Mocha Leche flan

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Mocha Ice cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors growing up, that and Rocky Road. Vanilla on the other hand was something I shunned until I fell in love with A&W's Root beer float. Anyway, they sell Magnolia ice cream in little cups with the wooden little spoon back home. These little gems came in the purple yam and mocha flavor and both tasted wonderful, hence, the love for Mocha-flavored ice cream. Translating this flavor into a beloved dessert is something that is really not hard to conceive. They actually make a purple yam cake back home and a Mocha-flavored jelly roll cake as well. However, how about a mocha-flavored leche flan? Just imagine it, yummy custard and mocha/coffee flavor in one dessert? What's not to like?

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

This recipe is not something new but is basically a spin on my regular leche flan recipe by adding espresso powder to impart a coffee taste to the creamy flan. I'm also making this in supersized proportions since I'm serving this for eight people. To do this, I'm baking the flan in a 9-inch round cake flan with a 3-inch height. I have actually made this version a long time ago but have never made it again since there was just not enough requests for mocha-flavored leche flan. Maybe they just did not know that this could be done.

Mocha Leche Flan

16 egg yolks
2 14 oz condensed milk
2 12 fl oz evaporated milk
1 tbsp espresso powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar

1. In a medium non-stick pot, melt the sugar over low heat until golden
    brown. Do not stir with a spoon or any other spatula. Trust me on this.

2. Pour the hot sugar syrup into the 9-inch round cake pan. Let it set.
    Preheat the oven to 290°F.

3. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Whisk until just mixed
    and pour over the cake pan through a sieve. Tap once to remove any
    trapped bubbles.

4. Cover the flan with foil and set on a baking rack in a roasting pan.  Add
    hot water around the cake pan until it reaches about 1/4 of an inch below
    the top of the pan.

5. Bake for about 1 hour and check for doneness. If still wet when you jiggle
    the pan, continue to bake until the center is set. Check regularly. It took
    me about 3 hours to cook this large batch of flan.

6. Allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the fridge for at least half
    a day. To serve, run a knife along the sides to release the cake. Invert
    onto a serving tray and scrape any extra syrup over the flan.