← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 150 g Sugar
• 2 tbsp Water
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (397 g tin)
• 1 can evaporated milk (410 g tin)
• 120 g Cream cheese, at room temperature
• 5 large eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 pinch Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and boil a kettle. Put the sugar and water in a small heavy pan over medium heat and cook without stirring (swirl the pan instead) for 6–8 min, until it turns a deep amber caramel.
2. Immediately pour the caramel into a 22–23 cm round cake tin or flan mould and tilt to coat the base. Careful: it is extremely hot. It will harden; that is fine.
3. Blend the condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and salt for 30 seconds until perfectly smooth. Let it stand a few minutes for the foam to settle, then pour over the caramel.
4. Cover the tin with foil and set it in a roasting tin. Pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides.
5. Bake for 55–60 min, until set at the edges with a gentle wobble in the centre; a knife pushed in near the middle should come out clean.
6. Lift out of the water bath, cool, then chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around the edge, put a deep plate on top and flip it over in one quick move so the caramel sauce pours down the sides.

Tips

• Blending briefly and letting the foam settle gives a smooth flan without bubbles.
• Bake it the day before: the caramel needs time in the fridge to turn back into a pourable sauce.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mexican Food Journal Maricruz Avalos ¡Hola! Jalapeño