Baked Tapioca Pudding With Cinnamon Sugar Brûlée

By Melissa Clark

Baked Tapioca Pudding With Cinnamon Sugar Brûlée
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
5(262)
Comments
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This pudding offers you both the satisfying crack of using your spoon to break through a brûlée topping and the sensation of dipping that spoon into fluffy pudding. Tapioca generally isn’t baked, but it is easier than cooking it on top of the stove. And once the pudding is in the oven you can leave it alone, as opposed to the stovetop method, which requires frequent stirring to prevent scorching. The use of pearl tapioca makes for a springy texture, and cinnamon in the topping adds a bit of spice.

Featured in: A Good Appetite: Creamy Custards Put Pudding to Shame

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings.
  • 3cups whole milk
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • 1cinnamon stick
  • ⅓cup small pearl tapioca
  • 4large egg yolks
  • 85grams granulated sugar (about ⅓ cup)
  • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 45grams Demerara sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
  • ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

253 calories; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 125 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 300 degrees

  2. Step 2

    In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, cream and cinnamon stick to a simmer. Whisk in the tapioca. Simmer until the pearls are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, pour in a third of the tapioca mixture. Whisk yolk mixture into the pot of tapioca; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer pudding to a buttered 1.5-quart gratin dish. Sprinkle the top with Demerara sugar and cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, until the pudding is firm around the edges and jiggly in the center, about 30 minutes. Put under the broiler until top is bubbling and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. (Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.) Eat warm, or chill and serve cold, removing the cinnamon stick while serving.

Ratings

5 out of 5
262 user ratings
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Comments

Scott

Two lessons: First, do not use "Tapioca Granules" even if that's all the market has and the box has a tapioca pudding recipe. Second, do not cook this dish, put in the fridge, and notice the cream that you forgot to add in Step 1. (Double all of this if tapioca pudding is your wife's favorite childhood dessert and she is the creative director of NYT Cooking).

Jen

Many recipes I find call for soaking the tapioca for 12 hours/overnight. Are you using instant in this recipe?

Christina

I'm supposed to be on a diet. I keep making this instead.

Val H.

Have you ever made this in individual ramekins?? For how long might we make ifctrying??

Jen C

I’m about to make it full-size, but I would think that’ll work, only caveat being cinnamon stick would have to be chucked before baking. Check after 15 or 20 minutes and see how it goes

Jen C

I tried it, put a small amount of the batch in the ramekin, worked fine. It does require in my opinion longer cooking time than stated, and even then, it sets up better after sitting in the refrigerator. I think it’s a good idea to leave the demarata off untilyou are ready to torch or broil it.

Jasmin

Super delicious. I beat the egg whites and folded them in to the mi's for extra lightness. Made custard with jaggery rather than granulated sugar, very tasty!

VLJ

Added 1/2 tsp of vanilla after adding the custard back into the tapioca mixture which made the cinnamon less powerful and more mellow.

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