A combination flan and chocolate cake and the layers flip during baking – no wonder this cake is called “il pastel impossible”. This cake has been on my to-do list for a while and it was quite delightful. The flan was creamy and milky and the cake was dark and dense but not dry. This recipe was from the NYT and is by Esteban Castillo.

This cake needs some prep work. First buy a can each of Dulce de leche and one can of evaporated milk. If you can’t find Dulce de leche – you can make it from condensed milk as I did (link here). Also this cake takes 1.5-2 hours to cook and 2-3 hours to chill before it can be unmolded – so plan accordingly or else your family will be disappointed during dinner and have the cake for breakfast the next day (like mine did).

Flan: in a blender – 1 can (13 oz) dulce de leche. 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, 4 oz cream cheese, 1.5 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt and 5 large eggs- Blend for about a minute

Cake: measure the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (160g all purpose flour, 200 g granulated sugar, 50 gm unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon , 1/2 tsp kosher salt.)

Add 6 tbsp of softened room temp butter and mix for about 4-5 min using the paddle attachment till the mixture appears as wet sand

Add the wet ingredients (1/2 cup brewed coffee , 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla) and beat on slow till combined. Then beat mixture on high for 2 minutes till the color lightens and the cake batter becomes fluffy.

Now the fun part – liberally spray a 10 cup Bundt pan with bakers spray – add the cake mixture and flatten it. Then very gently add the flan mixture on top. Cover with greased aluminum foil and place it in a large roasting pan. Add tap water to the roasting pan – about 2 inches or so. Bake at 350 for 1.5- 2 hours till a skewer comes out almost clean. This is where the instructions become a little iffy – my skewer came out almost clean at 90 minutes but my flan was a lighter color. But it tasted good

Cool on counter top for 30 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours till the flan sets. Next – loosen the edges a little bit using a thin flat palette knife and invert on a plate and hope for the best. Mine came out after 2-3 minutes of worrying.

Enjoy the flan-cake with some coffee