Chocoflan Recipe

By
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren
Ubish Yaren born and raised in Mexico. He is a former sous chef specializing in Mexican food with a huge passion to show and share the importance of Mexican food for the world. Ubish does food tours in Mexico City and believes that the best taco is the one you are eating now.
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Updated on 02/10/22
Tested by
Tara Omidvar
Tara Omidvar
Tested by Tara Omidvar
Tara is a professional food photographer and recipe tester and developer. She received her bachelor's degree in photography at the Azad University of Art and Architecture and her Diploma of Culinary Management from George Brown College in Toronto. She runs her own food blog Made of Sugar and Saffron, where she shares her love of sweets and foods from around the world.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Chocoflan on a platter

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
Prep: 26 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Cool/Chill Time: 5 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 26 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 cake
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
580 Calories
33g Fat
60g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 580
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 19g 93%
Cholesterol 268mg 89%
Sodium 139mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 60g 22%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 183mg 14%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 284mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chocoflan is simply the perfect dessert. It blends the creaminess and delicacy of a flan custard with the richness of chocolate cake. It's also known as Impossible Cake, thanks to the magical way it bakes. Build the layers by pouring the chocolate batter in first, then the flan over it. While it bakes, the flan and chocolate layers flip. This is because the egg and cream in the custard cooks faster than the chocolate layer, so the flan sinks below and the chocolate layer rises.

Allow your chocoflan to chill in the refrigerator at least four hours before you invert over a plate and gently release it from the pan to reveal its magical layers. This recipe is made for a bundt pan, which helps the cake cook evenly and shows off the layers beautifully when sliced.

In Mexico you can find chocoflan sold by street vendors. In the U.S. it's become increasingly popular at Mexican restaurants. But the best chocoflan is the kind you make yourself at home.

"This recipe is very satisfying and easy to make. The cake is chocolatey and rich, and the flan is creamy and not overly sweet; it’s definitely a showstopper. Be sure to leave enough time to chill in the fridge before unmolding. Keep leftover cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days." — Tara Omidvar

ChocoFlan/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake layer:

  • 5 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

For the flan layer:

  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

  • 1 3/4 cup heavy cream

  • 7 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup water

  • Vegetable oil, for the pan

  • 1/2 cup raspberries, for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

Make the chocolate cake layer:

  1. Gather the ingredients. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F.

    Chocoflan ingredients

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Combine the eggs, sugar, and butter in a large bowl and mix with an electric beater or whisk by hand until well blended.

    Eggs, sugar, and butter mixture in a large bowl with a whisk

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Sift the flour and the cocoa powder into another large bowl and whisk together.

    Flour and the cocoa powder in a glass bowl, with a whisk

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Pour the egg-butter mixture into the flour-cocoa mixture and fold together until well combined. Set aside.

    Chocolate batter in a bowl with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Make the flan layer:

  1. In a blender, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream, eggs, and vanilla. Blend on medium until well combined, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

    Sweetened condensed milk, cream, eggs, and vanilla mixture in a blender

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Make the caramel:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 9 minutes.

    Caramel in a saucepan on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Bake the chocoflan:

  1. Generously grease the inside of a 9-inch (9-cup) bundt pan, including the center tube, with vegetable oil. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the bottom and some over the sides of the pan.

    Greased bundt pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Pour the chocolate batter into the pan, smoothing it evenly with a silicone spatula.

    Chocolate mixture in a bundt pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Gently pour the flan mixture over the chocolate batter, gently smoothing it evenly with a silicone spatula. Cover the bundt pan with foil.

    Flan mixture with the chocolate batter in a bundt pan covered with aluminum foil

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Place the bundt pan inside a larger roasting or baking pan. Fill the larger pan half-way with very hot water. Transfer to the oven and bake until the layers have swapped and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.

    Chocoflan in a bundt pan covered with aluminum foil, in a baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. It's not ready, yet! Remove the cake from the roasting pan. Remove the foil, and let the cake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. To unmold, cover with a plate and carefully invert to release the cake from the pan. Serve with fresh raspberries, if you like.

    Chocoflan on a platter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Chocoflan takes patience

Excited to reveal your Impossible Cake? Chill! Chocoflan needs at least 4 hours to set before you can invert it and remove it from the pan.

Can you use a different kind of pan?

The cake will still bake, but you'll lose the visual effect, and the sides may bake faster than the middle. It may also be harder to invert and unmold.