Flan is one of my childhood favorites because its creamy, indulgent, and so easy to make. It’s the perfect dessert to whip up in advance and it comes out delicious every time.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Cream cheese: Make sure it’s completely room temperature or even warm. You can sub in Neufchatel cheese or omit if desired.
Vanilla: This is one of the primary flavors, I highly suggest using a pure vanilla and avoiding the imitation variety.
How to Make Flan
1. Add the sugar and water to a large pan then swirl to mix the water in a bit and place over medium-high heat. Wash the side of the pan down with a wet pastry brush and cook without mixing or disturbing the sugar until it takes on a golden color.
2. Immediately remove from heat and pour the caramel in a round 8 or 9 inch baking dish then tilt the pan to distribute the caramel into an even layer on the bottom. Set aside to cool while you mix the custard.
3. Beat the room temperature cream cheese until creamed.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Scrape the bowl down and mix until completely smooth.
5. Add the evaporated and sweetened condensed milks along with the vanilla then mix until combined.
6. Place the pan in a large roasting dish then pour the custard over the now hardened caramel.
7. Fill the large roasting dish with an inch of hot water. Bake at 325F for about 50 minutes. The flan is done when the center jiggles just a bit when you wiggle the pan. It will continue to cook and set once removed from the oven. Allow to cool to room temp then either serve immediately with the below instructions or chill.
8. Briefly dip the pan into a bowl of hot water to warm the caramel up then run a small knife along the edge then place your serving plate on top and flip upside down. If the flan doesn’t fall onto the serving plate then you can tap it a few times or lift both up quickly to help coax it down.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- If you have some stubborn lumps of unmixed cream cheese in your custard, then just pour the mixture through a sieve and the result will be a silky smooth flan.
- Gently tap the pan on your counter to help any air bubbles inside the custard escape.
- Almost any size and shape of pan will work for flan so go ahead and use a loaf pan or ramekins for individual servings. Check for doneness at the 40 minute mark with the jiggle test.
- You can make your flan mixture in the blender or food processor but be careful not to mix too much air into the mixture.
- You can substitute Coconut milk for evaporated milk if you’d like to add a flavor twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does flan mean?
The name flan is derived from a long chain of languages spanning the course of about a thousand years, from french, to old English, Latin, and Old High German. The name refers to a type of flat cake.
What does it taste like?
Flan is a silky vanilla custard topped with caramel. You get complex notes of cooked sugar and a subtler sweetness from the custard itself.
Can you overcook it?
You can definitely overcook flan, which will make it rubbery and firm. Remove your flan from the oven when the center jiggles just a bit when wiggled. It will finish setting up as it cools.
How should you store it?
Store your flan in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
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Flan
Equipment
- 9 or 8 inch round cake pan
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150g
- 1/4 cup water
For the Custard
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 package, room temperature
- 6 large eggs
- 12 oz evaporated milk 1 can
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 can
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract 10mL
Instructions
For the Caramel
- Preheat oven to 325F. Add the sugar to a large pan then drizzle the water over it. Place over medium-high heat and use a pastry brush to wash the side down. Leave undisturbed for about 10 minutes or until the sugar takes on a golden color then immediately pour into your round baking pan. Tilt and turn the pan to spread the caramel out to the edge then set aside to cool and harden while you make the custard.
For the Custard
- Beat the room temperature cream cheese in a large bowl then add the eggs one at a time while mixing. Scrape the bowl down and beat until smooth with no lumps.
- Pour in the evaporated and condensed milks and the vanilla extract then mix to combine and pour into the pan with your caramel.
- Place the pan in a large roasting dish and fill with an inch of hot water then place in the center rack of your oven. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the center is just set. It will wobble slightly when you jiggle the pan but continue to set as it cools.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. You can chill the custard if preferred as well. Run a small sharp knife around the edge of the pan then place a serving dish upside down on top and invert. Remove the pan and serve. If you chilled the flan, dip the pan halfway into a bowl of hot water to warm the caramel before inverting onto a plate.
Notes
- If you have some stubborn lumps of unmixed cream cheese in your custard, just pour the mixture through a sieve and the result will be silky smooth.
- Gently tap the pan on your counter to help any air bubbles inside the custard escape.
- Almost any size and shape or pan will work for flan so go ahead and use a loaf pan, ramekins for individual servings. Check for doneness at the 40 minute mark with the jiggle test.
- You can make this in the blender or food process or but be careful not to mix too much air into the mixture.
Nutrition
