Impossible Cake

Time :2 30

Yield :12 servings

Delicious caramel sauce-glazed bundt cake topped with a rich caramel drizzle, perfect for dessert or special occasions. Moist, flavorful, and beautifully presented on a white plate.

The Scoop

Kinda chic to make this cake...

This Chocoflan situation -aka the Impossible Cake- is pure, unadulterated kitchen sorcery, giving major "I defied physics for dessert" energy.

You pour the dense chocolate cake batter in first and the liquid flan on top, but thanks to density magic and steam in the water bath, they completely flip places while baking. Inverting the pan to reveal a slick layer of cajeta dripping over silky custard and rich coffee-cocoa cake is the ultimate mic-drop moment for any dinner party.

Hack it:

Espresso, what else? Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder or fine instant coffee directly to the cocoa and flour mixture to amplify the deep, rich chocolate flavor profile.

Salted Caramel: Swap standard cajeta for a high-quality salted caramel sauce or add a generous pinch of flaky sea salt over the cajeta layer to balance the extreme sweetness of the condensed milk.

Toasted Coconut Topping: Garnish the inverted cake with shredded toasted coconut or toasted chopped pecans right before serving for a shatteringly crisp texture contrast against the smooth custard.

Leftovers:

Chocoflan Sundae Smash: Slice any leftover cake into a bowl, scoop a ball of vanilla bean ice cream on top, and finish with hot fudge and toasted almonds.

Iced Coffee Chocoflan Milkshake: Blend a small slice of leftover cake into a cup of cold brew and whole milk with ice for an insanely indulgent, velvety milkshake.

Single-Serve Dessert Pots: Portion leftovers into individual mini mason jars, seal tightly, and keep in the fridge for up to four days for effortless late-night sweet cravings.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1/4 cup cajeta sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons strong-brewed coffee
1 cup whole milk

For the flan:

2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour the base and the sides of a 10-inch fluted tube pan.
Fill a shallow baking pan with enough water to come 1/3 of the way up the sides of the tube pan.
Place the water bath in the oven to warm up while the oven is preheating.
Pour the cajeta sauce into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until warm and pourable, about 1 minute.
Pour the warmed cajeta sauce into the prepared tube pan, covering the base of the tube pan completely.
In a large bowl, add the flour, the cocoa powder, the baking soda, and the baking powder and mix to combine.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the sugar to the butter and beat until light and fluffy.
Add 1 of the eggs and the coffee to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, mixing the batter well between additions.
Pour the cake batter evenly over the cajeta sauce in the tube pan.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the evaporated milk, the condensed milk, the remaining eggs, and the vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
Pour the flan mixture over the cake batter through a fine sieve.
Place the tube pan in the preheated water bath and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Allow the cake to cool, about 1 hour.
Carefully run a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover the cake with a serving plate and flip the cake onto the plate.
Serve.