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Chocoflan Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 130 reviews

Chocoflan is a delightful Mexican dessert known as ‘impossible cake’ due to its unique baking process where a rich chocolate cake layer coexists with a smooth, creamy flan topped with luscious caramel sauce. This recipe features a moist chocolate cake combined with a silky flan, baked together in a water bath, offering a perfect balance of flavors and textures in one elegant bundt pan presentation.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup homemade or store-bought caramel sauce
  • 1 cup (215 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) brewed coffee or water, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Flan

  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (235 ml) whole milk or half-and-half

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prepare pan: Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan thoroughly with 2 tablespoons of butter, ensuring all crevices are covered. Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan and set it aside.
  2. Make the chocolate cake batter: In a large mixing bowl with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the dark brown sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup of butter on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in 1 large egg until just combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Add half of these dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until just combined. Pour in the brewed coffee or water and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients plus the buttermilk, mixing gently until everything is just combined. Pour this chocolate cake batter carefully over the caramel sauce in the prepared Bundt pan.
  3. Prepare the flan mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the 5 large eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Add the whole milk or half-and-half and whisk until evenly mixed; some bubbles are normal. To keep the chocolate cake layer undisturbed, slowly pour the flan mixture over the back of a large spoon onto the cake batter in the Bundt pan.
  4. Set up for baking in a water bath: Tightly cover the Bundt pan with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped pan inside a large roasting pan. Carefully transfer both pans to the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the side of the Bundt pan. If the roasting pan is large and doesn’t hold enough water, top it up with warm tap water to maintain the water bath level.
  5. Bake the chocoflan: Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (the flan will continue to set as it cools). Remove the Bundt pan from the water bath and carefully remove the foil. Let the chocoflan cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour.
  6. Refrigerate before serving: After cooling, refrigerate the chocoflan for at least 2 hours, or longer if covered with foil, to allow it to set properly and enhance the flavors.
  7. Unmold the chocoflan: To loosen the cake from the pan, place the Bundt pan in a large bowl filled with hot water for a few minutes. Then place a serving platter upside down over the pan and carefully invert it to release the chocoflan. Spoon any remaining caramel sauce from the pan over the top of the cake for serving.
  8. Make ahead tips: This chocoflan can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store it covered in an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

  • Make sure all ingredients like eggs, coffee, and buttermilk are at room temperature to ensure proper mixing and texture.
  • Pouring the flan mixture slowly over the back of a spoon helps create the distinct layers without mixing them together.
  • The water bath baking method prevents the flan from curdling and promotes a silky texture.
  • If you prefer a more pronounced caramel flavor, you can make homemade caramel sauce by gently melting sugar until amber-colored before pouring into the pan.
  • Using brewed coffee adds depth to the chocolate flavor but can be substituted with water.
  • To store leftovers, cover the chocoflan with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Keywords: Chocoflan, flan, chocolate cake, Mexican dessert, caramel custard cake, impossible cake

Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/chocoflan-recipe/