One of my favourite desserts!

If you have never tried Spanish flan then this is then you’ve been missing out and you better run and get the ingredients for this recipe that you probably already have in your pantry! You only need 5 simple ingredients, one blender and just a bit of patiente to leave it to settle overnight before devouring this delicious treat.

So what is flan? It is a popular creamy custard dessert in Spain and many Hispanic countries made mainly out of egg yolks and dairy and topped with a liquid caramel later. The secrete behind flan legendary creamy consistency is to use egg yolks and cook it in a water bath (bain mairie), which cooks the flan very gently and creates steam in the oven so they eggs don’t get overcooked and curdle.

The flan is cooked with a liquid caramel layer on the bottom of the ramekin and the custard mix on top. After it’s cooked and cooled, the it is then inverted onto a plate to reveal a rich and golden caramel sauce on top of the flan!

In this case I am using condensed milk to sweeten it and adding cream cheese to the mix for the creamiest consistency. I promise this is a truly magical dessert!

I recommend using a blender for achieving a very smooth consistency. You will also need flan moulds (flanera). I got silicone ones out of Amazon, which I really recommend as they make unmoulding them very a breeze!

🌱Vegetarian

🍽️ 4 portions

Ingredients

• 200g condensed milk

• 200g evaporated milk

• 110g cream creese

• 6 egg yolks

• Caramel: 120g sugar + 50g water

Method

• Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend for 30 seconds until smooth. Pass the blended flan mix through a fine strainer and then transfer to a container and keep it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. This will help remove all air bubbles in the mix so your flan is very smooth

• Meanwhile make the caramel by adding the sugar to a pan and bringing it to medium heat. Constantly stir the sugar while it heats until it browns and turns into caramel. Once you have the caramel add the water, it will bubble up and the caramel will partially solidify, keep stirring until it becomes liquid again. Do not overcook since the caramel will burn

• Immediately, and working fast, pour 2-3 tbsp of caramel into 4 individual flan/pudding moulds, tilting them so the caramel swirls around to the sides. As the caramel cools off, it will harden, so speed is important. Reheat the caramel in the pan if it thickens before you're done filling the ramekins. Leave the caramel to harden in the moulds

• Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined moulds distributing it equally. Place the individual dishes in a large baking pan with tall sides. Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan around the moulds until it reaches 3/4 of the moulds.

• Bake the flan for 70-80 minutes in an oven preheated at 120C. Then remove the flans out of the water bath. Transfer them to the fridge and leave them to cool down for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight before serving. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the dish and invert each individual dish onto a small plate, allowing the flan to drop out and the caramel sauce to flow over the custard. If they are not coming out of the mould, place the moulds in warm water for 2-3 minutes so the caramel melts, which will allow to release the flan more easily. Also give the sides of the mould a tap or some squeezes and see if that helps.

FAQS and Tips

• You can keep the flans in the fridge for up to 3 days before consuming them once baked.

• I used 145mL (9x4.3cm) round silicone muffin moulds as I find the silicone makes removing the flan way easier. If your individual moulds are larger they may require slightly longer baking (90 minutes).