Leche Flan

Cook Time 10 Minutes Prep + 1 Hour Cooking + 1 Hour Chilling

Servings 8

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
4 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 can (375ml) evaporated milk
1 can (395g/300ml) sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Method

Heat the sugar in a small saucepan, swirling the saucepan regularly until the sugar liquefies and turns to a golden caramel. Watch the caramel closely as it can burn easily. Pour into the base of a 20cm diameter round or similar sized oval baking tin and allow to harden for a few minutes at room temperature. There is no need to line or grease the tin.

Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour through a fine sieve over the caramel to remove any lumps.

Put the baking tin into the basket of a bamboo steamer and steam over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the centre is just barely set (test by tapping or wiggling the tin and watching the ripples on the top of the flan) and then remove from the heat. It’s best to take the flan off the heat while the centre is still a little wobbly, as it will continue to set off the heat.

Alternatively, if you prefer to bake the leche flan: put the baking tin inside a larger baking tray and place into a 180C (traditional) oven. Pour boiling water into the larger tray until it comes halfway up the sides of the leche flan tin, bake for about 1 hour, and then remove from the oven.

Allow the flan to cool to room temperature, cover with foil, and then refrigerate for at least an hour until chilled and well set. Run a knife or spatula around the edge of the flan and turn it out onto a large serving plate. Slice and serve.