Impossible Cake: Chocolate Flan Cake With Caramel And Pistachios

Can't decide between rich chocolate cake and creamy caramel flan? Then we have the perfect recipe for you! This chocolate caramel flan cake combines the two, bringing you an absolutely irresistible dessert. Popular in Mexico, this cake called pastel imposible, or impossible cake, combines layers of rich, moist chocolate cake with a deliciously smooth, creamy caramel flan. We're serving this yummy dessert on a gorgeous homemade caramel nest and topping it off with gooey caramel sauce and pistachios. Elegant, decadent, and easier than you might think to make, this dessert is making the impossible possible – and delicious!

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate

You'll Need:

For the chocolate cake layer:

  • 1¼ sticks butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3⅓ cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ¾ cup plain yogurt
  • ⅓ cup milk

For the flan layer:

  • 1 cup milk
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (approx. 14 oz)
  • ½ cup cream cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the caramel nest & sauce:

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp chopped pistachios

For the topping:

  • ½ cup chopped pistachios

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch bundt cake pan. For the chocolate cake, beat together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until the mixture becomes creamy and turns a light color. Add in the egg and continue to beat the mixture on the highest setting. Add in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, plain yogurt, and milk and continue beating until the batter becomes creamy and smooth.

2. Pour the chopped pistachios for the topping into the bundt cake pan and spoon the chocolate cake batter on top. Tap the bundt cake pan on the counter to spread the batter around evenly.

3. For the flan, beat the eggs, milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on the highest setting until combined. Position a spoon over the bundt cake pan and pour the flan mixture directly onto the spoon so that it gently covers the chocolate cake batter.

4. Place the bundt cake pan in a large casserole dish and fill the casserole dish halfway with hot water. Place a lid on the bundt cake pan, transfer the casserole dish to the oven, and bake the impossible cake at 350°F for 90 minutes. Once the impossible cake has baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for at least 2 hours.

5. For the caramel nest, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan. Slowly caramelize the sugar until it turns a light golden color, then remove it from the heat. Dip a fork into the caramel and drip the liquid caramel in thin lines over a metal or stone surface. Once the caramel has solidified, use your hands to gently mold the caramel into a ring. For the caramel sauce, add the heavy cream to the leftover caramel in the saucepan and bring it to a light boil. Once the caramel sauce has cooked briefly, remove it from the heat and let it cool down slightly.

6. Flip the impossible cake over onto a serving dish or platter, place the caramel nest around it, and top it off with caramel sauce and some additional chopped pistachios.

Between the flan, chocolate cake, and homemade caramel sauce, this impossible cake is absolutely unbeatable. Trust us, it's flan-tastic!

Get the recipe for the Caramel Walnut Flan featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty