Easy Chocolate Flan

About this recipe

• Creamy: using condensed milk and cream in flan recipes ensures a velvet custard that makes this dessert melt in your mouth.
• Flavor: I use semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder to infuse the milk and get a deeper, richer flavor, perfect for chocolate lovers.
• Make ahead: flan doesn't freeze well, but you can keep it in the pan in the refrigerator (well wrapped) for several days before removing and serving it.

Ingredients

Flan ingredients are simple, but since this recipe is chocolate flavored, keep in mind that the better the dark chocolate and cocoa powder you use, the better the result.

• Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I love using Callebaut 54% dark chocolate callets, Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Bar 60%,  Green & Black's dark chocolate 70%, and Ghirardelli 72% intense dark chocolate. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the less sweet the chocolate is.
• Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. In my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
• Sweetened condensed milk: it's a must ingredient and can't be substituted. Use the regular type such as Carnation condensed milk, not unsweetened or evaporated milk.
• Milk: use whole milk for a richer flan.
• Cream: I find that any type works as long as it's the regular, full-fat type. I like double or heavy cream for this recipe.
• Eggs: can't have flan without eggs. Use fresh, large ones.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
• Salt: I like to use fine sea salt or kosher salt for this recipe. But regular table salt works if that's all you have. 
• Sugar: it's used for the caramel layer only and it must be white granulated sugar.

Steps to make chocolate flan

From caramelizing the pan to baking it in a water bath, you can have a great chocolate flan following my tips in the images and video below.

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How to make the caramel

• Melting the sugar: for years, I melted the sugar directly in the pan I was using, just like I was taught (like in the Floating Island recipe post). But it's hard to manipulate a pan over a flame, and it takes skill not to get burned.
  Now I make the caramel in a skillet first (image collage below) and then add it to the pan. It's an extra step that ends up being a shortcut because it makes your life easier and the chances of burning almost non-existent.
• When is the caramel done? When all of the sugar is dissolved, the caramel is ready. By the time this happens, it will be a deep amber color (image 4). Don't be tempted to cook it more as it can burn instantly, and you will have to start all over again.
• My tips: use a non-stick skillet and silicone spoon (or silicon spatula) for best results. Alternatively, you can use a wooden spoon as we used to before silicone was available. But the caramel will stick to it and be more laborious to wash.

Caramelizing the pan

If you think making flan is tricky, it's not. The only step that can be challenging is caramelizing the pan. So, let's dive into the details and tips.

• Beware how hot it is: the caramel-lined tube pan sounds complicated to some but it's a simple idea. The only thing to watch is that you're working with hot caramel. Caramel. Unbelievably hot caramel, the way only caramel can be.
• Top tip: make sure the center of the pan is coated. This is easily done with the help of a spoon, as shown below.

Making the chocolate custard

This is a chocolate egg mixture that involves heating some of the ingredients on the stove and mixing them with the rest. Very easy.

• Don't boil the milk and cream mixture. Use moderate heat and remove from the stove when you see the first bubbles appearing.

Add the hot milk/cream mixture over the chocolate and cocoa. Mix until well combined and the chocolate is completely melted.

Add the chocolate custard to the sweetened condensed milk in another bowl. Stir until smooth.

Pour the thick chocolate custard with condensed milk over the slightly beaten eggs and whisk to combine well. The final mixture is smooth and creamy but fluid.

Baking the flan

• Filling the pan: after the caramel layer has solidified, pour the chocolate flan mixture into the caramelized pan, slowly so it doesn't spill. The custard should fill the pan almost to the rim (image 2 below).
  For easier handling and best results, do this close to the oven and place the caramelized pan inside the roasting pan before it's filled with water.
• Oven rack: have ready the preheated oven and the rack placed in the middle.

Refrigerating the flan

Again, a necessary step for the chocolate flan to settle, firm up and become creamy.

Cover it well with plastic wrap. There should be no open spaces for the air to enter so the custard doesn't dry while in the fridge. You can leave it for 3-4 days in the refrigerator before unmolding and serving it.

In this recipe with condensed milk, the custard will puff up slightly and not fall much after the dessert has been refrigerated for several hours.

Removing the flan from the pan

I recommend you watch the video above (right after the image of the ingredients), so you get an idea of what flipping the flan implies. This is simple but has a few details that must be taken into account:

• Start with a cold flan. Take it out of the fridge and place it over a low flame or electric stove (image below). Use a kitchen towel to hold the pan if it starts to heat too much. But use it around the sides or hold it from the top, as there's heat underneath.
• Loosen the bottom. You need to heat the layer of caramel until it loosens up and the flan is unstuck. When you move the pan quickly to the right and left, you will see that the flan moves and is completely detached from the pan. This is crucial for unmolding it in one piece.

• Hold the plate close to the pan. This is important so you don't spill the caramel sauce when you flip the whole thing. Or chance spilling the custard! Make sure your grip is keeping the plate pressed to the pan.
• Flip it over. Put the serving plate over the flan pan. It should cover the pan with extra side space for the caramel to settle. With a quick movement, flip it over! Make room around you, ensuring you have enough space to move your arms without interference.
• Both hands. I do it as you see in images 1 & 2 below, with both hands on the sides, but I know others that put one hand on top and one on the bottom, palms opened. And then flip the flan over. Whatever works for you.
• Final unmolding. Once you have flipped it and placed the serving plate on a flat surface, place both hands on top of the pan (image 3) and shake it a little until the flan loosens by itself. You will probably hear a dry plop sound when it falls on the serving plate.
• Remove the pan: make sure it's placed in the middle of the plate, and lift it with both hands. The caramel will drip to the sides and middle.

Serving the flan

• Decoration: this dessert serves 8, so I pipe dollops of whipped cream separating the portions to make it easier to cut later. Chocolate shavings are a great addition for extra flavor and texture.
• Plain: this chocolate flan is good on its own with just the caramel sauce created during the baking process.
• With dulce de leche: like we do here in Latin America, a big fat dollop on top that is amazing together with the layer of caramel.
• Mixed: served with both whipped cream and dulce de leche. An over-the-top dessert for sure!

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Chocolate and cocoa powder: both act together to give this recipe a deep chocolate flavor. Use the best semisweet brands of bars and powder you can afford, as it will make a difference in the flavor.
• Refrigeration: it's an important step to allow the flan to settle and become creamier, similar to cheesecake.
• Flipping it over: this is the trickiest part for many, even more than making the caramel, and the secret is a very cold flan, straight from the refrigerator. Don't make it wait around. BUT, and this is another big one, you do have to soften the caramel before flipping or you won't be able to remove it in one piece. Watch the video in the post for step-by-step guidance.
• Flavorings: I sometimes add a cinnamon stick or cardamom pods (or both) to the milk and cream while they are heating to infuse a different flavor. Also, you can add drops of pure orange extract or coconut or coffee together with the vanilla. For a more Mexican dessert, add a pinch of ground chile and cinnamon to the chocolate mixture.