Flan Cubano
Silky-smooth baked custard with a golden caramel shell and vanilla finish. A classic Cuban dessert that feels elegant but comes together with just six ingredients.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 5 whole large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. You'll be baking the flan in a water bath, so position the oven rack in the middle and make sure you have room for a roasting pan filled with hot water.
- 2
Select a 9-inch round ceramic flan dish or pie pan. You'll use this to bake and serve the flan, so choose something attractive.
- 3
Pour 1 cup of granulated white sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (10-inch is ideal) and place it over medium heat. Do not stir — just let the sugar sit and begin to melt. After about 3 minutes, you'll see the edges turning golden amber. Now gently tilt and swirl the pan to redistribute the unmelted sugar toward the hot spots. Keep doing this every 30 seconds or so until all the sugar is dissolved and has turned a deep amber color — it should smell like toasted caramel, not burnt sugar. This takes about 6-8 minutes total.
- 4
Working quickly, carefully pour the hot caramel into your flan dish, tilting and rotating it so the caramel coats the entire bottom and slightly up the sides in an even layer. Set it aside — the caramel will harden as it cools. Be very careful: caramel is extremely hot and can cause serious burns.
- 5
Add 1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk and 1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk to a blender. These two milks create the silky, luxurious texture that makes Cuban flan so special.
- 6
Crack 5 large eggs into the blender, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and blend on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform, about 1-2 minutes. You should see no streaks or foam — just a pale, creamy custard.
- 7
Pour the custard mixture slowly and gently over the hardened caramel in your flan dish. Pour from a low height to avoid creating air bubbles, which would create holes in your finished flan.
- 8
Place the flan dish inside a larger roasting pan and set it on the oven rack. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the flan dish — this water bath ensures the flan bakes gently and evenly without cracking. The water should be steaming hot but not boiling.
- 9
Slide the roasting pan into the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The flan is done when the edges are set and slightly firm to the touch, but the very center still jiggles slightly when you gently shake the dish — about a 2-inch circle in the middle should wobble just a bit. This carryover cooking ensures it sets perfectly as it cools. If you use an instant-read thermometer, aim for 175°F in the center.
- 10
Remove the flan from the oven and carefully lift it out of the hot water bath using kitchen tongs or oven mitts. The dish will be very hot. Let it cool on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes — do not refrigerate yet.
- 11
Once the flan has cooled to room temperature, carefully cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight — the longer it sits, the better the flavors meld and the easier it is to unmold.
- 12
To unmold, run a thin, flexible knife or offset spatula around the edge of the flan, pressing it against the dish to loosen the custard all the way around. Place a rimmed serving plate on top of the flan dish and, in one confident motion, flip the dish and plate together. The flan should slide out onto the plate, and the caramel will flow over the top like a golden sauce. If some caramel sticks to the dish, gently warm the bottom of the flan dish under hot running water for a few seconds to loosen it, then try again.
- 13
Serve the flan chilled or at room temperature, slicing it into 6 equal wedges with a warm, damp knife (wipe between cuts to keep them clean). The caramel will pool around each slice.
Tools you’ll need
- heavy-bottomed saucepan (10-inch)
- 9-inch ceramic flan dish
- blender
- roasting pan (large)
- kitchen tongs or oven mitts
- instant-read thermometer
- flexible knife or offset spatula
- rimmed serving plate
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
