The Ultimate Easy Chocoflan Recipe: Mastering the Magical Chocolate Flan Cake (Impossible Cake)
There’s a certain magic in baking, and few desserts embody that enchantment quite like Chocoflan, also affectionately known as the “Impossible Cake.” Imagine a rich, moist chocolate cake perfectly topped with a creamy, delicate flan, all crowned with a luscious caramel sauce. The “impossible” part? It’s all baked in one pan, with the batters miraculously swapping places during the baking process! This captivating dessert has been gaining renewed attention, with even esteemed publications like The New York Times recently featuring their own take on Dulce de Leche Chocoflan. While their recipe offers a delightful experience, it instantly transported me back to a cherished classic I shared years ago – my very own Chocolate Flan Cake made with the convenience of a cake mix.
My original post, dating back many years as evidenced by its nostalgic photos, featured ingredients sourced from H.E.B. – a beloved Texan grocery store that I often miss since moving from Austin. However, I can hardly complain about my current culinary landscape in Raleigh, where we are fortunate to have access to fantastic stores like Publix and Wegmans, making ingredient sourcing a joy. This timeless recipe remains a favorite, and it’s one I’m excited to revisit and refine, adding even more notes and tips to ensure your baking success. For now, let’s dive into the tried-and-true method that produces this stunning dessert every time.
Unveiling the Magic: How the Impossible Cake Works
The true marvel of the Chocoflan lies in its unique baking process. You start by pouring the rich caramel topping into the bottom of your Bundt pan, followed by the chocolate cake batter. Finally, the smooth flan mixture is carefully poured on top of the cake batter. It seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? You might expect the flan to remain on top, but as the cake bakes in a water bath, a fascinating transformation occurs. Due to differences in density, the denser flan batter gradually sinks to the bottom of the pan, while the lighter chocolate cake batter rises to the top. When the cake is inverted after cooling, the flan emerges perfectly on top, with the cake layer beneath it, and the caramel cascading down both layers. This natural inversion is why it’s so fittingly called the “Impossible Cake” or “Magic Flan Cake.”
Tips for a Flawless Chocoflan Every Time
Achieving a picture-perfect Chocoflan is more straightforward than it appears, especially with a few key techniques. The end result is indeed stunning, and thankfully, getting the cake out of the pan doesn’t have to be a nightmare. My secret weapon? A reliable flour-added baking spray. This type of spray creates a non-stick surface that ensures a clean release, allowing your beautiful creation to unmold effortlessly. Here are some more detailed tips to ensure your Impossible Cake turns out perfectly:
1. Prepare Your Bundt Pan Meticulously
A well-prepared Bundt pan is crucial for preventing your Chocoflan from sticking. While a flour-added cooking spray is highly recommended, if you don’t have it, you can generously grease the pan with solid shortening and then dust it thoroughly with all-purpose flour. Make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies of the Bundt pan’s design. This initial step is paramount for a smooth inversion later.
2. The Importance of the Water Bath (Bain-Marie)
The water bath is not optional; it’s essential for achieving the creamy texture of the flan and ensuring even baking. It creates a moist, consistent heat environment that gently cooks the flan, preventing it from cracking or becoming rubbery. When setting your Bundt pan into a larger roasting pan, ensure the hot water reaches about 2 inches up the sides of the Bundt pan. Be careful not to splash water into the cake batter!
3. Pouring the Batters with Care
While the “magic” of inversion will happen regardless, pouring the flan mixture slowly and carefully over the chocolate cake batter helps maintain distinct layers before baking. This minimizes initial mixing and allows the density differences to do their work more effectively during the cooking process. A ladle or a steady hand can help here.
4. Tightly Cover for Success
Covering the Bundt pan tightly with aluminum foil is critical. The foil serves multiple purposes: it prevents the top of the cake from over-browning, it keeps the steam trapped to aid in the gentle cooking of the flan, and most importantly, it prevents any water from the water bath from seeping into your cake. Spraying the underside of the foil with cooking spray (or using nonstick foil) can also help prevent the cake from sticking to the foil as it bakes and rises.
5. Patience is a Virtue: Cooling and Inverting
After baking for two hours in the water bath, resist the urge to immediately invert your Chocoflan. Remove the Bundt pan from the water bath and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. This cooling period helps the cake and flan set further and shrink slightly from the sides of the pan, making inversion much easier. Once slightly cooled, carefully peel off the aluminum foil. Then, with a large serving plate (preferably with a rim to catch the caramel) placed over the Bundt pan, confidently invert the cake. The caramel topping should gracefully flow down the sides, creating that signature glistening finish. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating it for several hours, or even overnight, to ensure the flan is perfectly set and chilled.
Ingredients Breakdown for Your Chocoflan
Let’s take a closer look at the components that make up this incredible dessert:
- Caramel Topping: This forms the delicious base and top layer. Softened or room temperature caramel will spread more easily in the pan. You can use store-bought caramel sauce for convenience or make your own dulce de leche for an even richer flavor.
- Chocolate Cake Mix: The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. A standard box of chocolate cake mix (along with the eggs, oil, and water/milk specified on its package) provides a consistent and quick foundation for your cake layer. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate cake mixes, such as devil’s food or dark chocolate, to suit your preference.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk & Evaporated Milk: These are the backbone of any good flan, providing its characteristic sweetness and creamy texture. They are essential for achieving that silky smooth consistency.
- Fresh Milk: A little extra fresh milk helps to achieve the perfect balance in the flan’s consistency, preventing it from being overly dense.
- Cream Cheese: This ingredient is what makes this a “Flan Napolitano” style flan, giving it an extra rich, velvety texture and a subtle tang that beautifully complements the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate. Ensure it’s softened to blend smoothly.
- Vanilla: A touch of vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors, adding warmth and depth to the flan.
- Eggs: Eggs are crucial for the flan’s structure, allowing it to set properly. Large eggs are typically preferred for consistency in recipes.
Not in the Mood for Chocolate Flan Cake? Explore More Bundt Delights!
While Chocoflan is a showstopper, sometimes your cravings might lean in a different direction. If you’re a fan of autumn flavors or prefer cheesecake over flan, I’ve also shared a fantastic Pumpkin Cheesecake Topped Bundt. This recipe offers a different kind of layered magic and, unlike our easy Chocoflan, it features a scratch-made chocolate base, echoing the complexity you might find in a New York Times-style recipe.
For those who love the versatility and elegance of Bundt cakes, my blog is a treasure trove of inspiration. From small-batch recipes to classic flavors, there’s a Bundt for every occasion. If you’re looking to expand your Bundt cake repertoire, check out some of these related favorites:
- Small 6 Cup Bundt Pan
- Buttermilk Blueberry Bundt Cake
- My Favorite Bundt Cakes
- Perfectly Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Whether you’re new to Chocoflan or revisiting an old favorite, this recipe promises to deliver a truly memorable dessert experience. It’s a testament to how simple ingredients, combined with a little kitchen magic, can create something truly extraordinary. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and prepare to impress your guests (and yourself!) with this incredible Impossible Cake.
Recipe
Chocolate Flan Cake
Anna
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 11 ounces caramel topping softened or at room temp
- 1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients listed on box
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- ½ cup milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese — softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 large eggs
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with flour-added cooking spray or grease the pan with shortening and dust with flour.
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Pour the caramel topping into the greased and floured Bundt pan.
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Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan over the caramel topping.
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Make the flan. Pour condensed, evaporated and fresh milks into a blender. Add softened cream cheese, vanilla and eggs and blend until smooth. Pour the flan mixture very slowly over the cake batter.
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Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray (or just use nonstick foil) and cover the pan TIGHTLY with the foil. Covering tightly is very important. Set the Bundt pan into a large pan (such as a roasting pan) and set on the oven rack.
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Carefully pour hot water into the larger pan to a depth of 2 inches (the Bundt pan will be sitting in 2 inches of water). Bake for two hours.
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After two hours, remove cake from water and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the aluminum foil. Invert cake onto a large plate with rim. The caramel topping should flow down the sides. Cool completely then refrigerate.