — the caramel is still hard and sticks — or not loosened at the edge. Chill at least 4 hours, run a thin knife round, place a plate on top, flip decisively and give a short shake.
Can I make them without a water bath?
In a steamer at 90 °C for 30 minutes — even more reliable. Without either, they set hard and holey on the outside in the oven before the centre is done.
How long do they keep?
Three days in the fridge, not turned out and covered. They cannot be frozen — the custard turns watery.
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