Creme Brulee' Cake

This was a good idea that came to fruition.  My daughter asked for a Creme Brulee' Cake and I had a great time developing this recipe.  The baking time runs long because of the cake but other than that it is easy.  You will need a cooked yellow cake.  I cheated and made mine with a Pillsbury Cake Mix. You will need to also have a pan that is large enough to place the Creme Brulee' Cake baking pan in.  Place a kitchen towel in the bottom of the larger pan.  Hot water is poured between the pans, carefully, so that none gets on the cake.  It will need to be about an inch deep.  This helps the custard cook evenly.
While baking, the top (bottom after flipping onto a plate) will brown.  If you do not want that, just cover the pan with foil when it first starts to brown.  You will need to refrigerate this cake at least 4 hours before broiling the sugar, but it is so much better the following day.  If you can, make it a day ahead.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

1 9" X 13" yellow sheet cake, cooled, brown edges removed, and then sliced 1/2" strips
4 cups of HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla
12 large Egg YOLKS, (we'll do something with egg whites later)
12 teaspoons Brown Sugar

After cooling yellow cake, remove from and chill in the refrigerator.  This makes removing edges and cutting strips easier.  Once strips are cut, carefully set aside.
Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan and add sugar. Cook on low, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Set aside and cool.
Whisk salt, vanilla, and egg yolks together in a bowl, until thoroughly blended.
To the cream and sugar, add the other 3 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream and mix.  Make sure that the mixture is cool.  Add egg mixture to cream. Set aside.
Line the larger pan with the towel. Line the bottom of the pan being used for the cake with parchment paper and then ladle in about 1/3 of the custard mix.  Carefully place the cake strips on the custard mix.  Try to fill in all of the spaces.  You will not use all of the cake. Pour the rest of the custard mixture over the top an place in oven.  Place cake pan into the larger pan and pour water between the pans, to 1 inch deep. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven, cool and then refrigerate.

When you are almost ready to serve,  heat broiler and turn cake onto an oven proof serving platter. Remove the parchment and crumble brown sugar on top.  When broiler is ready, slide cake under the broiler and stay with it.  The sugar will melt quickly.  Make sure that it does not burn.  Remove. Now here is the dilemma.  You can refrigerate the cake again , up to 30 minutes, so that the custard is cold or you can eat it warm.  Both are excellent, it just depends on your preferences.
I know this sounds like a lot of work but it is fairly easy.

Enjoy!

Deloris