Mom’s Flan Cake Recipe (with Box Mix!)

ByRose Atwater January 10, 2024July 29, 2024 July 29, 2024

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This Flan Cake recipe is the perfect combination of buttery yellow cake plus a layer of delicious flan (aka Leche Flan – which is yummy custard) – topped with caramel. It’s a “magic” cake that is impressive, beautiful and delicious.

Originally published August 2015, updated January 2024.

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Flan Cake (aka Leche Flan Cake)

Do you like Flan? Have you ever had Leche Flan Cake? I first made this for my Mama years ago and it’s one of those recipes she’ll always love.

You see, my Mama loves Flan. Usually, she can’t remember what it’s called … it’s just “that dessert they have at the Mexican restaurant”… but I always know what she means. And she doesn’t read my blog so she won’t know I’m picking on her… 😉!

Anyway, several years ago, Richy’s grandmother (who was officially called “Mom” by all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) made this Flan Cake while we were down in Florida for a visit.

And while Flan is not at the top of my list of favorite desserts, the Flan Cake was really, really good and I knew my Mama would love it! I asked Mom (my grandmother-in-law) for the recipe and she happily shared!

She passed away several years ago so it’s a treasure to have this in my stash of recipes.

What is Flan?

Flan is a custard-based dessert, topped with a layer of caramel. To make flan, you start by caramelizing sugar and pouring it into a mold or small baking pan. Then a smooth blend of eggs, milk (evaporated and condensed), sugar, and extracts is poured over the caramel.

A water bath is used for baking the flan, then it is allowed to cool and solidify in the refrigerator. Before serving, the flan is flipped out of the pan (inverted), exposing the caramel layer that is now on top.

If made in a large bundt pan, it’s sliced before serving. Sometimes with extra caramel sauce drizzled over it.

Flan is especially popular in Latin countries, taking different forms such as Spanish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban flan. In the Philippines, it is known as leche flan, while the French rendition is referred to as creme caramel. Here we call it Mexican Flan because it’s most often found in Mexican restaurants.

Why You’ll Love Flan Cake

It’s the best of both worlds: cake and flan. Cake Flan. Flan Cake. If you love one or the other, you will quite possibly love the combination even more.

It’s best made ahead. Nothing makes me happier than a recipe I can make ahead and it’s even better if you do! This is that cake. The longer it chills, the better the texture is. The flan layer actually gets silkier and the cake soaks up the caramel and gets gooier. It’s amazing. So go ahead: make it a day or two or three ahead of time.

It’s 2-for-1: you get two cakes in one…pan. Ha!

It’s easy. I won’t say that this flan cake recipe is impossible to mess up – because I’ve burned the caramel more than I want to admit to – but overall, it is an easy recipe if you follow the instructions closely.

Why is Flan Cake called Impossible Cake or Magic Cake?

Why is flan cake called “impossible cake” or “magic cake”? Well, the cake inverts when you bake it – try to keep up.

You will start by pouring the yellow cake batter in the bottom of the pan, then pouring the custard (flan) on top.
As it bakes, the cake rises to the top, leaving the flan in the bottom.
However… when you flip it out to serve, then the layer of cake is on bottom with the layer of flan on top.

Did you get all that? Haha. Just trust me. This Magic Custard Cake works.

slice of flan cake on white plate with fork

Ingredients

There aren’t any fancy ingredients here. And while I include three extracts, I would not skip the vanilla but you could use any combination of the others (skip one or both).

Sugar
Water
Lemon Juice – fresh or bottled
Yellow Cake Mix (plus the ingredients on the box – usually eggs, vegetable oil and water) – I prefer Pillsbury or Duncan Hines.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Evaporated Milk
Large Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Brandy Extract

Substitutions

Extracts – the almond and brandy extracts can be omitted altogether or you can substitute another flavor if you like. Rum extract is one of my favorites to add instead of the brandy extract.

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Yellow Cake Mix

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Evaporated Milk

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Sweetened Condensed Milk

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Almond Extract

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Vanilla Extract

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How to Make Flan Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.
For this impossible cake, first, you’re going to caramelize some sugar. Add the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir until you have a wet sand texture, then continue cooking the sugar until you have a clear and amber-colored syrup. Do not stir while cooking. Remove from heat.
Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or rub down the inside of the pan with butter. Next, pour the caramelized sugar into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you move onto step #4.
Prepare the yellow cake mix according to the package directions and pour the batter over the cold sugar.

sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pot

cooked sugar in a bundt pan for flan cake

Next, for the flan mixture, grab a separate medium bowl. In it, mix the condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and lastly, the brandy, almond, and vanilla extracts.
Pour the custard mixture over the cake batter. The batter may float to the top… that’s okay!
Prepare a water bath by placing the bundt pan in a larger pan (I use a round cake pan) with 1/2″ of hot water. You could also use a large sheet cake pan or a large roasting pan.
Place both pans (the bundt pan sitting in the water bath) in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

milk ingredients in a mixing bowl next to cake batter in bundt pan for flan cake

Cover with a piece of foil and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes or until done (check with a toothpick).
Place the cake on a cooling rack. Remove the foil and cool for 15 minutes. When cooled, invert the bundt pan onto a cake serving plate. Make sure you get all the yummy caramel out of the pan!
Cool for another hour at room temperature, then chill for a minimum of 4 hours. Overnight up to a couple of days is better!

Variations

Caramel / Cajeta: If you want to skip the whole “making your own caramel” step, you can buy cajeta (pre-made caramel sauce)… which would’ve been great for me to have on hand considering I often burn my sugar once or twice every time I make this cake before getting it right.

Choco-Flan: When Mom gave me the recipe, she mentioned in passing that this Mexican Flan Cake could also be made as a Chocolate Flan Cake. Although she much preferred it with yellow cake, the version made with chocolate cake batter is sometimes called “Chocoflan.” I’ve made both and it too, is amazing.

Pro Tips

Freeze the pan with caramel! Do not skip the step where you freeze the pan while making the cake batter. This will prevent the caramel from mixing with the cake batter.

Serving Suggestions

Flan cake is great served straight out of the refrigerator or let it sit for a bit to come to room temperature if you want a softer cake.

You can serve it with extra caramel drizzled over the top if you like. It’s perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

This cake is a great dessert for family, friends, a birthday party, an office party, a Cinco de Mayo celebration, etc. It will impress anyone you make it for and you will get lots of ooohs and ahhhs.

flan cake with a slice cut out and laying on a white plate

Storage Directions

Refrigerator: If you have any leftovers (we rarely do), you’ll want to cover your cake with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Freezer: Flan cake can be frozen, however the texture may change slightly when thawed. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and/or place it in an airtight container before freezing. It will keep in the freeezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight) before serving.

FAQ

What is flan cake?

Imagine the combination of two delectable desserts – a rich, creamy custard and a soft, fluffy cake, topped with rich, golden caramel. This is Flan Cake, or magic custard cake, as some call it.

The cake is beautiful and the different textures make it a very unique cake. The cake is soft and spongy while the custard layer is very silky and smooth. Then the sweet caramel sauce over the top is the “icing on the cake.”

The delicate balance of sweetness, the play of textures, and the overall prettiness are what make the Flan Cake so impressive!

Can you freeze flan cake?

Yes. When wrapped properly, flan cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. See the details here.

What is this easy flan cake recipe made of?

Flan cake is made of a layer of yellow cake, custard (eggs, sugar and milks), and caramel or caramelized sugar.

More Amazing Cakes

Do you have any questions about this recipe? As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with caramelizing sugar… hehe.