Chocoflan

Chocoflan!

I've been reading a lot lately. After I read The Hunger Games, I just kept going like an insane maniac looking for new books to read. I am currently reading The Running Dream by Wendelin van Draneen.

Divergent, Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One book that I've read since my spree was Divergent by Veronica Roth. Let me tell you, that was the book that definitely satisfied my HG withdrawals. It was absolutely amazing! There is also a second book (it is a trilogy) called Insurgent that is equally amazing. I recommend it to anyone that loves dystopian novels. I had the pleasure of actually meeting Veronica Roth during her Dark Days Tour! I was so happy, especially since I was able to get both books signed by her! It was my first time at a book signing and my first time meeting an author. I guess when I went up to meet her I was "starstruck"... I could barely keep my composure and talk normally! Pretty embarrassing actually...

Veronica Roth at her Dark Days Tour

On a different note, I got 12 bug bites on my legs across a span of 2 weeks. SO itchy! :( No more wearing shorts! Ugh.

Last week, I made this really cool cake/flan - Chocoflan! Chocoflan is a Mexican dessert which combines layers of caramel, creamy flan, and rich chocolate cake. It was delicious! I made this for my neighbors' block party and all of them raved about it! The whole cake was almost gone by the time the night ended! 

The cool thing about this dessert is the magic that happens when you bake it! When assembling, the layers go like this: caramel sauce, chocolate cake, flan. After it's done baking: caramel sauce, flan, chocolate cake! The flan and the chocolate cake switch spots! Amazing! See! It's magic!

Not really...it's actually because the flan is more dense than the cake, causing them to invert places. Another example of this is when you place oil in water or a pool noodle in water, they always float to the top. I think I have never been more excited to make a cake before. The whole time I was giggling, I bet you will too! 

Inside the Chocoflan!

This is definitely something I would make again and again! Make sure to let it cool down completely before taking it out of the bundt pan! I wasn't able to and the flan kind of sank a little bit on the sides. Also, make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. It must be soft or else it will not blend into the flan mixture, leaving glops of it behind. If you do, just simply strain the mixture and add more lost cream cheese.

I used dulce de leche as the caramel sauce for my cake. I made it from one 14oz can of condensed milk. I was short on time so I made it the quick way, by microwave.

Recipe from Marcela Valladolid's Mexican Made Easy. 

Chocoflan:

Makes about 12 servings

Ingredients:
12-cup capacity Bundt pan
Softened butter, to coat pan
1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:
10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the garnish:
1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

Directions:

1. Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
3. For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.
4. For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
5. Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
6. Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
7. Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake and serve!

Hmmm...Everytime I look at my pictures, I want a new camera! Point and shoots. Or I should take pictures during the day in natural light. Haha.