Coffee Flan

This coffee flan recipe combines silky coffee custard with homemade caramel and cooks in a covered steamer on the stovetop. Whole milk and instant coffee make a dessert that can be chilled ahead and unmolded before serving.

Recipe Developer-Estefania

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Ingredients

Caramel

▢ 150 g sugar
▢ 40 ml water
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Flan

▢ 750 ml whole milk
▢ 180 g sugar
▢ 3 medium eggs
▢ 3 medium egg yolks
▢ 2 tablespoons instant coffee
▢ Hot water from the kettle enough for the steamer with the water level below the insert

Instructions

Put 150 g sugar , 40 ml water, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the sugar dissolves and the syrup turns golden amber. Allow approximately 8–10 minutes, using the color as the guide. Immediately pour the caramel into the heatproof glasses and leave it to harden while preparing the custard.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons instant coffee in a little hot water, using just enough to dissolve it completely.
In a mixing bowl, gently whisk 3 medium eggs, 3 medium egg yolks, 180 g sugar, 750 ml whole milk, and the dissolved coffee until evenly combined. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug for a smooth coffee custard.
Pour the custard into the caramel-lined glasses and cover each glass with aluminum foil.
Pour hot water from the kettle into a wide pan, keeping the water level below the steamer insert. Position the insert securely and place the covered glasses on it, above the water. Cover the pan with its lid and steam over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes, maintaining gentle, steady steam. The flans should be set around the edges with a slightly soft center.
Carefully remove the glasses from the steamer and let the coffee flans cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight so the custard firms before unmolding.
Run a thin knife around the inside edge of each glass. Place a serving plate over the glass, invert them together, and leave the glass in place for about a minute. Gently lift it away, allowing the caramel sauce to flow over the flan.

Notes

Use suitable glassware: The glasses must tolerate both hot caramel and steaming; ordinary drinking glasses are not automatically suitable for this method.

Judge caramel by color: Pan size and heat affect the cooking time. Golden amber is the endpoint; continuing to cook darkening caramel can make it bitter.

Keep the water below the insert: The glasses need steam circulating around them. Water reaching their sides changes the cooking setup and makes the stated steaming time unreliable.

Keep the coffee concentrated: Use only enough hot water to dissolve the instant coffee. Excess water dilutes the coffee flavor and changes the custard’s liquid balance.

Nutrition