Food Friday

This is delicious! Mmmmm....  I am not one to use the Food Network to get recipes from, but that's where this one came from after seeing the show, Mexican Made Easy with Marcela Valladolid.  I just happened upon it one day, which is why I didn't get to see the whole cake being done.  But I got the most important part...the finish!!  Oh, it looked delightful!  Piqued my interest intensely!  My husband has a wicked sweet tooth (but is picky about it), so I am always on the lookout for wonderful recipes such as this.

I did next to nothing to change this recipe, I don't feel comfortable enough as a baker to do so, but I wouldn't want to with this one!  The only change was I used splenda in the cake and I didn't have and couldn't find cajeta.  I picked up a caramel ice cream syrup, but found that it wasn't thick, as all!  So, the next time I make it, and there will be a next time, I will be looking for cajeta or a thick sauce.  But, SO GOOD!!  We tried it warm and again after refrigeration...I like it warm the best.  You just have to give this a try if you like desserts at all!

Chocoflan

Ingredients

• 12-cup capacity Bundt pan
• Softened butter, to coat pan
• 1/4 cup cajeta or thick caramel sauce

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar (I used splenda)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

• 1/4 cup cajeta or thick caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.

For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.

Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Cook's Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it's inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.

Flan is a rich, creamy, cooked egg custard. It is often flavored with vanilla and baked in a water bath to retain its delicacy.

Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as a dessert on its own or as a topping. Also known as "dulce de leche," it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce.