This easy flan cake combines flan and cake into one amazing dessert! It's so easy! It's a creamy dessert made with that melts right in your mouth.
This Flan Cake always takes me back to why I love simple desserts that surprise you. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary flan, but once you slice into it, the layers tell a different story. A golden caramel jelly glistens on top, followed by a creamy flan that melts on the tongue, and finally, a soft sponge cake that ties everything together. Each bite has that perfect mix of sweetness and smooth texture that makes it impossible to stop at one slice.
I love making this flan cake when I want something special without too much effort. You can prepare it ahead, let it chill, and serve it after dinner, it never fails to impress. Every time I make it, I'm reminded how something so simple can look and taste so beautiful. If you try it, I think you'll feel the same way.
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⭐Why You'll Love My Recipe
- Easy to Make: In a few simple steps, you will have the pudding done.
- Three Desserts in One: A jelly caramel sauce on top, creamy and silky flan in the middle with a rich spongy cake at the bottom.
- Make in Advance: Make the pudding 1 or 2 days ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve and eat.
🧾Ingredients
You'll find the exact measurements in the recipe card, but here's a closer look at a few of the ingredients and why I use them.
- Caramel: I like using light brown sugar with a bit of cold and hot water to create a rich, glossy caramel. The gelatin sheets help it set beautifully into a soft jelly layer.
- Flan Layer: Room-temperature eggs, milk, and whipping cream make the custard smooth and creamy. I sometimes use a little more milk if I want a lighter texture.
- Cake Batter: I mix room-temperature eggs with milk, melted butter, and sugar for a soft, moist crumb. The all-purpose flour ties it all together perfectly.
- Meringue Mix: Beaten egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar make the cake layer fluffy and light, it balances beautifully with the creamy flan underneath.
👩🏻🍳How to Make Flan Cake
You can find the complete printable recipe with measurements below, but for now, here's a quick overview of how it goes:
1. Melt sugar with cold water over medium heat until it turns golden brown.
2. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes, then add them to the hot syrup and stir until dissolved.
3. Pour the caramel into a baking tin, cool, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, cream, and water, then strain the mixture into the caramel-coated tin.
5. Whisk egg yolks with milk, melted butter, and flour until smooth.
6. Beat egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar until stiff, then fold into the yolk mixture.
7. Pour the cake batter over the custard and bake in a water bath: 20 minutes at 300℉ (150℃), then 30 minutes at 285℉ (140℃) covered with foil.
8. Cool to room temperature, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, then flip onto a platter to serve.
💭My Tips for Recipe Success
Cook Caramel to Golden Brown: I always watch the caramel closely, it should turn a deep golden brown. If it's too light, it tastes flat, but if it gets too dark, it can go bitter fast.
Don't Overmix the Flan: I stir the flan mixture just until it's smooth. Too much mixing adds air bubbles, and I prefer a silky texture without little holes.
Unmold the Flan: After chilling, I like to let the flan cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then I place a plate on top, take a breath, and flip it, it usually slides out beautifully with that glossy caramel on top.
Storage: I keep any leftover flan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. The extra caramel can go in a glass jar, it stays soft at room temperature or can be chilled if you prefer it thicker.
❓Commonly Asked Questions
Flan is a creamy, caramel-topped custard dessert made from eggs, milk, and sugar, often enjoyed chilled.
Of course! You can make this Flan Cake a few days in advance. Cool down the flan in the mold, cover, and refrigerate until the day to serve it. Then remove it from the fridge, leave it a room temperature for 30 minutes, and flip it out from the mold.
🍮More Custard and Pudding Recipes to Try!
If you love this Flan Cake, you'll also adore these tasty custard and pudding desserts:
🍰More Dessert Recipes!
Here are more of my favorite dessert recipes! Try these:
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Recipe
Flan Cake
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- 50 g Light Brown Sugar
- 25 ml Cold Water
- 80 ml Hot Water
- 3 Gelatin Sheets
For the Pudding
- 4 Eggs
- 50 ml Water
- 180 ml Milk
- 90 ml Whipping Cream
- 50 g Sugar
For the Cake
- 2 Egg Whites
- 3 g Cream of Tartar
- 30 g Sugar
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 30 ml Milk
- 30 g Unsalted Butter - Melted
- 30 g Flour
Instructions
How to Make Caramel
- Pour the sugar and the cold water into a saucepan over medium heat. Leave the sugar to completely melt and dissolve it into a golden-brown syrup.
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes.
- Add hot water, stir for 20 seconds, and remove the syrup from the heat.
- Remove the gelatin sheets from the water, add to the syrup, and stir until the gelatin completely melts and dissolves into the syrup.
- Pour the syrup onto a baking tin, let it cool down, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
How to Make Flan
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, milk, whipping cream, and water. Whisk together until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Pour and sieve the custard mixture into the caramel-coated tin.
How to Make the Cake
- In two large mixing bowls, separate two egg yolks and white.
- Add milk, and melted butter over the egg yolks, whisk together, and then sieve the cake flour and whisk again until everything is fully combined.
- Beat the egg whites on medium-low speed with a hand mixer until foamy around 2 minutes, then add sugar and cream of tartar, increase the speed, and beat until they get a stiff peak around 4 minutes.
- Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cake mixture.
- Pour the cake mixture over the custard mixture.
- Place the tin in a large baking tray, pour hot water, and bake for 20 minutes at 300℉ (150℃) with the fan.
- Remove the tray from the oven, cover the top of the tin with aluminium foil, and then bake for 30 minutes at 285℉ (140℃) with the fan.
- Remove the tray from the oven, then lift the tin out of the water bath. Remove the aluminium foil and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once it's cooled, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Place a platter on top of the flan, flip it over, and carefully lift off the baking tin.
- Slice the flan and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
John says
Absolutely delicious! The caramel sauce is incredible, and I loved how the cake soaked it up. The pudding layer adds a lovely creamy texture. Will be my go-to dessert from now on!