Flan de Chocolate (chocolate flan recipe)

This post was sponsored by AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

In my Puerto Rican family growing up, our big holiday celebration was always on Christmas Eve. In fact, we had a tradition of opening our gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve, and everyone stayed up late preparing food together (cooking together is another important Puerto Rican holiday tradition). One of the dishes we always made for Christmas is flan. We would usually make my dad’s flan de coco (coconut flan) recipe or a traditional flan, but I’ve always wanted to develop a chocolate variation of my dad’s recipe. I am excited to share a delicious Flan de Chocolate recipe with you today! Flan de chocolate is a creamy chocolate flan recipe that’s both light in texture and rich in flavor. This is different than the Puerto Rican chocoflan or flancocho, which are more like a layered combination of chocolate cake and flan custard. Rather, this chocolate flan recipe is more like the texture and consistency of a regular flan, but with rich chocolate cocoa added. This is a great alternative for chocolate lovers!

The recipe is extra special, as it uses AMERICAN HERITAGE® Finely Grated Baking Chocolate, which I’ve been a big fan of for years (see my Autumn Spice Dark Chocolate Mousse recipe). The chocolate is made using early American chocolate recipes from the 1750s and has a unique flavor due to the addition of cinnamon, orange peel, and vanilla. Those additions elevate any recipe that calls for baking chocolate, and it’s incredibly versatile and easy to use. Click here to purchase AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate on Amazon, and visit the AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate website to learn more and get recipe ideas!

I had so much fun making this chocolate flan recipe with AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate that I couldn’t resist making another recipe using AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix. Trust me when I say that this hot cocoa is like nothing you’ve tried before. The subtle hints of vanilla, orange, and cinnamon are slightly sweet and mildly spicy. It was the perfect foundation for the holiday inspired gourmet Peppermint Hot Cocoa recipe I’m also sharing today as a bonus! Scroll down to get both the Flan de Chocolate and Peppermint Hot Cocoa recipes, but first I’m sharing a few cooking tips for making the chocolate flan. You can get AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix on Amazon here.

What you need to make Flan de Chocolate

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup AMERICAN HERITAGE® Finely Grated Baking Chocolate, plus more for garnish
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk, divided
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

As I said earlier, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate is a very versatile ingredient. You can use it in any recipe that calls for baking chocolate, and it infuses any baked chocolate item or warm beverage with an even richer taste. The chocolate itself is Kosher, made with all-natural ingredients, is 57% cocoa (Rain Forest AllianceTM Certified with no preservatives), and it comes grated and ready for baking. The sweet and savory combo of the vanilla and cinnamon add a little something extra to your recipes without the extra steps for you!

Tips for making this chocolate flan recipe to perfection

• I like to have everything measured and ready before I start the cooking process (because things can move pretty quickly at times while making this recipe).

• After you have gathered your flan de chocolate ingredients, first, you will make the caramel for the flan. If you’ve never made flan, you might find that this is the most challenging step, as there are variables that can cause your sugar not to cook properly, your caramel can quickly go from perfect to overcooked, and the caramel may harden quickly when you’re trying to spread it into your pan. Because of this, I recommend having extra sugar on hand in case the first caramel attempt fails and needs to be redone. If the first attempt fails, do not fret! This is only the first step, and while redoing this step might feel frustrating, it won’t affect the overall outcome of your chocolate flan recipe.
• To make your flan’s caramel layer, place one cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Do not stir it! Stirring the mixture with a spoon can cause the sugar to clump and crystallize, which won’t work in your flan. Instead, leave it be and put a lid on the saucepan for 1 minute, or until the sugar has dissolved with the water and heat. Remove the lid and continue cooking gently. Again, do NOT stir the sugar mixture, but you can swirl the pan gently occasionally until the sugar has melted completely and turned into a golden-brown caramel. This will take about 5-10 more minutes. As soon as it is melted and looking like a caramel color, pour the caramel into a round glass baking dish (I use a 9.5” glass pie pan) in an even layer and quickly tilt the dish a few times to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom of the dish.
  • Cooking tip: While your sugar is melting, you can place your glass dish in the oven while it is preheating to warm the dish. This will help you to spread the caramel into the dish, as the warm dish will keep the caramel from hardening more quickly than you can spread it. Just remember to wear oven mitts while tilting your pan to distribute the caramel.

• The caramel will need to cool for about 15 minutes to harden. This is the perfect time to prep your chocolate custard filling, which you will pour directly on top of the caramel layer after the caramel has hardened. 
• The AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate is so easy to use. For this recipe, I melt it before adding it to the custard. To do this, add the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the can of evaporated milk to a microwave-safe bowl and stir. Heat it for 30 seconds, then stir again. Continue to heat the chocolate in 10-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth, then whisk it with the remaining evaporated milk. You’ll find that AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate melts and mixes easily and evenly.
• If you’re using a pie pan (like I do) to make your flan, you should fill the chocolate custard nearly to the top of the pan, but be sure there is about ¼” of space at the top so you don’t risk spilling it while you’re transferring it to the oven. Flan doesn’t rise much while baking, but you do want to be careful about spills. If you have a taller pan, then this won’t be an issue.
• Depending on the size of your pan, you might have leftover custard filling. You can pour it into smaller oven-safe ramekins and bake them alongside the flan for mini chocolate custards.
• Your flan de chocolate will need to bake in a water bath. To do this, place the flan pan on a baking sheet, then pour warm water into the baking sheet so that it goes about halfway up the sides of the pie pan. This water bath is important when making custard dishes like flan de chocolate, as it will allow it to cook more evenly and gently. Otherwise, your flan might end up with an eggier, less creamy consistency and become overcooked.
• While the chocolate flan is baking, check the water every 15 minutes or so to make sure it hasn’t evaporated or isn’t boiling too vigorously. If the water has become too low, add more. If it is boiling really heavily, carefully remove some of the water (I use a baster with a bulb to pull some of the water out) then refill with a little tap water. It’s not a big deal if the water is boiling, but if it’s boiling too vigorously it might bubble up and get into your flan, or spill over the side of the baking sheet into the oven.
• You will know your flan de chocolate is done baking when it is set but still slightly jiggly in the center. At this point you will remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the water bath on the counter for 10 minutes. After that, remove the pan from the water and allow the chocolate flan to continue cooling on the counter for at least 30 more minutes before moving it to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
• When ready to serve your Flan de Chocolate, gently run a butter knife around the edges of the dish to separate the flan from the sides, and invert it onto a serving plate. Most of the caramel layer should come down on top of the coconut flan and start dripping down the sides. This is what it’s supposed to do!

Now that you’ve read through the tips for making a creamy chocolate flan, it’s time to get cooking. Here’s the Flan de Chocolate recipe!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

I’m excited to also share a bonus recipe for the holidays: Peppermint Hot Cocoa! With seasonal spices, this gourmet hot cocoa gets a minty upgrade that’s perfect for the holidays.

Here’s the delicious and incredibly easy Peppermint Hot Cocoa recipe.

Remember to visit the AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate website to get more recipe ideas, and purchase AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate and AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix on Amazon when you’re ready to get cooking. Enjoy, and have a fabulous holiday season full of special memories of your own!

More Puerto Rican recipes like this:

• How to Make Homemade Puerto Rican Sofrito
• Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas) recipe
• Habichuelas Guisadas, Puerto Rican-Style Beans recipe
• Instant Pot Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo recipe (my family’s recipe – adapted for the pressure cooker!)
• Instant Pot Estofado de Pollo (or Pollo Guisado – Puerto Rican-style chicken stew)
• Instant Pot Asopao de Pollo (Puerto Rican-Style Chicken and Rice Stew)
• Shortcut Puerto Rican Picadillo Empanadas recipe
• Easy Vegetarian Empanada recipe
• Air Fryer Tostones (Fried Green Plantain Chips) recipe
• Pinchos de Pollo (Grilled Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers)
• The best Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog) recipe
• Papa Cruz’s Flan de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Flan Recipe)
• Instant Pot Coconut Flan Recipe (Flan de Coco)