Mini Chocoflanes
By Matthew FairmanPublished on December 21, 2022
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Cake
6 tablespoons cajeta 6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/76 grams) sugar 5 tablespoons (1½ ounces/43 grams) all-purpose flour ⅛ teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon table salt ⅓ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) bittersweet chocolate chips ¼ cup whole milk ¼ cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large egg ¼ teaspoon vanilla extractFlan
1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, softened2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon table saltBefore You Begin
If you can't find cajeta, you can substitute store-bought caramel sauce. Do not substitute regular dulce de leche; it is too thick and will prevent the chocoflanes from forming distinct layers of cake, flan, and caramel. We developed this recipe with Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. You will need six 8-ounce ramekins for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray six 8-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray. Set ramekins in 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Microwave cajeta in small bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until warm and pourable, 15 to 60 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon cajeta to each ramekin.
- Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Heat chocolate chips, milk, and cocoa in small saucepan over low heat, whisking often, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk oil, egg, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until smooth. Whisk in sugar mixture until thoroughly combined, making sure to scrape corners of saucepan. Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins (scant 3 tablespoons each).
- Bring 1 quart water to boil in large kettle. Meanwhile, process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender as needed. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup or bowl. Divide flan mixture evenly among ramekins, on top of cake batter (about ⅓ cup each).
- Carefully pour boiling water into pan until water comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Spray sheet of aluminum foil with oil spray and cover pan tightly. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers of cakes comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove foil from pan (letting steam escape away from you). Using tongs to lift ramekins and spatula to support bases, carefully transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool until just warm, about 1 hour.
- Run paring knife around perimeters of cakes to release from sides of ramekins. Invert ramekins onto individual serving plates; lift off ramekins. Spoon any residual sauce over cakes. Serve.
- Let chocoflanes cool completely in ramekins, wrap each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight or up to 4 days. To serve, microwave individual ramekins on high power until just warm, 15 to 30 seconds, before proceeding with step 7.
for the cake
for the flan
to make ahead
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Cake
Flan
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
Flan
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
Flan
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Pastel imposible (“impossible cake” aka chocoflan) is a popular Mexican recipe that combines caramel flan and chocolate cake in one impressive dessert. To make six individual cakes, we scaled down two easy, classic recipes for flan and chocolate cake before combining them in 8-ounce ramekins, perfect for single servings. Greasing the ramekins well with vegetable oil spray ensured that they released cleanly, and baking them in a water bath cooked them delicately, keeping the flan tender and silky. While many recipes opt for a homemade caramel, we reached for cajeta, an excellent sweet-tangy alternative made from sweetened caramelized goat's milk. Using cajeta not only simplified our recipe but also gave our impossible cakes a brightness and complexity that lightened and balanced the rich, sweet flan.
Before You Begin
If you can't find cajeta, you can substitute store-bought caramel sauce. Do not substitute regular dulce de leche; it is too thick and will prevent the chocoflanes from forming distinct layers of cake, flan, and caramel. We developed this recipe with Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. You will need six 8-ounce ramekins for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray six 8-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray. Set ramekins in 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Microwave cajeta in small bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until warm and pourable, 15 to 60 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon cajeta to each ramekin.
- Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Heat chocolate chips, milk, and cocoa in small saucepan over low heat, whisking often, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk oil, egg, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until smooth. Whisk in sugar mixture until thoroughly combined, making sure to scrape corners of saucepan. Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins (scant 3 tablespoons each).
- Bring 1 quart water to boil in large kettle. Meanwhile, process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender as needed. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup or bowl. Divide flan mixture evenly among ramekins, on top of cake batter (about ⅓ cup each).
- Carefully pour boiling water into pan until water comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Spray sheet of aluminum foil with oil spray and cover pan tightly. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers of cakes comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove foil from pan (letting steam escape away from you). Using tongs to lift ramekins and spatula to support bases, carefully transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool until just warm, about 1 hour.
- Run paring knife around perimeters of cakes to release from sides of ramekins. Invert ramekins onto individual serving plates; lift off ramekins. Spoon any residual sauce over cakes. Serve.
- Let chocoflanes cool completely in ramekins, wrap each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight or up to 4 days. To serve, microwave individual ramekins on high power until just warm, 15 to 30 seconds, before proceeding with step 7.
for the cake
for the flan
to make ahead
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