This delicious and easy Caramel Flan will keep for days, so it’s a perfect dessert to prepare in advance when you’re expecting guests

Take away the stress of preparing desserts

Are you hosting a dinner soon? Do you plan to serve appetisers, mains and desserts to your guests? Is that a yes? That’s great, please save me a seat because I love 3-course meals!

On the opposite side of the kitchen, I’m totally that person who must impress my guests by preparing 3 or even sometimes 5-course meals. I do like to warn my guests in advance to come over with an empty stomach.

However, as much as I love hosting and cooking, I still have panic attacks and feel overwhelmed on those days. My poor husband, Tomasi, has witnessed many of my kitchen meltdowns to which he would always remind me, ‘Catte, just try to keep it simple, okay?‘ I would reluctantly agree and I honestly try, but it never ends up happening. My kitchen and I are in shambles and by the time the guests arrive. I then put on a brave smile, hoping to look relaxed and welcoming.

Ah, thank goodness for desserts that we can prepare a few days in advance to ease the pressure of hosting. Like this Easy Caramel Flan, Brazilian style.

Brazilian flan is comparable to crème caramel in terms of taste, but I would describe the texture as a cross between a cheesecake and crème caramel. The texture is firmer than a crème caramel but softer than a cheesecake, if that makes sense?!

Such a beautiful and impressive dessert we can make ahead and leave to chill in the fridge for a couple of days before serving. Another big bonus is there are only a few ingredients required for this recipe. Sweetened condensed milk, full cream milk, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. I had all the ingredients in the pantry waiting for me!

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A few useful tips on making this Easy Caramel Flan

This is a straightforward recipe, but it has some ‘pressure points‘. First, it’s the caramel. No candy thermometer is required, but making caramel, toffee or Brittle is always going to be a little challenging.

There’s that chance the sugar crystals may form and cause the entire sugar mixture to crystallise, leaving a grainy and unpleasant texture. Once the sugar mixture starts to bubble, leave it undisturbed and don’t stir it. Some like to use a pastry brush with water to remove any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. I prefer to pop a lid on the pan for a minute when the mixture bubbles, so the steam will dissolve the sugar crystals.

Then, there’s the fear of burning the sugar. To be honest, I’ve done this so many times, as I like to push my luck. It’s because I love my caramel, dark and intense, to where it’s slightly bitter. To do this, I need to remove the pan for the heat just a few seconds before it burns. I didn’t do that this time, as seen in the pictures the caramel is a golden colour. Sometimes, it’s best to play it safe!

The other ‘OMG! hold your breath moment!‘ is when it’s time to turn the flan upside down onto a plate. In a perfect world, it would simply plop out and look flawless. Nope, it doesn’t, but it can be near perfect! The trick is coating the hot caramel around the base, sides and middle ring of the cake pan. By doing this, my flan never sticks to the tin.

Looking for more simple and impressive desserts? Check out the below recipes:

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese

Dutch Baby Pancake with Berries, Chocolate and Cream

Chocolate Cherry Slice

Easy waffles

Easy Apple Fritters

Ingredients for Easy Caramel Flan (Brazilian style)

Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar. However, it’s not the same as confectionary, icing, or powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but take care not to over-blitz it so a powder consistency. Regular white sugar would also work in this recipe.

Eggs – I used large eggs that weighed 58gm (2oz) each.

Full cream milk (whole milk) – Stick with full cream milk for the rich flavour and texture. If you don’t wish to use evaporated milk in this recipe, you could simply just use more fresh milk, just swap it for equal amounts.

Sweetened condensed milk – Supermarkets usually stock cans of condensed milk in the long-life milk section. It’s quite thick and sticky with a very sweet milky flavour. Skim condensed milk is also available, but make sure you get the regular one.

Evaporated milk – Supermarkets stock cans of condensed milk in the long life milk section. Evaporate milk is unsweetened and has the same consistency as fresh milk. It’s concentrated milk that is creamy in taste and texture.

How to make easy Caramel Flan (Brazilian style)

Step-by-step guide with photos

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens. Place a 20 or 23cm (8 or 9in) round cake ring tin into a deep baking tin. To make things easy, place a large heatproof sieve and mittens near the tins ready for use. Fill in your kettle with water up to the maximum level, then boil it.

In a blender, place in the eggs, then pour in the milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until there are no egg bits still visible. Leave the mixture in the blender jug and set it aside whilst working on the caramel.

In a small saucepan, place in the sugar and water, then place it over medium heat. Once the mixture bubbles, put a lid on the saucepan and cover for a minute (doing this dissolves any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan). Uncover and reduce the heat to medium-low, leaving sugar undisturbed (don’t mix). The mixture will start darkening and go from clear to amber and from here it can easily burn and if it does, you’ll have to start over again. As soon as the mixture develops a golden amber colour, remove the saucepan from the heat.

Working quickly but carefully, pour the caramel into the cake ring. Using mittens, tilt the cake tin so the caramel coats onto the sides of the tin and onto the middle. Coating the caramel around the tin will help with the removal of the flan. Pour the egg and milk mixture over a sieve and into the cake ring over the caramel. If you see any bubbles, pop them with a fork. Pour the boiled water into the baking tin until the water reaches halfway against the cake tin. Bake the flan for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Leave the flan to cool completely in its cake ring and leave it in the water bath. Once the flan has cooled down, place cling wrap/plastic film over the flan and leave it in its tin. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, run a small flat knife around the edges of the tin and around the outside of the inner ring. Place a large plate over the tin and turn the tin with the plate. The flan should fall onto the plate.

Leftovers – Wrap the flan with cling wrap to prevent it from drying out, then place it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It should be good for up to 2 to 3 days.

A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.

Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.

I would love to hear your thoughts or feedback on this post. If you have made this recipe, please show your support by commenting and rating this recipe. You can do this by scrolling down or by clicking the green circle on the left. To prevent spam on this site, an email address is required but it won’t be published.

Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre

Easy Caramel Flan (Brazilian style)

Catalina T

This delicious and easy Caramel Flan will keep for days, so it's a perfect dessert to prepare in advance when you're expecting guests

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Brazilian

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 411 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the caramel

• 1 cup caster sugar (or regular white sugar) (NOTE 1)
• ⅓ cup water

For the flan

• 4 large eggs (NOTE 2)
• 1 cup milk (full cream, whole milk) (NOTE 3)
• 1 cup evaporated milk (NOTE 4)
• 2 x 395 gm sweetened condensed milk tins (2x14oz) (NOTE 5)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens. Place a 20 or 23cm (8 or 9in) round cake ring tin into a deep baking tin. To make things easy, place a large heatproof sieve and mittens near the tins ready for use. Fill in your kettle with water up to the maximum level, then boil it.
  
• In a blender, place in the eggs, then pour in the milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until there are no egg bits still visible. Leave the mixture in the blender jug and set it aside whilst working on the caramel.
  
• In a small saucepan, place in the sugar and water, then place it over medium heat. Once the mixture bubbles, put a lid on the saucepan and cover for a minute (doing this dissolves any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan). Uncover and reduce the heat to medium-low, leaving sugar undisturbed (don't mix). The mixture will start darkening and go from clear to amber and from here it can easily burn and if it does, you'll have to start over again. As soon as the mixture develops a golden amber colour, remove the saucepan from the heat. 
  
• Working quickly but carefully, pour the caramel into the cake ring. Using mittens, tilt the cake tin so the caramel coats onto the sides of the tin and onto the middle. Coating the caramel around the tin will help with the removal of the flan. Pour the egg and milk mixture over a sieve and into the cake ring over the caramel. If you see any bubbles, pop them with a fork. Pour the boiled water into the baking tin until the water reaches halfway against the cake tin. Bake the flan for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
  
• Leave the flan to cool completely in its cake ring and leave it in the water bath. Once the flan has cooled down, place cling wrap/plastic film over the flan and leave it in its tin. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, run a small flat knife around the edges of the tin and around the outside of the inner ring. Place a large plate over the tin and turn the tin with the plate, the flan should fall onto the plate. 
  

Notes

(NOTE 1) Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar. However, it’s not the same as confectionary, icing, or powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but take care not to over-blitz it so a powder consistency. Regular white sugar would also work in this recipe.

(NOTE 2) Eggs – I used large eggs that weighed 58gm (2oz) each.

(NOTE 3) Full cream milk (whole milk) – Stick with full cream milk for the rich flavour and texture. If you don’t wish to use evaporated milk in this recipe, you could simply just use more fresh milk, just swap it for equal amounts.

(NOTE 4) Evaporated milk – Supermarkets stock cans of condensed milk in the long life milk section. Evaporate milk is unsweetened and has the same consistency as fresh milk. It’s concentrated milk that is creamy in taste and texture.

(NOTE 5) Sweetened condensed milk – Supermarkets usually stock cans of condensed milk in the long-life milk section. It’s quite thick and sticky with a very sweet milky flavour. Skim condensed milk is also available, but make sure you get the regular one.

Leftovers – Wrap the flan with cling wrap to prevent it from drying out, then place it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It should be good for up to 2 to 3 days.

A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.

Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 411kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 11gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 436mgSugar: 67gVitamin A: 420IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 333mgIron: 1mg