Coconut flan with orange caramel - Laylita's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my flan not creamy? ›

Too many air bubbles will cause your flan to be spongey and not creamy. Using a water bath helps the flan cook evenly and not too fast. If the flan cooks fast, it will create air bubbles. We don't want air bubbles in our flan.

Add condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, milk, coconut, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour over hardened caramel in the baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until custard is set, about 45 minutes.

Why is my flan spongy? Custard-based desserts require low and slow cooking. If you overcook or cook it too fast, the mixture will curdle and become spongy or grainy. To regulate the temperature, use a water bath when baking or steam over simmering (not boiling) water.

Despite its gelatinous appearance and texture, there is no gelatin in flan. Flan gets its distinctive texture from fat and protein-rich ingredients such as eggs and a long slow water bath bake.

It's normal. Caramel hardens when you pour it into a ramekin but gradually melts into syrup during cooking. If the layer of caramel poured into a ramekin is too thick, it will not have time to completely melt during cooking.

Quickly pour the hot caramel into the bottom of each ramekin. (The caramel will harden against the bottom of the ramekin almost immediately – this is normal, so don't worry about it!)

Despite having a lot of sugar, which is a preservative, flan also has milk and eggs, which have a high protein and moisture content. This makes it a fertile breeding ground for unwanted, harmful bacteria.

Texture: Mexican flan is known for being denser and creamier in texture, while Vietnamese flan is more smooth and silky. Serving style: Mexican flan is usually served in a deep dish or ramekin, and the caramel sauce is poured over the top.

When it comes to crème brûlée and flan, it's mostly the toppings that distinguishes the two, as well as the presentation. The former has that signature crackly sugar crust on top, and the latter has the gooey, soft caramel top.

Additionally, flan involves the process of baking the custard on top of the caramel, then flipping it after it's cooked and cooled. Creme brulee involves baking the custard alone, then sprinkling with sugar and using a torch to caramelize as mentioned above.

Why is my flan caramel bitter? ›

The most intimidating part of the recipe is to successfully caramelize the sugar. Not dark enough, and the caramel isn't flavorful enough. Too dark, and the caramel is bitter. It can be tricky to get the right color, so it's important you stay at the stove and monitor the sugar once it starts to turn amber in color.

a perfectly cooked flan should be firm around the edge. and still have a little bit of a jiggle to it in the center, it'll finish setting as it cools.

The oven temperature isn't high enough for the plastic wrap to melt and it gives you a clear view of the flan while baking. However, if plastic in the oven gives you the heebie-jeebies, foil can step up to the plate as well. Covering the custard not only prevents it from forming a skin, but also helps it cook faster.

Place pans in oven and bake uncovered for 1 hour. Cover loosely with foil and bake another 30 minutes. Remove flan pan from larger pan and cool before refrigerating overnight (or at least 8 hours).

You may be tempted to cook the finished flan a little more because it seems a bit strange to have call a jiggling dish fully cooked, but please don't. Overcooking is what causes that “acne-like” look of the imperfect flans and gives it a too eggy taste plus a bit rubbery, unpleasant texture.

The flan is ready to be removed from the oven when it has begun to set. Gently shake the pan: the centers of the custard should jiggle slightly. You can also insert the tip of a knife into the custard near the center; if the flan is still liquid, it needs more time in the oven.

Problem 2 – Flans have ugly bubbles all around it; also the inside is not smooth. This is caused by too high baking/steaming temperature or too long baking time that makes the milk start boiling in the mixture, lead to overcooked flan.

Don't skip the water bath. The steady and steamy temperature is what makes flans silky and soft. Always bake at the suggested temperature; steaming the flans at a higher temperature will make them flat, bubbly with holes all over, or have a rubbery texture.

Over baking will create a rubbery texture that's too firm. The custard is done when the edges are set but the center still jiggles. Once out of the oven, the custard will continue to cook a bit due to residual heat, so be sure to remove the flans from the oven while they still have some jiggle in them.