Chocoflan, a delicious combination of velvety flan, rich chocolate cake and a thin layer of caramel, is also known as pastel imposible, or impossible cake. The “impossible” part happens during baking, when the cake and flan batters seem to magically switch places, with the flan ending up on top. To simplify things a bit, I start with a boxed cake mix (embellished with extra eggs and a touch of cinnamon, espresso and vanilla), but feel free to sub in your favorite chocolate cake recipe. The optional mini chocolate chips add a nice crunch to the final dessert, but be careful adding the flan layer — pour it in over a spoon as directed in the recipe — or the chips might float to the top.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
- 1 cup sugar
- One 15.25-ounce box devil’s food chocolate cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 7 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat until warm, then add the sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to melt and becomes an amber caramel, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Drizzle the caramel along the bottom of the prepared pan, swirling lightly to coat it; be careful, as the pan will be hot.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Combine the cake mix, vegetable oil and 3 of the eggs in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, cinnamon, instant espresso and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla in a separate bowl, then add it to the cake mix mixture; whisk until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, if using. Pour the chocolate batter into the pan over the caramel.
- For the flan, blend the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese and remaining 4 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla in a blender until smooth. Slowly pour the flan mixture over a large spoon into the pan so that it lands gently on the surface of the batter; do not stir. Cover the bundt pan tightly with foil and place it inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan about halfway with boiling water.
- Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- Invert the chocoflan onto a platter just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 615 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 56 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 150 mg |
| Sodium | 484 mg |
Reviews
Such a delicious dessert! A new family favorite that is special for the holidays, but not too complicated. It’s amazing to see the layers switch after you bake it.