Flan Cake
This Flan Cake is the famous Brazilian Pudim Cake. And it’s one of my favorite desserts.
Taste wise, it’s phenomenal, unbeatable.
A very moist chocolate cake under a silky flan, and don’t forget about the sticky caramel layer on top.
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This is the type of dessert that you bring to a celebration, maybe an end of the year party. Impress your guests with this marvelous dessert, scrumptious treat! I am positive everyone will love you for it.
And the best thing, this Flan Cake is totally super easy to make!
Just follow my instructions and tips bellow!
This Flan Cake is also known as Chocoflan in Latin America. And it’s extremely popular because of being so delicious.
Flan Cake is also usually known as Magic Cake, or even Impossible Cake. And that’s because the batters invert as you bake the cake. You pour the chocolate cake batter on the bottom of the pan, and it will rise to the top of the pan as it bakes. And finally, it will end up in the bottom of the final cake once you flip it upside down onto a plate.
Therefore… Impossible Cake, or Magic Cake!
So here are some tips on making this Flan Cake:
Bundt Pan
Grease your Bundt pan with some vegetable shortening, and then sprinkle granulated sugar all over it, and tap the pan over the sink to shake off the excess sugar.
Caramel
To make the caramel, simply melt the sugar in a pan with a heavy bottom, over medium heat, ALWAYS stirring. This way, the sugar will melt evenly.
Once the sugar has melted and browned slightly, remove the pan from the heat and add water to it.
The mixture will crystalize. You have to bring it back to the heat, and melt the sugar again. Always stirring.
Let the syrup cool down until it’s room temperature.
Then, pour cooled mixture over greased and sugared bundt pan.
And now, place the pan in the freezer while you make the cake. This way, the caramel will have hardened and won’t mix with the batter when you add that later.
Assembly
Now here’s the biggest trick.
You add the chocolate cake to the bottom of the pan, directly on top of the hardened caramel. And you pour the flan on top of the cake.
Sounds crazy, but trust me, it works! The flan batter will go to the bottom of the pan, and the cake batter will float to the top. And your cake will bake exactly like the pictures.
Baking
To bake the flan cake, use a water bath.
I usually use a large turkey roasting pan (this is a cheap pan I use exclusively for my water baths, for cheesecake and etc). But any large pan will do, as long as you are able to add water to it, up to the middle of the height of the bundt pan.
Disassembling
After baking your Flan Cake, let it cool down. Then transfer the bundt pan to the fridge, where you will let your Flan Cake rest for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove the cake from the fridge.
Now, use the same pan where you had your water bath in. Pour some hot water in that pan, and place the bundt pan over the hot water. This will help the caramel loosen from the bottom by melting it slightly.
Give the bundt pan a little jiggle, and if the cake jiggles around, you are good to go. Otherwise, place it back over the hot water.
And now you are ready to turn this Flan Cake into a plate.
I have a feeling everyone around you will adore you for making this.
And as you can see above, this is not a difficult recipe at all.
I ended up sharing my flan cake with my neighbors, and with some friends. But that was after I had a huge delicious slice.
Since I make lots of desserts, I try not to eat too much of them. Sometimes I’ll just taste test.
However, I did save some space in my stomach for a big slice of this one, since it’s a recipe that lives so close to my heart. Because it is a Brazilian recipe, and one of the first things I’ve ever baked years and years ago when I was about 17 years old. I mean, I’m not using that same recipe, since I don’t have it anymore. So I had to go search for another recipe.
So it doesn’t matter if you know it as Chocoflan, Pudim Cake, Impossible Cake, Magic Cake, or Flan Cake (so many names!!!) you will LOVE this decadent dessert!
Trending recipes at the moment: Lemon Macarons, Raspberry Macarons.
Recipes to make for the Holiday Celebrations: Pecan Fig Cake, Cashew Caramel Babka.
What I am craving for today: Cannoli.
Flan Cake
Ingredients
Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1/2 cup water room temperature (113 grams)
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 191 grams
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 60 grams
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature (170 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk 113 grams
Flan
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 113 grams
- 1 condensed milk can 396 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 15 grams
Instructions
- Grease a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan generously with vegetable shortening or butter, then coat it with granulated sugar. Tap out the excess. Set it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Caramel
- Place the granulated sugar in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir constantly with a heat-resistant spatula as the sugar begins to melt. Continue stirring until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture becomes fluid and lightly amber in color, with no remaining granules.
- Remove the pan from the heat (or shut it off). Carefully and slowly pour the water into the melted sugar—it will bubble and steam vigorously, so keep your hands and face back. Once the bubbling settles, return the pan to the stove over medium heat and stir continuously until the hardened sugar dissolves back into the water and you have a thin, smooth caramel.
- Cook just until the crystallized sugar remelts. Remove from the heat and let it cool while you make the chocolate cake batter and the flan.
Chocolate Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- With a mixer, beat the butter for one minute. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Pour in the milk and mix just until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients and fold them in with a spatula until the batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain. Avoid over mixing so the cake stays tender.
- Set aside while you prepare the flan batter.
Flan
- Crack the eggs and pour them in a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out any chalazae (the rope-like membrane part) or thicker bits. This ensures the flan stays perfectly smooth and prevents tiny cooked egg specks from appearing in the final texture.
- Add the condensed milk and flour to the strained eggs. Whisk to combine before adding the heavy cream and vanilla. This can ensure the flour won't be lumpy.
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and flour to the bowl. Whisk gently but thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and thin.
To assemble
- Pour the cooled caramel into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan.
- When pouring the chocolate cake batter into the bundt pan, use a cookie scoop or large spoon to transfer it gently and keep it centered. Try not to smear the batter up the sides of the pan—any chocolate smudges on the walls can keep the flan from coming out in an even, clean layer and may cause uneven lines when you unmold the chocoflan.
- Slowly pour the flan batter over the chocolate layer. As the cake bakes, the flan will sink and the chocolate cake will rise. This natural shift is what creates the classic “magic” separation of chocoflan.
- Bake the chocoflan uncovered, directly on the oven rack, for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. The center should look slightly set but still soft.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature in the pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, so the flan can fully firm up and the caramel can dissolve into a pourable sauce.
To unmold
- To unmold, fill a larger pan with hot water and set the bundt pan in it for 2–3 minutes to loosen the caramel. Place a serving plate on top of the bundt pan, then invert to release the chocoflan.
Storage
- Store it in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Baking the assembled chocoflan freestanding for 35–40 minutes keeps the flan silky while preventing the chocolate cake from over baking. I tried both methods while remaking this recipe and the freestanding method was much better. If you prefer, you can use a water bath. You’ll just have to bake for almost double the time. Unmolding tip:
Do not skip warming the pan briefly in hot water before flipping. This ensures the caramel is fluid enough to release the cake cleanly.
Just read the recipe. Flan mixture needs to be poured over caramelized sugar, then chocolate cake batter last.
If you notice, the cake inverts itself. You say do it the way it says, but it says to pour chocolate cake over the caramel, then the flan.
Camila,
Does the caramel need to be frozen before adding the cake batter?
Annie
It doesnt, the caramel will sink to the bottom.
Chocoflan originated in Mexico.
But just like many countries, flavors and recipes cross borders happily.
One of the last times I was in Puerto Vallarta I bought 2 pieces from a street vendor.
I should have bought the entire cake!
I plan to make it soon using a few recipes I have saved, yours included.
Made this as written, and it came out great! Used a roasting pan for the water bath. Had to cook it 1 hr and forty-minutes for the toothpick to come out clean, and had to boil the water on the stove to get the cake out. The cake was cooked through, held its shape including the Bundt pan ridges, and looked gorgeous! The flavor is fantastic!