Creamy chocolate flan↩ back

Flans come in various shapes and flavors, but my favorite is the ultra-creamy version you find in high-end pastry shops in France. The classic vanilla flan is my preference, it's lighter than the chocolate variant, though I won't deny the occasional indulgence in a rich chocolate treat.

Ingredients

• 450ml whole milk¹
• 150g liquid cream (30/35%)
• 80g dark chocolate²
• 65g caster sugar³
• 40g cornstarch
• 1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks

Recipe

Using a whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture turns pale. Then, add the cornstarch and continue whisking until the texture is smooth.

While preparing this, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

As soon as it reaches a boiling point (when you see the first bubbles), remove it from the stove and pour it into the egg mixture, whisking continuously until well combined. Quickly return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over low to moderate heat.

The goal here is to make a pastry cream (or « crême pâtissière »).

This step is crucial: you must keep the mixture moving while it cooks to prevent the eggs from curdling. Do not stop whisking! Keep stirring continuously, ensuring it does not reach a boiling point (no bubbles). You’ll notice it thickening gradually.

If it seems to be thickening too quickly, remove the pan from the heat, continue stirring to redistribute the heat, and then return it to the stove.

Once the mixture has thickened enough to coat the whisk but still flows slowly, remove it from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until fully melted. Then, add the liquid cream and gently stir until combined.

Pour the final mixture into a baking pan. I use a 14x6cm springform pan with a flat bottom, which is the perfect size for this recipe (note that the flan will rise a bit in the oven).

Bake for 35 minutes.

The flan will still be fairly liquid when it comes out of the oven. Don't worry, it will gradually solidify as it cools. I typically let it cool at room temperature for about 3 hours, then refrigerate it for at least 2 to 3 more hours.

This last step is optional, but I like to finely chop some of the chocolate used in the recipe and sprinkle it on top of the flan while it cools. This adds a bit of crunchiness, making it even more delicious.

Going further

A few ideas to improve this recipe or do variants:

• Bury some unmelted chocolate chunks to the pastry cream right before shoving it into the oven.
• Make a shortcrust pastry and use it as a base for the flan. Even better, make it a chocolate shortcrust pastry.

Nutrition facts

Approximately 199kcal per 100g (without topping).

Note: nutritional value may vary depending on the specific brands and ingredients used.