This eggnog pumpkin flan cake – “holiday chocoflan” is my festive take on an amazing dessert. The original chocoflan aka Mexican Magic Flan Cake or Pastel Impossible features a rich moist chocolate cake topped with a layer of creamy flan and a caramel sauce. For the holidays I decided to replace the chocolate cake with a pumpkin cake and use eggnog in the flan. The result is a masterpiece of deliciousness that will undboutedly wow your friends and family.
I use a boxed cake mix for this version to make things a little simpler. And to make the cake extra light and flavorful I replaced the water called for with ginger ale and added a bit of pumpkin pie spice. If you have a favorite pumpkin cake recipe by all means use that and make your cake from scratch, I am sure it will be just as delicious. I also used a store bought eggnog for this but again, if you make your own go ahead and use that instead.
This amazing cake is known as the pastel impossible (impossible cake) or Mexican magic flan cake. That is because after putting the caramel in the bottom of the pan you add the cake batter and then gently pour the flan on top but as it bakes and the cake lightens up it rises and the flan sinks. Thus when you turn the cake out of the pan you are left with the flan on top and the cake on the bottom as they have switched places while baking. It truly is a thing of wonder and beauty – and utter deliciousness!!
This recipe will make a great addition to your holiday table – be that Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, or whatever you are celebrating this fall/winter. I really hope you give this a try and enjoy it!
You can see the YouTuber video here.
Eggnog Pumpkin Flan Cake – Holiday “Chocoflan”
Equipment
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- Liquid measuring cups
- 9" Bundt pan
- Medium heavy bottom pot
- rubber spatula
- whisk
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar or prepared caramel sauce
For the Cake
- 1 15.25 oz boxed pumpkin cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup ginger ale
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice optional
For the Flan
- 3 large eggs
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and great your bundt pan very well with baking spray, cooking spray, or vegetable oil.
For the Caramel
- Place the sugar in a medium heavy bottom pot and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it melts and becomes an amber color.
- Carefully pour the melted sugar into the prepared bundt pan and set aside. THIS IS VERY HOT use extreme caution.
For the Cake
- Mix the cake mix according to the package instructions substituting the ginger ale for the water.
- Add more pumpkin spice if you like. I added about 1 tsp.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan on top of the caramel and again set aside.
For the Flan
- In a 4 cup liquid measuring cup or other similar sized spouted vessel, whisk 3 eggs to break up the yolks.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and eggnog to the eggs and whisk until well combined.
- Using a ladle or large spoon pour the flan over the cake. Pour from the measuring cup into the ladle or spoon allowing the flan to flow gently over on to the cake.
- Place a ball of aluminum foil into the hole in the bundt pan so noting spills over – this is optional but I recommend it.
- Cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking or baking spray or greased with vegetable oil on the side that will touch the cake.
- Place the bundt pan in a larger roasting pan and add in hot water. Use enough to come about half way up the sides of the bundt pan.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes then remove the foil and bake for a further 15-30 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove carefully from the water bath and allow the cake to cool completely in the fridge before inverting it. This will take at least 4 hours but if you can leave it over night that is best.
- Once cooled invert the cake onto a serving platter and pour any caramel sauce remaining in the pan over the top.
