Leche flan or caramel leche pudding, is a famous egg-based dessert in the Philippines, which is served for special occasions. Is a pair of sweet and thick caramel and custard or thick sweet milk pudding. Leche flan has only 4 ingredients, and is traditionally served with whipped cream or honey. You can serve it in a ramekin (small ceramic pudding container) or flip it onto a plate for a more elegant presentation.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 7 eggs
- 400g/14.1 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 380g/13.4oz evaporated milk
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Caramel and Flans
Step 1. Prepare a baking sheet or ramekin
Leche flan can be made in a 22.5 cm baking dish or individual ramekins. Use non-stick spray or a little butter to grease the pan or ramekins.
Step 2. Melt the sugar to make the caramel
Place a heavy pot over medium heat. Pour in the sugar and let it caramel slowly. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring and don't leave it out because the sugar can get very hot.
- Remove the sugar from the heat once it has melted and is golden brown. If you continue to cook after that, the caramel will burn.
- Don't let it sit too long before pouring the caramel, as the caramel will harden quickly.
Step 3. Pour the caramel into the tin or ramekins
Pour carefully because hot caramel can burn your skin. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom with the caramel evenly. After pouring, let the caramel sit for 10 minutes or so before you add the flan mixture.
Step 4. Beat the flan mixture
Combine sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the eggs in and mix, one at a time. The finished dough should be light, fluffy and thick.
- Make sure all the eggs and milk are well mixed.
- For added flavor, sprinkle a spoonful of vanilla or lemon essence.
Step 5. Pour the batter into the tin or ramekins
Make sure it's 10 minutes after and add the caramel. Then pour the flan mixture into the pan.
Part 2 of 3: Baking Flan
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 177 degrees Celsius
Step 2. Make the bain marie
A bain marie is a water bath that helps the flan cook evenly and prevents the flan from cracking by creating a moist space in the oven. To do this, pour hot water into a large, wide saucepan that is wide enough to fit a baking sheet or ramekin filled with flan.
- Make sure the water is not so deep that it gets into the pan or ramekins so that the flan doesn't mix with the water.
- A large baking sheet makes a good bain marie.
Step 3. Bake the leche flan
Gently place the bain marie into the oven and place on a rack. Bake for an hour. The flan is ready when the custard hardens. Check by shaking the pan; if it looks hard in the middle, the flan is cooked. If it looks runny, bake it again for a while.
- Check the flans every 15 minutes to make sure the water is not boiling. This can cause the flan to overcook. When it starts to boil, add cold water so it doesn't boil.
- Once the flan is done, let it cool on the counter for about 10 minutes.
Part 3 of 3: Chilling and Serving the Flan
Step 1. Cool the flan
Place the unheated flan in the refrigerator to solidify. Leave in the refrigerator to cool. When cold, the flan will be easier to remove from the pan.
Step 2. Remove the flan
Rotate the blade around the edge of the flan. Wet the knife in warm water so that it doesn't pull the flan until it breaks. Gently flip the flan onto a low-sided dish to serve.
Step 3. Serve the flan
Cut it like a pie or spoon it onto a dessert plate. Spoon additional caramel sauce from the plate for each plate. Serve with whipped cream or honey if desired.
Tips
- When the sugar has melted, immediately pour it into the ramekins before it hardens.
- In addition to baking, you can also steam flan. After pouring the flan mixture over the caramel, cover the pan or ramekin with aluminum foil tightly. Steam the flan for 20 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator to harden.
