Crème Brûlée Ube Coconut Rolls

These Ube Coconut Crème Brûlée Rolls made with King's Hawaiian Sweet Ube Coconut Rolls are a new take on one of my most viral recipes from last year. My King’s Hawaiian ube coconut roll video went viral, and ever since, this has been one of my favorite flavor combinations to revisit.

This time around, I wanted to showcase the flavor of the ube coconut flavor in the roll itself, while the filling uses a classic vanilla pastry cream. I love using pastry cream here because it’s thick and stable, which means it doesn’t completely soak into the bread the way a thinner custard might. Instead, it stays creamy and rich inside each roll while still letting the bread keep its soft, fluffy texture.

Finished with a brûléed sugar top, these rolls have that perfect contrast of creamy filling, pillowy bread, and the signature crackly sugar crust.

Ingredients

1 pack King's Hawaiian Sweet Ube Coconut Rolls

granulated sugar, for brûlée topping

2 cups milk

4 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1. Cut a square into the top of each roll and hollow out a little center (don’t go too deep).

2. Brush the inside and top lightly with melted butter and toast in oven 350° F for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

3. Heat milk in a saucepan until steaming (not boiling). In a bowl whisk yolks and sugar. Then add in cornstarch, salt, and whisk till smooth. Slowly pour warm milk into the egg mixture whisking constantly. Pour everything back into the pan. Cook on medium, whisking nonstop until thick like pudding. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic and chill 1-2 hours.

4. Pipe or spoon chilled pastry cream into each roll. Fill to the top (don’t overflow). Chill in the fridge for another 30-45 minutes.

5. Spoon sugar over the top of each roll and use a kitchen torch to caramelize until golden and crisp. Allow the sugar to cool for a minute so it forms that signature crème brûlée shell.

Ube coconut rolls with an easy vanilla cream