Flan is one of the most popular desserts in Latin America and because Christmas is just around the corner, I decided to bake a flan packed with spices, perfect for the holiday season. 

The caramel AND custard have spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Every bite will make you think of gingerbread. 

Let’s start with the recipe and don’t forget to visit my Instagram page @pastry_tales so you can watch the video of how I made this delicious flan!

Yield: one 9-inch round pan or 6 individual flans ( one jumbo muffin pan) 

Ingredients 

For the caramel: 

1 cup white granulated sugar 

½ cup cold water 

¾ tablespoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground ginger  

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

For the flan: 

1 can of sweetened condensed milk by Magnolia

1 can of evaporated milk by Magnolia 

5 large eggs at room temperature 

2 tablespoons dark molasses 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

½ teaspoon ground ginger 

Directions 

For the caramel 

1.- In a saucepan and over low heat, mix water, sugar and spices. Mix until the sugar is all dissolved (no sugar granules left). Then, turn up the heat to medium-high heat and let the water-sugar mixture turn into caramel. This will take about 15 minutes. Do not touch it or mix, just keep an eye so it doesn’t burn otherwise it will taste bitter. 

2.- You will see that after a couple of minutes, it will start to boil, bubbling a lot, please remember that you don’t have to stir. Just let it cook and little by little the color of the mixture will start to change. First, to a light caramel color and then to a medium dark and no more bubbles. Turn off the heat. Protect your hands with an oven mitt or a kitchen towel and pour into your 9-inch baking pan or muffin pan. If you are using a muffin pan, be sure to divide the caramel for each cavity. 

This caramel is very hot so do not even think about tasting it. The caramel will get hard super quick so don’t take too long to pour it into the pan or muffin pan. 

For the custard 

1.- Preheat oven to 350 F and have some boiling water ready for the water bath.  

2.- In a small bowl, whisk your eggs. Set aside. 

3.- In a bigger bowl, pour evaporated and condensed milk, mix until both milks are well combined. Add molasses and mix again. Add in eggs and keep whisking. 

4.- Add vanilla extract and all the spices. Mix well until everything is combined and the eggs have incorporated well with the rest of the ingredients, this will take a couple of minutes. 

5.- Pour this mixture into your 9-inch pan or muffin pan on top of the caramel. 

6.- Place your pan inside a larger one with about 2 fingers high of hot boiling water. 

7.- Bake for about an hour (if using a 9-inch cake pan) or for 40 minutes if using a jumbo muffin pan.  

You will know that your flan is ready when it looks like gelatin and when you move it softly there are not liquid parts. Don’t overbake it or it will lose the creamy texture. 

Always checked that your bigger pan has enough water. If it evaporates, you need to add more. 

Also, take a peek of your flan after 30 minutes. If you think it’s getting too dark on top, cover it with a piece of foil. 

8.- Take it out from the oven. Place it on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Then, place it in the fridge for about 6 hours or overnight. 

9.- Finally, run a knife around the border and turn the flan over a bigger plate. If that doesn’t help, place the pan over hot water for a couple of minutes and then try to turn the flan over again. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!