Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

 


Our very dear friend Deborah gave me this recipe. She made it one year for Thanksgiving and even though we were so full from her delicious dinner, we made room for dessert, because it was fabulous! Turns out it's from America's Test Kitchen, so not surprising.

Serves 16

It's worth using good quality caramel sauce such as Fat Toad Farm Goat's Milk Caramel. Deborah used Trader Joe's Caramel Sauce (buy 2 so you have the extra to serve with). If your blender doesn't hold 2 quarts, process the flan in two batches. The cake needs to chill for at least 8 hours before you can unmold it.

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flan

2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk) 2/12 cups whole milk
6 ounces cream cheese
6 large eggs plus 4 large yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Deborah thought this was too much flan for a standard Bundt pan)

Directions

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Microwave caramel until easily pourable, about 30 seconds. Pour into pan to coat bottom. 

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in bowl; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in large bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally until melted, 2 to 4 minutes.

Whisk buttermilk, sugar, eggs and vanilla into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter over caramel in prepared pan.

FOR THE FLAN: Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Gently pour flan over cake batter in Bundt pan and place pan in large roasting pan. Place roasting pan on oven rack and pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches half-way up side of Bundt pan. (Deborah said boil water then turn down to simmer before adding to roaster) Bake until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and flan registers 180 degrees, 75 to 90 minutes. (Deborah said it will be full to the rim of the pan it takes 90 minutes). 

Transfer Bundt pan to wire rack. Let cook to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours. (Remove roasting pan from oven once water has cooled.)

Place bottom third of Bundt pan in bowl of hot tap water for 1 minute. Invert completely flat cake platter, place platter over top of Bundt pan, and gently turn platter and pan upside down. Slowly remove pan, allowing caramel to drizzle over top of cake. Serve.

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