Orange Flan
From one country to the next, many dishes and ingredients can be named another way. Let’s take as an example French Fries 🍟 which are called “chips” in the UK. On the other hand, our North American chips (potato chips) are call “crisps” in Britain. UK and Ireland say “porridge” when referring to oatmeal.
Eggplant and “aubergine” 🍆, arugula and “rocket”, cilantro and “coriander leaves” are all the same… just named differently. In Europe, our famous hot dogs turn into “frankfurters” or “Vienna sausages”. The Dutch say “peanut cheese’ when talking about peanut butter, and it goes on and on…
Another one is Crème Caramel also called “flan” or “caramel pudding”. It’s a custard poured over a caramel sauce and baked in the oven in a water bath. When done, it’s inverted onto a plate and the caramel becomes the topping. Other countries 🌏 refer to “flan” as a type of savory tart not the dessert itself.
My take on this classic French sweet is incredibly delicious… it’s my Orange Flan! With a subtle citrus note 🍊 in the background, this impressive dessert is perfect to serve for any occasion. It’s a rich and creamy custard covered with a gorgeous caramel sauce! It’s so scrumptious… certainly a must try!
As sumptuous and elegant as it looks 😍, it’s actually quite easy to make! It takes less than 15 minutes to make the caramel, the ingredients for the custard are mixed in a blender and then everything is popped in the oven for 75 to 90 minutes… that’s it!
What really takes time ⏰ is the caramel which is still easy peasy! I use a skillet versus a saucepan because the bottom is wider therefore it takes less time to make it. Sugar and water are stirred until moistened and, without stirring, bring it to a boil.
When the color looks like honey, we start swirling the skillet gently until the mixture turns into a nice dark amber. After the color is reached, it’s poured quickly in a cake pan and swirled to cover the bottom. As it cools off, the caramel will harden and that’s perfectly normal.
Orange Flan is rich and I prefer using a 9-inch round cake pan for this application. If you want your flan to be thicker, you can use a smaller size of cake pan or ramekins. I certainly don’t recommend using a loaf pan as the center might not be thoroughly cooked.
Making the custard is easy as can be! Put everything (except orange zest) in a blender and process for 30 seconds ⏳ or until everything is well-mixed. To ensure there are no small particles of egg shells, strain the mixture through a sieve.
From there, I add my orange zest which boosts the citrus taste. It’s optional but I strongly recommend adding it. To prevent the custard from having chunks in it after it’s cooked, let the batter sit until there’s no bubbles on the surface.
As mentioned above, the custard is cooked in a water bath and it’s a must…
After being covered tightly with foil so the top doesn’t brown or crack and transfer to a large baking dish or roasting pan, hot water is poured to an inch deep or halfway up the sides of the cake pan. The “hot” water prevents the eggs 🥚 from curdling while evenly distributing the heat.
Each ovens temperature is not equal therefore it can take 75 to 90 minutes to cook the custard. To know when it’s done is when the edges are set but the middle is still slightly jiggly when gently shaking the cake pan.
After carefully removing the baking sheet or roasting pan from the oven, uncover the custard and let it cool in the water bath for 1 hour 🕐. Just like cheesecake or Pavlova, the change of temperature goes down gradually so the edges or top don’t crack due to the abrupt temperature change.
Sixty minutes later, remove from the water bath, wipe the bottom off and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for a few hours but for best results, leave it in the fridge overnight. The custard will still be creamy but will hold its shape better when it’s time to unmold.
The next day, run a knife 🔪 with a thin blade around the edges of the cake pan. To make the edges “neater”, rinse the knife often. Using a serving plate with a rim, place it on top of the cake pan and quickly invert it. If the flan doesn’t release, shake the pan gently.
There will be some caramel left in the pan so what I like to do is to pour it on top of the custard. You can always spoon the sauce on individual plates when serving. I decorate it with mixed berries 🍓 as a final touch.
This Orange Flan is an elevated version of a traditional one. With a beautiful citrus note in the background, it’s a decadent dessert that’s perfect to highlight any special occasion like Mother’s Day 👩🦰! Cover the plate with the leftover flan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Here are several more delicious dessert recipes for you to enjoy… 😀
– Maple Walnut Cake
– Mille-Feuille
– Coconut Cream Pie
– Red Velvet Cake
– Chocolate Éclairs
– Poires Belle Hélène
– Biscoff Icebox Cake
and for even more dessert recipes 🍰🍩, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert
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Orange Flan
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Ingredients
CARAMEL
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
CUSTARD
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup whole milk (substitute half-and-half)
- 2 large free-range eggs, room temperature
- 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice tips & tricks
- 1/4 tsp. fleur de sel
- 1 tsp. orange zest optional
- mixed berries, to garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300ºF.
CARAMEL
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add sugar and ¼ cup water; stir until sugar is moistened. Without stirring, bring to a boil.
- When the mixture starts turning golden, gently swirl the pan and cook until the color turns dark amber – it should take about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Pour caramel into the bottom of 9-inch round cake pan and swirl around to coat. Place the cake pan in a large baking dish or roasting pan and set aside.
CUSTARD
- In the jar of a blender, add the custard ingredients except orange zest and process for 30 seconds.
- Strain the mixture into a large bowl before adding orange zest, stir to blend.
- Let it sit until there’s no bubbles on the surface then pour it into the prepared cake pan. Cover tightly with foil before transferring the baking dish or roasting pan to the preheated oven.
- Fill up baking dish to about 1-inch with boiling water. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes or until the custard around the edges is set but still a little jiggly in the center.
- Carefully remove the baking dish/roasting pan from the heat and uncover. Let the flan cool in the water bath for 1 hour.
- Remove the cake pan from water bath, wipe it dry and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge overnight.
- To unmold, run a thin knife around the edges of the cake pan, rinsing it often.
- Place a serving plate with rim on top and quickly invert it. The flan should release but if not, shake the pan gently.
- Pour any caramel left behind in the cake pan on the flan before decorating with berries.
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Awesome! 😍 Perfect for this weekend.
This French dessert is ideal for any special occasion! Have a lovely day Bee 🌞