Leche Flan Recipe
Leche flan is a popular Filipino delicacy made with eggs and milk with a sweet caramel sauce toppings. This ultra-rich and creamy custard dessert is perfect to serve at parties.
Equipment
- 4 medium llanera
- Tong
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- sieve or strainer or cheesecloth
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons sugar
- 12 large egg yolks
- 1 can (397g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (410g) evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon lime zest or lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
Preparing the caramel
- Put 2 tablespoons of sugar in a llanera mold.
- Over low heat, place the llanera on top of the stove.
- When the sugar starts to liquefy, spin the llanera in a circular motion with tongs to prevent the sugar from burning and to ensure even caramelization.
- Once all of the granules have gone liquid and are light brown, remove them from the heat.
- Set aside to cool and firm. Repeat same procedure with the remaining llanera molds.
Preparing the custard mixture
- In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk.
- Gently whisk using fork or whisk. Important note: DO NOT beat too fast to prevent creating lot of bubbles.
- Gradually pour in the evaporated milk while stirring constantly.
- Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla extract until everything is completely combined.
- Using a cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve, strain the egg-milk mixture to remove any stray egg whites and lime zest. Do this at least 2 times or more.
- Pour around 1 cup mixture into the llanera and tightly cover top with foil.
Cooking the leche flan
- By steaming. Boil water in the steamer and put heat to low, water should be simmering not boiling. Place llaneras in the steamer and cook for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.
- By Oven. Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180 °C. Place llaneras in a large, oven-safe baking dish with about 1 inch of hot water (bain marie or water bath). Bake for around 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.
Cooling and Serving the leche flan
- Remove from the steamer or oven and set aside to cool. Chill for about an hour or until totally set.
- Remove the flan from the mold when ready to serve. Run a knife along the inside edges. Invert the flan onto a serving plate and cover with caramel.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Traditionally, leche flan is made in llaneras. If not available, you can also use a bundt pan or a round cake pan. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the mold.
- When making the caramel, be careful not to burn the sugar. Burned sugar imparts a bitter flavor to the Leche Flan.
- Beat the custard mixture gently and in one direction only to prevent creating lot of bubbles. Remove air bubbles as much as possible to create a silky smooth flan.
- Do not overcook the flan or it will begin to develop tiny holes or become rubbery.
