Since I started baking I am in quest for recipes of my favorite childhood treats and I try to re-create them at home for my children, especially since some of them are not readily available now. This flan cake is one of them.
I remember tugging at my mother’s skirt whenever we passed by a bakery, I would beg her to go and see if they have my favorite cake with leche flan, not every bakery in our town has it.
I would nibble at it little by little from the bottom up, I always saved the best for last- the flan topping with just a little of chiffon cake left, that’s the best- then I would just finish it in a bite or two..yummm!
It’s been years since I’ve had it. I attempted to make it a couple of years back, it was a disaster! My flan didn’t set, the cake was still soft inside, it looked gross when I tried to invert it on a platter, not appetizing. It happened, I realized now, because I did not follow the recipe to the letter (not good when you’re a novice baker), I did not use baine marie (setting a baking pan in a larger pan half-filled with hot water), a cooking techinique that is very important in baking custard or egg-based desserts ( it’s called banyo maria in Tagalog). I did not try the recipe again.. until last weekend.
ready for the oven
I feel alot more confident now with my baking skill and as I have hoped, my leche flan cake was a success! I did make some blunders but no real harm was done; I just overbaked it a little and I forgot to put the macapuno that’s supposed to go with the caramel, I just added it at the end as garnish.
fresh out of the oven, it looks good except for a little indentation on the surface, so I covered it with sweetened macapuno
The recipe below yields two 9×9 cake, it’s too much for me and my family so I did only half of the recipe. It’s called Custard Cake with Macapuno it’s quite easy for seasoned baker and very doable for beginners, just remember to follow instructions to the letter. 😉
…into the serving platter
This recipe is from a flour company,my husband just randomly picked up this book – Maya Kitchen, The Complete Guide To Baking- from a bookstore years before. I’ve done a lot of my early baking through this and most of them were a (edible) failure not because their recipes aren’t good, I just wasn’t ready for it.
I’ve re-acquainted myself with it, I tried a couple of recipes that I failed before and now it came out really good. This was one of them.
CUSTARD CAKE WITH MACAPUNO
recipe from “The Best of Maya Kitchen”
Ingredients:
Caramel:
1 cup sugar
1 cup sweetened macapuno ( I forgot to put this on mine and just used it as a garnish, it works too!)
Custard/ Flan:
1 big can evaporated milk
8 egg yolks
1 can condensed milk
For the Cake:
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugr
Here’s How:
Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
Caramelize sugar in two 9-inch square pans. Arrange sweetened macapuno over it. Set aside.
Combine the ingredients for the custard in a bowl, stir to blend. Divide the mixture into two then pur into pans while passing through a strainer. Set aside.
Prepare Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well at the center then add oil, eggyolks and water. Mix with a wire whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat eggwhites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
Add sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Divide batter into two then pour over custard. Do not stir. Place each baking pan in a larger pan half-filled with water.
Bake for 1 hour or until done. Invert on a serving plattter.
Serves 16-20 per cake
Happy Baking!
Olive
Leche Flan Cake (Custard Cake)
Ingredients
- CARAMEL:
- 1 CUP SUGAR
- 1 CUP SWEETENED MACAPUNO I FORGOT TO PUT THIS ON MINE AND JUST USED IT AS A GARNISH, IT WORKS TOO!
- CUSTARD/ FLAN:
- 1 BIG CAN EVAPORATED MILK
- 8 EGG YOLKS
- 1 CAN CONDENSED MILK
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 3 1/4 CUPS CAKE FLOUR
- 1 TABLESPOON BAKING POWDER
- 1/4 TEASPON SALT
- 3/4 CUP SUGAR
- 1/2 CUP OIL
- 6 EGG YOLKS
- 3/4 CUP WATER
- 1 1/4 CUP EGG WHITES
- 1/2 TEASPOON CREAM OF TARTAR
- 3/4 CUP SUGR
Instructions
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 325F DEGREES.
- CARAMELIZE SUGAR IN TWO 9-INCH SQUARE PANS. ARRANGE SWEETENED MACAPUNO OVER IT. SET ASIDE.
- COMBINE THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE CUSTARD IN A BOWL, STIR TO BLEND. DIVIDE THE MIXTURE INTO TWO THEN PUR INTO PANS WHILE PASSING THROUGH A STRAINER. SET ASIDE.
- PREPARE CAKE: SIFT TOGETHER THE FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, SALT AND SUGAR. MAKE A WELL AT THE CENTER THEN ADD OIL, EGGYOLKS AND WATER. MIX WITH A WIRE WHISK UNTIL SMOOTH. IN A SEPARATE BOWL, BEAT EGGWHITES AND CREAM OF TARTAR UNTIL SOFT PEAKS FORM.
- ADD SUGAR GRADUALLY AND CONTINUE BEATING UNTIL STIFF. FOLD INTO EGG YOLK MIXTURE. DIVIDE BATTER INTO TWO THEN POUR OVER CUSTARD. DO NOT STIR. PLACE EACH BAKING PAN IN A LARGER PAN HALF-FILLED WITH WATER.
- BAKE FOR 1 HOUR OR UNTIL DONE. INVERT ON A SERVING PLATTTER.
- SERVES 16-20 PER CAKE