Chocoflan Recipe

By
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren born and raised in Mexico. He is a former sous chef specializing in Mexican food with a huge passion to show and share the importance of Mexican food for the world. Ubish does food tours in Mexico City and believes that the best taco is the one you are eating now.
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Updated on 12/21/21
Chocoflan

The Spruce Eats / Ubish Yaren
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Chill: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 cake
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
547 Calories
31g Fat
56g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 547
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 18g 88%
Cholesterol 263mg 88%
Sodium 138mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 20%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 180mg 14%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 281mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chocoflan is simply the perfect dessert: it blends the creaminess and delicacy of a flan custard with the richness of chocolate cake. It's also known as Impossible Cake, thanks to the magical way it bakes. When you build the layers, you pour the chocolate batter in first, then the flan over it. However, while it bakes, the flan and chocolate layers seemingly flip. This is because the egg and cream in the custard cooks faster than the chocolate layer. The flan sinks below and the chocolate layer rises.

Allow your chocoflan to chill in the refrigerator at least four hours before you invert over a plate and gently release it from the pan to reveal its magical layers. This recipe is made for a bundt pan, which helps the cake cook evenly and reveals its layers beautifully.

In Mexico you can find chocoflan sold by street vendors. In the U.S. it's become increasingly popular at Mexican restaurants. But the best chocoflan is the kind you make yourself at home.

Ingredients

Chocolate Layer

  • 5 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Flan

  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

  • 14 ounces heavy cream

  • 7 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup raspberries, optional for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the chocolate layer

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  2. Combine the eggs, sugar, and butter in a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric beater or whisk by hand until well blended.

  3. Sift the flour and then the cocoa powder into another large bowl and stir together. Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and fold together until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Make the flan layer

  1. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix in a blender for 2 minutes. Reserve.

Make the caramel

  1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water In a small pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns a golden brown color.

Bake the chocoflan

  1. Grease the inside of a bundt pan completely with vegetable oil. Then drizzle the caramel mixture over the bottom and some of the sides of the pan.

  2. Pour the chocolate batter into the pan, smoothing out with a spatula.

  3. Gently pour the flan mixture over the chocolate batter, again smoothing it out. Cover the bundt pan with aluminum foil.

  4. Place the bundt pan inside a larger roasting or baking pan and fill the larger pan with water. Bake until the layers have swapped and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about an hour.

  5. It's not ready, yet! Place the bundt pan into the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours. Then remove, cover with a plate, invert, and gently release the cake from the pan. Serve with fresh raspberries if you like.

Chocoflan takes patience

Excited to reveal your Impossible Cake? Chill! Chocoflan needs at least 4 hours to set before you can invert it and remove it from the pan.

Can you use a different kind of pan?

The cake will still bake, but you'll lose the visual effect, and the sides may bake faster than the middle. It may also be harder to invert and unmold.