This is a delicious take on the classic leche flan. The silky, decadent Filipino custard dessert is paired with a soft and fluffy chiffon cake. And what’s more, they’re baked together! This leche flan cake recipe can be considered an upside-down cake, as the leche flan layer goes into the pan first, topped with the chiffon cake later, but once it’s baked, it is flipped to reveal the beautiful caramelized leche flan on top and the airy chiffon cake at the bottom. The best part is that all the caramel you made that usually becomes the leche flan’s “sauce”? It gets absorbed right into the chiffon!
Here are tips on how to make a leche flan cake perfectly:
1 When making the caramel, resist the urge to stir the sugar.
The key is to spread it evenly on the bottom of your pan. Once you notice the sugar granules begin to melt, you can swirl the pan gently to distribute the melted sugar and the heat. Using utensils to stir the melting sugar will cause the melting sugar to clump up. This not only results in a grainy caramel but makes cleanup much more of a hassle.
2 Avoid bubbles in your leche flan layer by pouring it slowly into the pan.
Once your leche flan batter is ready, use a fine-mesh sieve or strainer to strain or pop the bubbles. Then, when it’s time to pour it into the cake pan, make sure to pour it slowly and as close to the bottom of the pan as possible to avoid making new bubbles as you pour.
3 Make sure you’re ready to bake before you make the chiffon cake batter.
Chiffon cakes get their fluffiness from the air that was incorporated in the meringue which means it is very delicate. This means that the longer the batter waits before entering the oven, the more air it loses. The less air it has going in, the less fluffy it will be coming out. Make sure your oven is preheated and that your leche flan layer is ready too before you begin mixing the chiffon batter. Once it’s ready, get it into the preheated oven as soon as possible.
Watch the video on how to make leche flan cake:
Leche Flan Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Leche Flan Cake Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon Calamansi Juice
- Egg yolks only
- 2 large Egg
- 1 Cup evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 6 Egg separated
- 1/2 Cup corn oil
- 2 tablespoons Calamansi Juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make the leche flan: Place 1 cup sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sprinkle lemon or calamansi juice over and mix. Turn heat to medium and let sugar caramelize. Do not mix. Cook until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Swirl pan once or twice. Pour into 2 (8x3-inch) round cake pans. Set aside and let caramel cool completely.
- Whisk egg yolks, eggs, remaining sugar, and evaporated milk in a large mixing bowl, being careful not to create bubbles. Pour mixture over the cooled caramel and let stand. Set aside.
- Make the chiffon cake: Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add egg yolks, corn oil, ¾ cup water, calamansi juice, and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix well with a whisk.
- Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in another bowl. Beat by hand or with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until frothy. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until stiff but not dry, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Fold egg-yolk mixture gently into egg-white mixture using a large rubber scraper, being careful not to deflate the egg whites. Pour into the pans over the cooled custard.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs adhering to it. Cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife gently around the pans and invert the cakes onto serving platters. Serve cold or at room temperature.
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