It wouldn’t be a Caribbean holiday without flan. It is creamy, sweet, smooth, and it was a gateway dessert for me after we arrived in the United States. It lead me to cheese cake, and creme brulee. Even though I should own stock at the Cheesecake Factory, I will always be loyal to my first love. Flan.
This is a very easy dessert to make, but a quick one to ruin as well. All ingredients, except the sugar for the caramel, go into a blender. The caramel is easy, but you have to be careful not to let it overcook and burn as it can happen very quickly. I find that the trickiest part of the whole thing is getting flan in and out of the oven without any major spills. I still haven’t mastered this part…
With this version I decided to spice it up a bit. It is not a typical thing to do with flan, but I recently saw a few Chi Spiced desserts and I thought this twist could definitely work with flan. Guess what? It did! The spices are not too over powering, and they work well with the creamy texture.
Chai Spiced Cheese Flan
Serves 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
8 large eggs
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can condensed milk
8 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine all ingredients, except sugar and water, in blender. Beat on medium-high until all ingredients are incorporated.
- In a small sauce pan or skillet set over medium-low heat, add sugar and water. Allow sugar to melt, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden. Immediately pour into 9-inch cake pan. Coat as much of the bottom of the pan as possible. It’s ok if the caramel hardens before it coats the entire surface, because it will continue to melt when in the oven.
- Place the cake pan in a larger pan containing enough water to cover 1-inch on each side of the pan. Pour the flan mixture from the blender and into the cake pan.
- Bake the flan for approximately 1 hour, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the flan to come to room temperature, about 1 hour, before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
- Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan to losen sides. Invert flan onto a large plate. Serve cold with additional caramel drizzled on top.
Notes
- For traditional cheese flan, simply omit the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves.
I remember your delicious flan you made for us in your teenage years! So proud of the beautiful woman, wife, mommy that you have become!
I love this fun twist! Looks tasty!