Flan: Friend or enemy? Videos included 👀📹

The first time I made store-bought flan, it turned out perfectly! It was a premix flan with ready-made caramel sauce. All I had to do was add milk, mix, and let it chill in the fridge. Easy peasy.

The first time I made flan from scratch, it was a catastrophe. I couldn’t get the caramel right—it crystallized, burned, stuck to the pan, and turned into a disaster. The flan custard was fine, though. I used to cook it on the stove because I didn’t have an oven. After cooking it for an hour, the key was letting it set in the fridge before flipping it and unmolding it. But... sometimes I didn’t wait long enough. And, well, you can imagine: a sad, runny, collapsed flan mess.

Caramel is pivotal for flan. It’s something important.

Can you imagine a 12-year-old girl trying to make caramel?

I burned myself a few times, ruined a few pans (my mom was not very happy about that), and even melted some silicone spatulas that turned out not to be heat-resistant. And, of course, I wasted a lot of sugar.

So yes, making something from scratch can be challenging and frustrating... until you finally nail it and get really good at it 👌😁. Practice makes perfect.💫

After more than a hundred tries (slight exaggeration), making caramel became effortless. So naturally, my following flan attempts turned out perfectly.

That said, I love experimenting with different techniques and ingredients. Some variations turned out amazing—like cornstarch flan or cream cheese flan. Which, by the way, is what I attempted twice this week.

Wednesday, April :The day was flan-perfect. The caramel ✅✅. I had a can of Peach Halves in Syrup in the fridge, so I cut them into slices and arranged them beautifully in the mold before the caramel set. I'd watched a cream cheese flan recipe from a trusted baker, guaranting ultra-creamy results, so I had to try it.

The mixture seemed decent, though I suspected it needed an extra egg. But I trusted the process.

Well... after baking for an hour and chilling for two, it turned out soupy. There’s literal video proof—my sister films every flan experiment because results vary wildly. When testing new recipes? All bets are off.

Click here 👇

Desmoldando Flan de queso crema, intento 1

(Stop laughing, please!)

But... this was my fault. Remember I mentioned using syrup-preserved peaches? Well, I didn't dry them properly. The peaches started releasing liquid, even melting the caramel, which made the mixture too runny to set properly.  Sometimes we're the problem, not the recipe.

I needed redemption.

Sunday, April 6th, 2025: I woke up at 7 a.m. Today my mom was returning from Chanduy with my aunt and grandma - the perfect excuse to make flan again. No more peaches this time. Caramel - perfect. I used the same recipe as before.📹I poured some into a ramekin (170 ml) and set it aside. I wanted to experiment, so I added an extra egg to the remaining batter.

I covered both with aluminum foil and cooked them using the bain-marie technique again for an hour and a half. The ramekin was ready in about 50 minutes. After taking them out, I let them cool before refrigerating for five hours. When my dad and sister returned from La Paul and after lunch, I unmolded the flans. 

Here were my final thoughts:

Both flans turned out stable this time—very good. 👍

- The one in the ramekin was creamy, it melted in the mouth, but it tasted too much like cheese for me.

- The flan with the extra egg? Creamier, palatable, and less cheesy. That one was the winner for me (and my sister).

Although, I don’t think I’d make it again. It was creamier, yes, but I still prefer the classic version with just eggs and sugar or condensed milk. Still, it’s always good to try new things.

In the end, we left just one slice for my mom because it was that good.

P.S. Don’t think I made a huge amount—it was just half the recipe, with 450 ml of milk.

But you know which one I would love to make again? Cornstarch Flan. I made it once and it was spectacular… but I forgot the recipe. Ahhhh!

This is not my picture of my flan but it looks similar.
Credits: Cooking Classy