By: Hannah Chimal
As I grew up, my mom baked lots of desserts for the family to try. One of them was Flan Napolitano, which is one that she’s been making recently and it has become my favorite thing to eat as a snack. It’s pretty similar to the caramel pudding flan but you add cream cheese and it makes it very rich and creamy. This dessert is extremely good and the caramel liquid that goes along with it makes it so much yummier, it’s a sweet dessert. The average cooking time for this recipe is an hour, but I think this particular dessert is better served cold, so I recommend refrigerating the flan for about two hours before you eat it! You’ll need only six ingredients which are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cream cheese to make the flan. In addition, you’ll also need sugar which will be used to make the sweet caramel liquid that oozes out! Adding toppings such as whipped cream, strawberries or other fruits will for sure add more tasty flavor as well. If you would like to bake this delicious dessert on your own, here are the exact measurements and steps for you to follow:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 14- ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 12- ounce can of evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ounces (or 1/2 cup) cream cheese
Preheat the oven to 350° Position the rack in the middle of the oven.
Heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl occasionally, but do not stir. Cook until the sugar is melted and turns to caramel, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the caramel evenly into eight 6-ounce ramekins. Let the caramel cool slightly while you make the batter.
Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, and cream cheese to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour the mixture into the ramekins with the caramel, dividing it evenly among them.
Place the filled ramekins into a roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan filling them to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins — making sure not to get any water in them. Cover the whole pan tightly with aluminum foil and very carefully and evenly lower into the oven, as to not splash the water. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the flan has set.
Very carefully take the baking pan out of the oven to avoid splashing the water. Also, be careful removing the foil as there will be hot steam escaping. Use tongs or an oven mitt to remove the flans from the roasting pan (the ramekins will be hot so allow them to cool to room temperature). Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least a couple of hours. They will keep fresh for up to 1 week.
Once the flan has chilled, run a wet knife around the rim to loosen it from the ramekin. Invert the ramekin onto a plate and let the flan slide out onto the plate, caramel side up. Repeat with remaining flans. Serve cold.