Our word for flan actually is derived from the Latin, “flado” (meaning flat cake), which became “flaon” in Old French.
– History of Flan.

You’ll make this cake and you will ask yourself, how did I go this long without chocoflan in my life? I have to thank my friend, artist Alessandro Tomassetti, for turning me on to it. Not only is this cake heaven on earth but it’s also magic! You put in your caramel, you put in your cake batter, and you put in your flan, but when it comes out…the cake and the flan are reversed! What?!

So, how does it happen? The gas produced by the buttermilk and baking soda in the cake makes it less dense than the flan, so as the cake rises the flan sinks. Beyond the wonderful magic trick is the fantastic flavor and multiple textures. The creamy flan, the spicy, moist chocolate cake with the tiniest notes of coffee and heat, and then that gorgeous caramel on top….It’s too much, it really is.

The Steps

This marvelous cake is fun to make and not at all difficult. Just be sure to use a 12-cup bundt pan. And the bain marie is crucial – try not to open the oven for the first hour.

Grease a bundt pan.
Coat the bottom with caramel, dulce de leche, or cajeta.

Cream butter until smooth and fluffy.
Add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and cayenne and cream until light and fluffy.

Mix your dry ingredients and alternate adding them to the wet ingredients with buttermilk.

Add the cake batter to the bundt pan and smooth out the layer.
Blend all the flan ingredients, run through a sieve, and add them on top of the cake layer.
Bake for about an hour in a bain marie (hot water bath). You want to steam that flan to get the creamiest of custard layers.

Let the chocoflan cool before turning out of the pan.
Spoon caramel (or dulce de leche/cajeta) filling from bottom of the pan over the top of the cake.

This bake is dedicated to Alessandro Tomassetti.

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Chocolate Flan Cake (Chocoflan)

The best of all possible dessert worlds – traditional creamy flan, rich chocolate cake, and a layer of sweet, amber caramel.

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 15

Servings 12

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

Caramel:*

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

Cake:

10 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder
2 tbsp espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
1 egg
1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

Flan:

1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Caramel:*

Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat and drizzle water over the top. Heat on medium, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, raise the heat to high and cease stirring. Swirl the pan gently from time to time and boil until sugar caramelizes and turns golden brown.
Carefully distribute the caramel evenly into the bottom of a greased 12-cup bundt pan, swirling gently to coat the bottom. The pan will get very hot, so be sure to use hot pads.

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Boil about 2 quarts of water for the bain marie.
Cream butter until smooth and fluffy.
Add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Cream until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Add the egg and espresso and mix on medium until completely combined, scraping bowl as needed.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
Add half of the dry mixture to the wet and mix on low to combine. Add half of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Add the rest of the dry mixture, mix briefly, then add the last of the buttermilk and mix.
Raise speed to medium-high and mix for about 1 minute. Set aside.

For the Flan:

Combine all the flan ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and completely combined.

Prepare the Pan:

Add the cake batter to the bundt pan, spooning evenly on top of the caramel and smoothing into an even layer.
Pour the flan through a fine mesh sieve onto the top of the cake layer in the pan, distributing it evenly. It's okay if some of the cake batter swirls into the flan.
Set the bundt pan in a roasting pan and place in the preheated oven.
Pour the boiled hot water into the roasting pan, covering 1 to 2 inches of the sides of the Bundt pan.
Bake for 70 to 85 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake for at least an hour before turning out onto a platter.
Spoon any loose caramel from the bottom of the pan over the cake.