Caramel Custard
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Creamy caramel custard (flan) made with cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla, baked in a water bath over caramelized sugar. Lighter with fat-free milks.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
6 minCOOK
1 1/6 hrsREADY
4⅕This is flan the way abuela makes it, with a cream cheese twist that gives it an unbelievably silky, dense texture.
Caramelized sugar coats the bottom of the pan and transforms into a gorgeous amber sauce when you flip the custard out.
The filling blends together in seconds: cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla all go straight into the blender.
A gentle water bath in the oven does the rest, turning everything into a wobbling, spoonable custard that chills overnight into pure velvet.
Using fat-free milks and reduced-fat cream cheese keeps it lighter without losing any of that richness.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t stir the sugar while it caramelizes. Just shake the pan gently. Stirring causes crystallization and a grainy, cloudy caramel.
- Let the caramel harden for 5 minutes before pouring in the custard mixture. This creates a clean layer that melts into sauce as it bakes.
- Chill for at least 3 hours, but overnight is better. The custard firms up and the caramel sauce thins out into a pourable consistency.
- Run a thin knife around the edge before inverting. One confident flip onto a rimmed plate, and the caramel pools around the custard like magic.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook sugar in an 8-inch round cake pan (with 2-inch sides) over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, 5 minutes or until sugar melts and turns light golden brown.
Remove pan from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. (Sugar will harden.)
Process egg yolks and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Pour mixture over caramelized sugar in pan.
Cover mixture with aluminum foil.
Place cake pan in a broiler pan.
Add hot water (150°) to pan to a depth of ⅔ inch.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean.
Remove cake pan from water bath; cool completely on a wire rack.
Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; invert onto a serving plate.
Comments