Last Updated on 14/02/2025 by Adina
Silky smooth butterbeer potted cream - these little pots de crème with butterscotch are among the most amazing desserts you can imagine.
It doesn't matter if you are into Harry Potter or not; just make this butterbeer potted cream. It is an incredible dessert that is perfect for the holiday season or any kind of celebration. Really! It is one of the best desserts ever, and everybody will love it! Or try this Yogurt Bomb, which will make you go crazy as well.
Check out the Pumpkin Juice or Harry's Treacle Tart, too.
Jump to recipe
Recipe ingredients
Muscovado sugar: Also known as Barbados sugar, muscovado is a brown, moist, and somehow spicy-tasting sugar (although there are no spices in it). It comes in light or dark brown, but I have only ever been able to buy the dark brown sort. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab)
- However, if you cannot find it at all or don't want to buy it just for one recipe, you can replace it with dark brown sugar.
- And if you do have an open bag of muscovado sugar, you could try this Non-Alcoholic Christmas Fruitcake or Hagrid's Rock Cakes, another Harry Potter recipe.
Butterscotch flavor: Butterscotch flavor comes in small bottles like vanilla extract, for instance. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab)
- If you cannot find it, replace it with the more common butter flavor and rum flavor. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab)
- For more butterscotch recipes, have a look at these Butterscotch Cupcakes or the Boozy Butterbeer Recipe.
Other ingredients: Heavy cream, 6 large egg yolks, white sugar, and vanilla extract.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
The jars for serving
You will need six small jars to serve the butterbeer potted cream. It is really worth it to serve it in jars and not ramekin dishes because it just looks so nice, especially after you've added the whipped heavy cream on top.
Any kind of cute small jar is fine. Weck tulip jars are very in right now, but regular small reused jam jars are pretty as well. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). If you got the jars, make these amazing Tiramisu Cups, too.
How to make butterbeer potted cream?
Prepare the jars: Preheat the oven and place the small jars in a 2-inch/ 5 cm-sided baking dish.
Make caramel
Whisk heavy cream, salt, and muscovado sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cream starts to simmer. Set aside.
In another saucepan, heat water and granulated sugar over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Let it boil, stirring occasionally, until it turns medium amber, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Stir until smooth. If needed, return to low heat for 1 minute, stirring until fully combined.
Make cream
Mix egg yolks, vanilla extract, rum, and butterscotch flavor. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the caramel while whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and skim off any foam. This step might seem tedious, but I wouldn’t skip it - straining and skimming make the potted cream silky smooth.
Bake the potted cream
Divide the mixture between the jars. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the jars.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until set but slightly jiggly in the center.
Let cool completely in the water bath; the custard will firm up as it cools.
Serve with freshly whipped cream.
Make in advance
You can make the butterbeer potted cream 1-2 days in advance. Don't add the whipped cream on top. Only whip the cream and pipe it on the pots de crème just before serving.
Potted cream made in advance (or leftovers) is to be kept covered and refrigerated. Take out of the fridge about one hour before serving.
The dessert is not suitable for freezing.
Tip
Don't waste the egg whites. If you cannot use them immediately, freeze them for up to 12 months.
When freezing egg whites, I prefer to do it in 2 or 3 egg white portions; you will seldom need more than that for a recipe. Place them in small freezer bags, and don't forget to write how many of them are inside the bag.
Use to make Stacked Pavlova with Raspberries, Egg White Cake, or German Hazelnut Macaroons.
Butterbeer Potted Cream
Equipment
- 6 Small jars about 1 cup/ 200 ml capacity, Note 1
- Medium saucepan
- Small saucepan
- Roasting dish 2 inch/ 5 cm sided dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup muscovado sugar Note 2
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butterscotch flavor Note 3
- a few drops of rum flavor
- 1 cup heavy cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C. Place the small jars into the baking dish.
Potted cream mixture:
- Whisk the heavy cream, salt, and muscovado sugar in a saucepan. Heat on medium heat while stirring until the sugar dissolves and the cream just begins to simmer. Set aside.2 cups heavy cream + ½ cup muscovado sugar ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Caramelize sugar: Place the water and the granulated sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to boil, continue to cook, occasionally stirring, until the water has reduced and the mixture bubbles and turns a medium amber color. This will take about 5 minutes.⅓ cup water + ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Combine: Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream-muscovado mixture. Stir until combined. If the caramel doesn't completely dissolve, return the pan to low heat for about 1 minute and stir continuously until the caramel is dissolved.
- Mix the egg yolks, vanilla extract, rum, and butterscotch flavor.6 large egg yolks + 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon butterscotch flavor + a few drops of rum flavor
- Very slowly and in a steady stream pour the egg yolks into the caramel mixture while whisking all the time.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and skim off any foam with the help of a spoon.
- Divide the mixture equally into the jars.
Bake potted cream:
- Pour hot water (from a kettle) into the baking dish holding the jars, the water should come halfway up the sides of the jars.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 35 to 40 minutes. When ready, the cream should be set but still jiggle slightly in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the baking dish with the water; they will continue to set as they cool.
- Serve with freshly whipped cream. The custards can be covered and refrigerated until the next day. Take out of the fridge one hour before serving and decorate with whipped cream only before serving.1 cup heavy cream
Notes
- The jars: Weck Tulip jars or any other pretty small jars. You can also use small ramekin pots, but the dessert looks wonderful when served in jars.
- Substitute muscovado with dark brown sugar.
- Replace the butterscotch flavor with the easier-to-find butter flavor.
mjskitchen says
We were thinking about making about making butterscotch pudding tomorrow, but now I'm rethinking things. This potted cream looks delicious!