Flan (Creme Caramel): Recipe + Video for Great Flan the First Time! (2024)

FAQs

Why did the caramel in my flan stay hard? ›

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. This is why caramel will stick to the bottom.

Creme caramel and flan have very slight differences but are largely the same things. The different names are often due to regional variations with “creme caramel” being more common in European countries and “flan” being more common in Latin American and Spanish-speaking regions.

In a bowl, gently mix all of the custard ingredients with a wire whisk. (Do not use whipping motions – just stir slowly until the mixture is even. You want to avoid creating air bubbles – those bubbles will ruin the smooth texture of your flan!

The eggs are what help the custard set, and without them, the flan would fall apart. While it may be a lot of egg yolks, the end result will be completely worth it!

If caramels are too hard, you can try placing them back in a saucepan, adding a couple tablespoons of water and stirring until the thermometer reads 242°F. Pour back into a prepared buttered pan. If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough.

Covering and Baking the Flan

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.

After 1 hour, check with a knife inserted just off-center into one of the servings: If the knife comes out clean, the flan is ready. If not, leave it in the oven for 15 more minutes. If baking a whole flan, thump the side of the dish after 1 hour, and if it wobbles as one, the flan is ready.

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.

Yet to make a flan or a crème brûlée, you'll need to put your custard in a bain marie while it bakes in the oven. The hot water evenly distributes heat around the custard, ensuring that the eggs don't curdle. It also prevents the top from drying out and splitting before the inside is fully cooked.

Once fully cooled, run a knife around the edges and then place a plate onto the flan. Flip quickly and give it a quick wiggle. Remove the pan and admire your flan.

What can go wrong with flan? ›

Perhaps the biggest issue flan-makers face is getting their dessert perfectly smooth in its texture, and this may be due to overmixing it before cooking. Overmixing may cause your flan to become clumpy as rapid motions suffuse your mixture with air bubbles.

Bake for 75-90 minutes, until the outer rim of the custard is firm but the center still has some jiggle to it, Remove the cake pan from the water bath then remove the foil completely and let cool at room temperature for about an hour.

Just keep the flame low to keep it from going too far. If the temperature gets too hot and the caramel becomes too hard as it cools, you can put it back in the pan with a couple of tablespoons of cold water to try and save it.

it's jiggly, like jello.

This is why it happens and how to fix it. Essentially, the reason your caramel is crystallizing. is because the cream is too cold. Now, that doesn't mean you want your cream hot, either. If the cream is hot, it will not stop the sugar from cooking, which means you have a high.