Pumpkin Cheese Flan
Who doesn’t love an ultra silky and creamy flan?! This flan is the perfect recipe for any fall celebration you have. The texture is ultra creamy thanks to the pumping pureé, the cream cheese and the sweetened condensed milk, which is the only sweetener in this recipe. Thanks to the burnt caramel and the Italian meringue on top, you don’t need extra sugar for the flan. In this post I’ll tell you how to make a pumpkin flan with a smooth and silky texture and a caramel sauce that is just a notch before being burnt. This almost burnt caramel sauce is what gives flan it’s distinctive and unique flavor!
I have always loved a good creamy and caramel-y flan. It’s such a treat and a rare thing when you find a flan that hits all the notes: creamy, smooth, no bubbles and caramel sauce almost burnt without being bitter. There’re very few places that would serve such a flan, and when I’m in one of them, I wouldn’t even consider ordering anything else from the dessert menu. Also, I wouldn’t even consider using my sweet intake allowance on a bad flan. I think a bad flan has to be one of the more disappointing things in the world!!
Flan drama aside, I think so many people will feel that way because a flan is such a humble and noble dessert that its textures are all that it has. Flavors among flan don’t vary as much because they all have to have the same ingredients in order to be a flan. It’s the ratios and how you treat it through the whole process that makes all the difference in the texture. You eat a flan to experience that particular texture. Well, at least I do. It’s what I love most about it!
I remember tasting this flan for the very first time at a Thanksgiving a few years back, when my sister-in-law made it. And I remember being very surprised about loving it so much because I’m not a a big fan of pumpkin desserts. But that flan was a nice revelation and I’m so happy to have tasted it then. Of course, I needed to share it with you for this fall season! And my sister-in-law was so kind to share the recipe with us!
One of the things I love about this flan is that it only uses sweetened condensed milk as a sweetener, no more sugar is needed. Compared to other flan recipes that call for condensed milk plus large amounts of additional sugar, this flan recipe keeps sugar on the lower side. A whole can of pumpkin, a whole box of cream cheese and using only egg yolks instead of whole eggs help in creating that rich silky texture I’ve been talking since the beginning. Let me tell you step by step how to make this amazing pumpkin flan:
How to make a Pumpkin Flan
The first step in making a flan is to make the caramel sauce. This is pretty tricky because you need to stretch the cooking almost to the point that it’s almost burnt for that distinctive and particular flavor of flan. The problem is that this is like avocados; one second it’s far from done and the next second it’s completely burned. Besides cues from cooking times and color, you need to activate your nose. The caramel is done when the color is deep golden brown and it smells pretty sweet and caramelized without smelling bitter or rancid. If you reached that stage there’s simply nothing that can be done and you need to throw that sugar away and start again. That sweet spot is something that you learn with experience. My suggestion is that if you are making this for the first time and don’t have too much time to play around, play it safe and retire from heat just when it reaches a deep golden color. On the other hand, if you find yourself with a bit of time, try experimenting a bit with your caramel sauce. The cots of it is minimum and trust me, nothing more empowering than mastering the 1-second-shy-from-burning point!
As soon as your caramel sauce is done, you need to pour it immediately in your baking dish. Remember that it will harden as soon as it’s no longer over heat so you have to act carefully but fast.
Next, mix the flan ingredients in the blender. Since flan is a type of custard you don’t want to incorporate too much air to the mixture. That’s why you are going to mix in the lowest setting and the minimum amount of time, just until the mixture looks homogeneous.
I like to pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any bits of pumpkin, cheese or egg yolk that may be still floating in the liquid. Even a tiny particle could hurt the final flan texture. You may place a large sieve on top of your pan and pour the mixture through.
A bain marie is another key in baking a flan with a rich and smooth texture. The hot water evenly distributes heat around the flan, preventing dry or cracked tops and curdled eggs before the flan is fully cooked. You need to half fill a large baking dish with hot water (like a roasting pan or a large lasagna dish) and place the pan on it. Then you’ll transfer that and bake in 325° for about 90 minutes. A low temperature is also key in a nice, smooth flan.
It’s very important that after baked and completely cooled down, the flan is chilled for almost a full day. If you can make it ahead even two days before even better. The chilling is the last step in the cooking process because the cold air will finish setting up the custard.
When you are ready to serve, run a sharp pairing knife all the way down between the walls of the dish and the flan to get them separated. Place the pan in a shallow baking dish with hot water (I just heated water in the microwave for this). A few minutes will help the caramel sauce soften and release the flan better. Turn the pan over your serving dish and wait a moment until it falls down. Gently press down the pan to help releasing the flan. If it’s not coming down, return the pan to more hot water for a couple of more minutes and try to turn again. When it comes down, scrape all the caramel sauce over.
The meringue on top is totally optional but if you are going to have the remaining egg whites, you better give them some good use! I know meringue is not traditional on a flan, but I think it compliments its texture and does wonders for the whole tasting experience. Egg white freezes so well. Just place them in a plastic bag and freeze. When ready to use, place them in a bowl with hot tap water for a few minutes.
It’s all in the details my friends! As you can see, it’s not a complicated recipe, you just need to take care of some details through the steps. Once you make this pumpkin flan, you will want to make it and bring it everywhere. Hope you love this one as much as I do and hope it becomes part of your holiday table!
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Pumpkin Flan
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheese Flan
◯ Natural granulated sugar - ½ cup + 1 TBSP
◯ Egg yolks - 3 (freeze the whites in a Ziplcoc-type plastic bag to make the meringue. To defrost them, just place the bag in hot water for a few minutes)
◯ Condensed milk - 14 oz. (1 can)
◯ Evaporated milk - 12 oz. (1 large can)
◯ Cream cheese - 8 oz. (1 box)
◯ Pumpkin Puree - 15 oz. (1 can)
◯ Vanilla extract - 1 TBSP
◯ Pinch of salt
Meringue
◯ Egg whites, at room temperature - 3
◯ Water - ½ cup + 2 TBSP
◯ Natural granulated sugar - ¾ cup
◯ Cream of tartar - ¼ tsp
◯ Lemon or vinegar to rub the bowl and whisk attachment
Details
Yield:
about 10 slices
Total time:
2 hours plus chilling overnight or more
Active Time:
5 minutes to make the caramel, 10 minutes to prepare the flan mixture and 10 minutes to make the meringue
Baking time:
about 1.5 hours
Equipment:
loaf pan or baking dish, blender, larger baking dish for the bain marie
Steps
To make the pumpkin flan:
Preheat the oven to 325 °.
Have readily accesible the baking dish for the flan.
Place the ½ cup of sugar with a teaspoon of water in a small saucepan. Use a water-soaked pastry brush to drag down any sugar that has stuck to the sides of the pan. Heat until the sugar is completely melted to a deep golden color, almost burnt. This process should take between 3 to 5 minutes. Do not stir the contents of the saucepan at any time. Immediately pour the caramel into the baking dish.
In a blender mix the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining tablespoon of sugar, on the lowest speed and only until the mixture looks homogeneous. Place a strainer over the baking dish and pour the mixture over the caramel.
Place the baking dish in a shallow ovenproof container and fill it halfway with hot water to make the bain-marie. Bake for an hour and a half, until the flan looks dry but jiggles when you shake it. Let it cool down completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge. The flan should be left to cool in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 10 hours and if it can be left a whole day before serving, even better.
When it’s time to remove the flan from the baking dish, use a sharp kitchen knife and run it along the edges to separate the flan. Place the flan in a dish with hot water for 1 minute to loosen the caramel and turn it on your serving plate. Wait a minute or press down the bottom of the dish a bit so that the flan gets released and falls off. If it is not releasing from the pan, repeat the process of putting the flan in hot water for a minute and try turning it again.
Cover with the meringue if desired.
Note: I used a loaf pan about 5” high. If you are using a shorter pan, bake only for about an hour.
To make the meringue:
Use a lemon wedge or a little vinegar to rub the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment. Place the egg whites and the ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar in the mixer and begin to whip them on medium-high speed (level #6 in the Kitchen Aid) so that the whites already are forming soft peaks when adding the syrup.
While the whites are whipping, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat on high until a thermometer reads 240°. Do not stir the mixture at any time. Immediately pour it over the meringue in a fine stream while the mixer is running. Increase to high speed (level #8) and whip for approximately 8 minutes, until the outside of the bowl feels at room temperature. Smear the meringue over the flan with a spoon or a decorative-tipped pastry pipe.
