Not-so-impossible Pastel Impossible

Well, it's been rainy and cold in New York, and for some reason that combination always makes me want to bake.It's been nearly 8 months since I first attempted Chocoflan. What a disappointment first try was! That Pastel Impossible debacle was hanging there in the back of my mind...but first I had to bake some scones (delicious, by the way, thank you smitten kitchen!), make some coconut cupcakes, and then just to procrastinate a little bit more, chocolate chip cookies. All of which turned out lovely, and gave me just enough confidence to attempt Chocoflan again. That, and that whole thing where I LOVE dessert.

The last time I made Pastel Impossible, it was a hot hot hot (and let me say that one more time) HOT day in California, and my kitchen was literally 85 degrees. The heat is what foiled me the last time, I really do believe that. As I mentioned it's been chilly here, so I sent my husband off to the store, list in hand, and pulled up my tried-and-not-so-true Rick Bayless recipe. My one tweak to the recipe was to use a bundt pan in place of the 10" cake pan, because...as it turns out, only Sur La Table carries that particular pan, and I just wasn't headed that way. Okay I lied, I also tweaked the recipe by not using Cajeta.

WHAT?!

I know, it's like it's like peanut butter without the jelly, coffee without the cream, Jay without Jake. But, turns out it's just not that easy to find around here. I even went to a few Mexican restaurants and they said they'd never heard of the stuff. Hmmm...I'm blaming that on my pronunciation. Okay, so it can be argued that I could've quite easily hopped on the F train, transferred to the R and ended up in Sunset Park, where I, again, could've quite easily found cajeta in any bodega. It was raining folks. That's all I can say about that.

So, instead I found a quick cajeta recipe, wherein you boil a can of condensed milk for an hour or so and voila! Ersatz cajeta/dulce de leche. Truly it was dulce de leche, since I used condensed cows milk, instead of goats milk. Still delicious.

In any case, I made the cake batter, whirred up the flan in the blender, carefully put the whole confection in the oven and 55 minutes later...

Had to wait until it cooled. For some reason the thing took FOREVER to cool. Finally we decided just to plate the thing. A quick Hail Mary, a flip, a jiggle and...

CHOCOFLAN!

I did it! And it was yummy. In my fear of a repeat choco-flop, I think I may have baked it a few minutes too long, as the flan was a little dense, but overall it was delicious. Our upstairs neighbors S & E, who happen to be from Spain said the flan was delicious, so maybe I'm being overly critical.

Now, it's your turn! It's a bit of an involved recipe, but definitely worth it once you flip the finished cake onto your plate. And if you are a little intimidated by the homemade cake part of the recipe, the good old Internet is rife with chocoflan recipes that call for a boxed cake mix.

Enjoy! Jake sure did!

Below is the recipe from Rick Bayless:

Impossible Cake (AKA chocoflan)

Pastel Imposible (AKA Chocoflan)

Serves 12 generously

Recipe from Season 6 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time

Revised October, 2009

INGREDIENTS

For the mold
A little softened butter and some flour
1 cup store-bought or homemade cajeta (goat milk caramel)

For the cake
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
OR 3 tablespoons espresso
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (I like the more commonly available - not Dutch process - cocoa best here)
9 ounces buttermilk

For the flan
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the mold. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and position the rack in the middle. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan (you need one that's 3 inches deep), sprinkle with flour, tip the pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute the flour over the bottom and sides, then shake out the excess. Microwave the cajeta for 30 seconds to soften it, then pour over the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Set a kettle of water over medium-low heat. Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (a roasting pan works well) that can serve as a water bath during baking.

2. Make the cake. With an electric mixer (use the flat beater, if yours has a choice), beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the egg and espresso. Sift together the all-purpose and cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Beat in about 1/2 of the flour mixture, at medium-low speed, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat. Scrape the bowl, then raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute.

3. Make the flan. In a blender, combine the two milks, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.

4. Layer and bake. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread level. Slowly, pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. (I find it easiest to pour the mixture into a small ladle, letting it run over onto the batter.) Pull out the oven rack, set the cake into the large pan, then set both pans on the rack. Pour hot water around the cake to a depth of 1 inch. Carefully slide the pans into the oven, and bake about 50 to 55 minutes, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, except for the very center . Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

5. Serve. Carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake/flan to free the edges. Invert a rimmed serving platter over the cake pan, grasp the two tightly together, then flip the two over. Gently jiggle the pan back and forth several times to insure that the cake/flan has dropped, then remove the pan. Scrape any remaining cajeta from the mold onto the cake.