The Most Delicious and Authentic Chocoflan Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to know when chocoflan is ready without? ›

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.

The main reason your Chocoflan fell apart was that you probably didn't let it cool long enough. Don't worry that it won't come out of the pan—it will. It is more important that the flan has time to cool completely before you unmold it.

Chocoflan baking temperature

If the oven is too cool, the leavening agents won't react well enough before the starches gelatinize. The result is a dense cake that won't be light enough to rise up through the flan batter. Cooking at 350°F (177°C) gives the leavening agents the boost they need to lift the cake.

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).

Covering the custard not only prevents it from forming a skin, but also helps it cook faster. When testing flans baked covered versus uncovered, the covered flans baked in one-third less the time.

You want to avoid creating air bubbles – those bubbles will ruin the smooth texture of your flan!

It's safest to unmold the chocoflan after it has chilled long enough to firm it, so I recommend refrigerating it for several hours or overnight.

Remove your flan from the oven and take it out of the roasting pan. Remove the foil and allow it to cool on the counter for 1 hour till it comes to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Once fully cooled, run a knife around the edges and then place a plate onto the flan.

Apparently, by combining baking soda and acidic buttermilk in the cake batter, it produces a gas, making the cake less dense than the flan. The lighter cake layer rises and the denser flan layer sinks. The Chocoflan is then baked in a water bath, which is essential in making the process occur.

a perfectly cooked flan should be firm around the edge. and still have a little bit of a jiggle to it in the center, it'll finish setting as it cools.

Why does my flan have little holes in it? ›

Don't skip the water bath. The steady and steamy temperature is what makes flans silky and soft. Always bake at the suggested temperature; steaming the flans at a higher temperature will make them flat, bubbly with holes all over, or have a rubbery texture.

It's normal. Caramel hardens when you pour it into a ramekin but gradually melts into syrup during cooking. If the layer of caramel poured into a ramekin is too thick, it will not have time to completely melt during cooking.

ChocoFlan Origin

While the classic Crème Caramel is a French dessert, the ChocoFlan is actually a Mexican dessert. Since the French had colonized Lebanon as part of the French Mandate for a couple decades in the early twentieth century, the French culture had a significant influence on the Lebanese society.

Yet to make a flan or a crème brûlée, you'll need to put your custard in a bain marie while it bakes in the oven. The hot water evenly distributes heat around the custard, ensuring that the eggs don't curdle. It also prevents the top from drying out and splitting before the inside is fully cooked.

For the caramelized sugar syrup: Place the sugar in a medium-size heavy skillet (not iron), set over moderately low heat, and allow to melt and caramelize to a rich golden brown.

The flan is ready to be removed from the oven when it has begun to set. Gently shake the pan: the centers of the custard should jiggle slightly. You can also insert the tip of a knife into the custard near the center; if the flan is still liquid, it needs more time in the oven.

The spring test

The best way to check if the cake is springy is to gently press down on the cake with two fingers, it should naturally spring back. This is a good sign that the cake is properly cooked in the middle and ready to take out of the oven.

Your flan should be done when it's lightly colored and firm to the touch but not solid. To double check, stick the blade of your knife in the center of the flan and halfway down; the blade should come out clean. Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven, then remove the flan from the water bath.