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Do you have 15 minutes? In addition to a few simple ingredients, that's all it takes (hands-on time) to whip up these super delicious Lemon and White Chocolate Pots de Crème!
It's true, these elegant, French-inspired, Lemon and White Chocolate Pots de Crème come together so quickly you won't believe it!
How easy is it?
As fast as you can bring a cup of cream to a boil, throw in some white chocolate chips, pour the mixture into a bowl of egg yolks and sugar, add a splash of lemon juice and Limoncello and mix it all together, you've just about got it done! Divide the mixture into small bowls, ramekins or jars and then place the little portions in a pan of hot water (if you want to be fancy it's called a bain-marie in the culinary world, a fancy French word for a pan of hot water!). A stint in the oven and voila! - you're done!
A perfect make-ahead dessert!
These Lemon and White Chocolate Pots de Crème can be made a day or two ahead of time, then covered and refrigerated till ready to serve; perfect for avoiding last-minute stress when entertaining guests.
Expect lots of compliments
In addition to being easy and make-ahead, this silky smooth dessert is super delicious too. Whenever I serve this dessert to guests, there are always unanimous thumbs up and requests for the recipe.
I fell in love with the lemon and white chocolate combination when I made these Lemon and White Chocolate Sugar Cookies, and couldn't wait to repeat this delicious flavor pairing. Since pots de crème is a favorite dessert here at The Café I knew a new version would be well received.
Try these Lemon and White Chocolate Pots de Crème, I think you'll love them too - but only if you have 15 minutes to spare!
Café Tips for making these Lemon and White Chocolate Pots de Crème
- This recipe calls for Limoncello which is an Italian lemon liqueur that is mainly produced in Southern Italy. It's smooth, sweet and has a deliciously intense lemon flavor. Although it adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this dessert, if you don't have, or don't want to buy Limoncello, don't fret. Just use extra lemon juice to replace the Limoncello.
- If you don't have a microwave, just follow step 3 on the stovetop. Just be careful the cream mixture doesn't scald on the bottom.
- You can use a bar of white chocolate (we like Green and Blacks, Lindt and Ghirardelli) or good quality chocolate chips. Good quality chocolate chips should have cocoa butter listed as one of the first few ingredients. I really like the white chips from Trader Jo's.
- I call this an "all-season dessert", first of all, because lemons are readily available all year round, but also because there are so many fun ways to dress up this little French-inspired delight.
- Top with a few raspberries or a pretty strawberry for a colorful garnish.
- A slice or two of kiwi is a also beautiful contrast to the soft yellow hue of the pots de crème.
- A spoonful of jam like this Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam or this delicious Raspberry Freezer Jam is fabulous.
- I love to serve it with a drizzle of our Limoncello Syrup, (pictured below) a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a sprig of fresh mint.
- 6 ounces white chocolate see Café Tips above in the post
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Limoncello or an equal amount of extra lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
- pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
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Preheat oven to 300˚F.
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Place 8-10 small bowls, ramekins or even small mason jars in a baking pan that's at least as tall as your bowls. I use a 9x13-inch cake pan. Set aside.
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Heat the heavy cream in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl till it's just starting to bubble. This will take 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave. Remove cream from microwave and add the white chocolate. Let it sit for 30 seconds, then stir till smooth.
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While the cream is heating, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Stir to combine, then add the lemon juice, lemon zest and Limoncello. Stir well.
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Very slowly pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture while stirring continuously. Once you've added about ¼ of the cream, you can just pour in the rest. Stir till completely mixed.
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Divide the mixture between the bowls in the pan and place in the oven. Slowly pour enough hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the bowls. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until pots de crème are fairly set and only wiggle a tiny bit when the pan is gently moved. Set your timer for 20 minutes and check. Bigger containers will take longer to bake. I had 10 small bowls and it took 20 minutes.
See Café Tips for more detail instructions and tips.
Em says
These are delicious. My husband's favorite flavors are white chocolate and lemon. I made this for his birthday dessert and it was a big hit. We used the Lemoncello Syrup recipe also; drizzled on the the raspberries and kiwi we put on top. I believe it was his favorite dessert ever. Only one person thought the lemon was too tart but that may have been because of the syrup drizzle. We thought it was perfect.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Em!
Susan Harrison says
I made these for a ladies luncheon yesterday and I (you) received rave reviews. I served them with the Limoncello syrup, a small rosette of whipped cream, a fresh raspberry, and a mint leaf. They looked gorgeous and very professional. All my guests requested the recipe and I sent them to your Cafe Sucre Farine web site.
I have made many of your recipes. They always turn out as you describe and photograph on your web site. I must say that I loved the little dishes you served your pots de creme in and I found some very similar on Amazon which I purchased. My guests like those as well. Your recipe, for my dishes, made 6 servings which was just right for my needs.
Thank you for this fabulous and EASY recipe! Susan
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I love it! Thanks so much, Susan for taking the time to leave such a detailed and sweet review! 🙂
Donna says
Hi Chris,
I’m making these tonight as a trial run for Easter. I don’t see on the recipe when to add the lemon zest. I’m guessing
it goes in with the lemon juice and Limoncello. I just took them out of the oven, and I can’t wait for them to be cold enough to dig in! Thanks for the recipe!
Donna
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for pointing that out, Donna. I have ammended the recipe to include the zest. You were correct to add it with the juice and Limoncello! Hope you enjoy them! Happy Easter!
Judy says
Hi Chris,
Did you use 6 ounce cups for this?
Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Judy, I actually use 2-ounce bowls. you could also use the small 4-ounce mason jars and just fill them with 2-3 ounces and then add the whipped cream just before serving. Enjoy!
Tonya says
Hi Chris, its me again. I did a trial run today before making these little beautues for Easter. I could not get them to set up. I used pasteurized eggs and supplemented my lemon juice with the bottled juice since I didnt have another lemon. Could that be the problem? Will they firm up when cooled? I really want them to turn out!
Chris Scheuer says
Put them in the fridge. They should firm up nicely.
Tonya says
Chris, my message to you was premature. Yes, they set up perfectly in the fridge and oh my goodness are they delicious! The problem now is my husband and I have to eat the rest of the trial batch so I can free up the dishes to make enough for Easter dessert. What a great problem to have! I decided to make the lemon and the chocolate. Yummy! Thank you responding to all my queries. Your recipes are the best.
Tonya says
I would like to make these for Easter. Can I use the same method as your blender chocolate pots de creme? Do they have to be baked? Thank you for your easy elegant recipes. I've loved every single one I've tried!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Tonya! I really wanted this to work just like the chocolate recipe but white chocolate doesn't cooperate the same way. I tried several times but it was more like white chocolate "sauce". This recipe is really delicious if you don't mind using the oven 🙂
Muna Kenny says
Delicious dessert, and the clicks are amazing!
easyfoodsmith says
Such a decadent and beautiful pudding. I am not a white chocolate fan but I love citrus in my cakes cookies and puddings. So lemons are the reason why I am definitely going to try this one. Thanx for sharing 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love lemon with white chocolate, what pretty pots de creme!