Chocoflan (Pastel Imposible)

Prep time30 minutes
Cook time1 hour
Rest time4 hours
Total timeAbout 5 hours 30 minutes
DifficultyMedium
Servings10 to 12 slices

A showstopping Mexican dessert where fudgy cocoa cake and silky caramel flan bake together and magically swap places, creating dramatic layers and deep, balanced flavour.

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What we love about this flan

Chocoflan is pure theatre. You pour the batters in one way, trust the oven, and somehow everything flips itself into perfect layers. Silky flan, rich cocoa cake, and bitter caramel all come together in a way that feels comforting and celebratory at the same time.

Where’s it from?

Chocoflan is one of Mexico’s most beloved celebration desserts, often served at birthdays, family gatherings, and long sobremesas. It brings together two culinary histories: cocoa from Mesoamerica, and flan from Ancient Rome to become what is now a staple of Mexican kitchens.

Why cocoa?

Cocoa brings depth and a gentle bitterness to the cake layer, balancing the sweetness of the flan and caramel. It adds contrast, rounds out the vanilla notes, and grounds the dessert by keeping it from tipping into overly sweet territory.

Cocoa Recommendation

What cocoa should I use?

Use a smooth, well-balanced alkalised cocoa powder for the cake layer. It provides structure, colour, and a subtle bitterness that stands up to the rich dairy in the flan.

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The Recipe

Follow these steps to create your masterpiece

Ingredients

Caramel

100 g sugar
2 tbsp water

Chocolate cake layer

100 g all-purpose flour
30 g alkalised cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
100 g sugar
1 egg
120 ml buttermilk
60 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
120 ml hot coffee or hot water

Flan layer

400 g sweetened condensed milk
375 ml evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Prep the pan and make the caramel


Grease a 23 cm bundt pan very generously and place it on a heatproof tray.

Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and heat over medium without stirring. Let the sugar dissolve, bubble, and turn golden. Swirl the pan gently as the colour deepens. When it reaches a deep amber, remove from the heat and immediately pour the caramel into the bundt pan, tilting to coat the base evenly.

Tip: Work quickly, caramel hardens fast. Don’t worry if it cracks later; that’s normal.

Make the chocolate cake layer


In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

In another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Slowly add the hot coffee or hot water and mix until smooth. It;s normal for the batter to be quite thin. 

Pour the batter gently over the cooled caramel.

Make the flan layer


Blend the condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Hold a spoon just above the cake batter and slowly pour the flan mixture over the back of the spoon so it lands gently on top. This keeps the layers from mixing too much before baking but don’t worry if the layers mix slightly.

Bake (The ‘impossible’ moment)


Cover the bundt pan tightly with foil. Place it inside a larger baking dish and pour hot water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the pan.

Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 1 hour. The cake should test clean and the flan should be set but still gently wobbly.

Tip: If your oven runs hot, check at 50 minutes.

Cool and chill


Remove from the water bath and let cool completely. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

Unmould and serve


Run a thin knife around the edges. Place a large plate over the pan and flip in one confident motion. Lift the pan slowly, letting the caramel cascade over the top. Slice and serve chilled.

Chef's Background

Hyram De La Paz is the creative force behind The Cocoa Circle's recipe magic. A professionally trained bonbon specialist with over six years of experience in high-energy kitchens, Hyram knows his way around cocoa like nobody else. His sweet spot is baking. In our kitchen, he blends world-class technique with a dash of imagination to turn cocoa into something spectacular.

What Happens When Chocolate Meets Flan | Mexico Chocoflan Recipe

Today, we're diving into the world of Mexican desserts with a video on how to make chocoflan, also known as pastel imposible! This easy chocoflan recipe creates a flan cake with a layer of chocolate cake recipe and a layer of creamy flan. It's one of those easy recipes to make at home that will surely impress!

Chef’s tips

Swirl, don’t stir

Stirring caramel can cause crystallisation.

Keep it hot

Use hot water in the water bath for even baking.

Keep it chill

Chilling overnight gives the cleanest layers.

Messy bake

Even imperfect chocoflan tastes incredible.

When should I make this?