Chocoflan

What happens if we combine the worlds of chocolate cake and flan? We get chocoflan, of course, a classic Mexican dessert that magically switches layers as it bakes. 

Also known as pastel imposible, or impossible cake, you cook it in a bundt pan, first placing a layer of cajeta, a type of caramel syrup, followed by cake batter and finally the flan layer.

It is during baking that the magic happens: the flan layer and cake layer switch places. When the chocoflan comes out of the oven and is flipped over, you have chocolate cake on the bottom with a wonderfully jiggly, creamy, custardy flan layer on top.

Similar to Mennonite funny cake pie, what we are witnessing is an inversion caused by a reaction with the baking powder in the cake mix which cause the batter to rise. Simultaneously the flan portion, being denser, sinks.

And of course, when it comes out of the oven and you invert it, you’re left with the flan on top, and the chocolate cake on bottom.

So big thanks to all of my beautiful lovelies who suggested this recipe via Twitter and Instagram. And even bigger thanks to Claudia and Nuria for sending me tips and tricks on how to make my chocoflan come out perfectly.

I adapted the Betty Crocker chocoflan recipe which you can find here.

Chocolate cake on white plate with caramel flan layer on top.

Chocoflan

Also known as Mexican chocoflan, pastel imposible, or impossible cake, the layers of this cake will magically switch layers as it bakes. 
4.45 from 25 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Resting time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 10 people
Calories 504 kcal

Equipment

  • bundt pan
  • stand mixer
  • blender
  • baking pan
  • Conventional oven
  • measuring cups

Ingredients
  

Topping

  • 1/4 cup cajeta

Cake

  • 1 box cake mix chocolate fudge
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil vegetable
  • 3 eggs

Flan

  • 1 can condensed milk 14 oz
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 splash vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F.
  • Pour cajeta  in bottom of bundt pan.
  • For the cake: In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
  • Pour batter over caramel topping in pan.
  • For the flan: In a blender, place flan ingredients, then cover. Blend on high speed about 20 seconds or until smooth.
  • Slowly pour mixture evenly over cake batter. (Flan mixture will mix with batter, but will separate while baking.)
  • Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, placing the sprayed side down over the top of the pan, scrunching the edges to seal.
  • Place the bundt pan into a second pan that can accommodate the bundt pan and an inch of boiling water.
  • Bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  • Remove cake pan from water bath to cooling rack; remove foil. Cool at room temperature one hour. Refrigerate in pan, uncovered, two hours.
  • When ready to serve, remove the cake from the refrigerator. Place the serving plate upside down on the cake pan and invert both the plate and pan. You may need to jiggle the pan to get the cake out.
  • Remove pan.

Notes

Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator. 
Cajeta is a rich, creamy spread made from caramelized sugar and milk (traditionally goat’s milk). It can be used in desserts or as a topping for a variety of sweet dishes. Sometimes referred to as “dolce de leche,” you can find it in the Latin section of the supermarket, Latin corner stores, or online. If you aren’t able to find it, you can substitute caramel sauce instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 504kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 11gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 498mgPotassium: 414mgFiber: 1gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 340IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 265mgIron: 3mg
Keyword cake mix, Chocolate, Cinco de Mayo, dessert flan, dulce de leche, impossible cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

10 thoughts on “Chocoflan”

  1. It’s a beautiful cake, however not being a fan of flan (haha, a fan of flan!), I think I’d put the caramel sauce on bottom, cake batter on top, and bake like that. I’m thinking of adding a light caramel with whipped cream folded in as the topping once the cake is baked. Or, I could do a combination chocolate and caramel sauce for the topping. Any other ideas?

  2. Could you tell us what size bundt pan you used and what size cake pan you used for the water bath?

  3. I use a large stone binder pan from pampered chef and it more than fills it. Yummy! I make the cajeta from scratch and it is more than delish.

  4. What size of Bundt pan is this? I’d love to make it but it seems my burnt pan might be smaller than what you use. Please and thank you.

  5. I made this cake once with German chocolate cake mix because that’s what i had on hand. It was so good! I’m making it again with vanilla cake that i mixed cinnamon into!

  6. 5 stars
    I just tried my hand at making this and I absolutely loved the way it came out! The only challenge was waiting those several hours for it to cool and set up since it made the house smell so yummy. Thanks for this!

  7. 5 stars
    I love this so much and I have never liked flan, but IMO it has to be completely cool in the fridge overnight. Trust me it makes a huge difference. I put a few spins on it though. I use
    moist devil’s food cake mix and replace the water with coffee liquor sometimes I do the whole 1 cup others I will just do 3/4 cup coffee liquor and 1/4 cup water . I also like to use just a little extra Cajeta like 1/3 cup.

  8. 5 stars
    Great recipe. I used 1/2 cup of cajeta. Make the cajeta from Canned goats milk that you can find at Vons. Add sugar and clove and cook it down 45 mins.

  9. 5 stars
    I make this cake for all family functions and holidays! It’s a favorite 🤩 so yummy appealing to the eye 👁
    It’s super moist I use chocolate fudge and I’ve used dark chocolate both came out very good 😊

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