Reversed Impossible Chocolate Flan

Melissa Clark

• Time1 hour, plus 2 hours' cooling
• Yield10 to 12 servings

 

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

In this magical recipe by Ben Mims from his cookbook "Sweet & Southern" (Rizzoli 2014), vanilla cake and chocolate custard are layered into a Bundt pan before baking. In the oven, the two switch places, with the heavier custard sinking while the cake rises to the surface. Once unmolded, you end up with a tender band of cake on the bottom and creamy, wobbly flan on top. It’s rich, soft, deeply fudgy and a hit at dinner parties.

Ingredients

For the cake batter

•  Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups/185 grams all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon/3 grams kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon/3 grams baking soda
• ½ teaspoon/2 grams baking powder
• ¾ cup/177 milliliters unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon/15 milliliters distilled white vinegar or coconut vinegar
• 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters coconut extract (optional)
• 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
• 1 stick/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup/150 grams sugar
• 1 large egg

For the custard

• 1 14-ounce can/414 milliliters sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-ounce can/355 milliliters evaporated milk
• ½ cup/37 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Preparation

Make the batter

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together coconut milk, vinegar and extracts.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg. Beat in flour mixture and then coconut milk mixture until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.

Make the custard

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Hold a soup spoon upside down over the cake batter in pan and gently pour custard over the back of the spoon so it lands gently on cake batter without disturbing it.
2. Set Bundt pan in a large roasting pan and place in oven on the center rack. Pour enough very hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of Bundt pan. As cake bakes, custard will sink to bottom of pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer Bundt pan to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours.
3. To serve, place a plate or platter upside down over the Bundt pan and invert.

Adapted from “Sweet & Southern” by Ben Mims