Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan Recipes

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
• For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.
• For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
• Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
• Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Steps:

• Set out 10 small custard cups, and a roasting pan large enough to hold the cups in a water bath.
• To make the caramel, mix the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
• Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber color, about 8 minutes.
• Divide the caramel among the custard cups, and tilt the cups to coat the bottom and sides.
• Set the custard cups in the roasting pan.
• To make the custard, pour the half-and-half (or milk and cream mixture) and the milk into a large saucepan.
• Add the chocolate, cinnamon stick and sugar.
• Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, cover and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
• In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, Kahlúa, vanilla and almond extracts.
• Slowly beat the hot milk mixture into this.
• Strain all the custard through a fine-mesh sieve and throw out the cinnamon stick.
• Pour the mixture into the caramelized custard cups.
• Place the roasting pan with the custard cups onto the center rack of the oven.
• Pour in enough hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the cups, and loosely cover the pan with foil.
• Bake just until the custards are set but still slightly wobbly in the center, usually 20 to 25 minutes.
• They will firm more when chilled, so do not overbake.
• Take the custards out of the water bath, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• To unmold the flans, run the tip of a knife gently around the edge of each custard cup, then put a plate over the mold and flip over.
• Serve immediately.
• Note: If you can get it, Bayless recommends Mexican Ibarra chocolate.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray. Pour and spread caramel topping in bottom of pan.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over caramel topping in pan.
• In blender, place Flan ingredients. Cover; blend on high speed about 20 seconds or until smooth. Slowly pour mixture evenly over batter. (Flan mixture will mix with batter, but they will separate during baking, forming 1 layer of cake and 1 layer of flan.) Spray piece of foil with cooking spray, and place sprayed side down over top of pan; cover tightly.
• Place cake pan in large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to roasting pan.
• Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to ensure cake AND flan layer bake completely (toothpick inserted in center of cake will come out clean). Remove cake pan from water bath to cooling rack; remove foil. Cool at room temperature 1 hour. Refrigerate in pan, uncovered, 2 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator; run thin metal spatula around outer and inside edges of pan to loosen cake. Place serving plate upside down on cake pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Spoon any remaining caramel from pan over top of cake. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 12-cup fluted tube pan with no-stick cooking spray. Place piece of rolled up foil in tube of pan to prevent cake from baking over top. Pour caramel topping into prepared pan.
• Prepare cake mix according to package directions using the water, oil and eggs. Pour evenly over caramel topping.
• Combine cream cheese, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla in blender container. Process until blended. Pour slowly over cake batter. NOTE: While baking, the cake rises and the milk mixture goes to the bottom.
• Coat piece of foil with no-stick cooking spray. Cover pan, coated side down, tightly with foil. Place pan in large roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting pan to a depth of 2 inches.
• Bake 2 hours or until toothpick in center still has a few moist crumbs. Place cake on cooling rack. Cool 15 minutes. Remove foil and invert onto serving plate. Cool 1 hour at room temperature. Chill 4 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• Place sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and turns a golden amber color, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully once syrup begins to change color, because it burns easily. Carefully pour the melted sugar syrup into a flan mold. Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, egg yolks, orange juice, orange peel, vanilla extract, and cornstarch into a blender, and blend for a minute or so, until the mixture is smooth. Pour in the cream, and pulse several times to incorporate the cream. Pour the mixture over the cooled caramel syrup in the flan mold.
• Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the flan mold on the towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the flan is set but still slightly jiggly when moved, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the flan cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. To serve, run a sharp paring knife around the inside of the mold to release the flan. Invert a plate on the mold, flip the mold over, and gently remove the mold to unmold the flan and reveal the syrupy caramel topping.

Steps:

• Combine the first amount of sugar with the water and lemon juice in a small, heavy-based saucepan.
• Cook over gentle heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Swirl the pan from time to time, but do not stir.
• Once the sugar is liquified, bring the syrup to a boil and cook until golden brown.
• While preparing the syrup, heat 4 custard cups in a 350 degree oven.
• When the syrup is ready, pour into the dishes and swirl to coat the sides and base evenly.
• Leave to cool at room temperature.
• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and heat with the milk and cinnamon, stirring occasionally to help the chocolate dissolve.
• Whisk the whole eggs and the yolks together with the remaining sugar until slightly frothy.
• Gradually whisk in the chocolate milk.
• Remove cinnamon stick.
• Carefully pour the chocolate custard into the custard cups and place them in a roasting pan.
• Pour hand hot water in pan to a depth of one inch.
• Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake the custards until just slightly wobbly in the center, about 20-30 minutes.
• Cool at room temperature and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
• Loosen the custards carefully from the sides of the dishes and invert onto serving plates.
• Shake to allow the custard to drop out.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the flan: In a blender, combine the dulce de leche, evaporated milk, cream cheese, vanilla extract and salt, and blend until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Pour in the eggs and blend for another 10 seconds until smooth.
• Make the chocolate cake: Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt directly into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on the lowest setting until just combined, then add the butter and continue mixing on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
• In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee, buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract, then slowly pour it into the flour-butter mixture with the mixer running on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture on high for 1 full minute.
• Liberally coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Add the cake batter, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or spoon. Carefully ladle in the flan mixture so you disturb the cake batter as little as possible. Transfer the Bundt pan to a roasting pan or baking dish large enough to fit the Bundt pan. Grease a piece of foil and place it onto the Bundt pan, greased side down, folding it over the edges to loosely seal it. Transfer to the oven. Pour enough water into the roasting pan or baking dish to come up 2 to 3 inches (tap water is fine).
• Bake until a skewer inserted in the cake part comes out with few to no crumbs, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Carefully remove the Bundt pan from the roasting pan and uncover. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Once fully cooled, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 2 hours.
• Once you're ready to serve, carefully run a knife around any edges that are still sticking, then invert onto a serving platter, gently shaking it up and down if it's being difficult. (If it was greased properly, you shouldn't have any major issues.) The chocoflan can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.