Crème Brûlée Cake

Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
Prepare the vanilla bean cake as per your favorite sponge cake recipe and let it cool.
In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream with the scraped vanilla bean (pod included) until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes, then remove the vanilla bean pod.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt until well combined.
Slowly whisk the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the custard over the cooled cake in a round cake pan. Place the cake pan inside a larger baking pan and fill the outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle the top of the cake with a thin, even layer of granulated sugar. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until it forms a hard, shiny crust.
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes (including chilling)
Kcal: 390 kcal | Servings: 8 servings