Today we’re making a caramel apple chocoflan!

Can you believe this now the 7th chocoflan recipe I’ve developed? Pasteles imposibles are one of my favorite types of recipes to develop. Writing and developing a recipe for cake from scratch is already challenge. Having to ensure that both the flan and cake can work together takes great skill. Plus, I love the challenge!

The caramel apple chocoflan were making doesn’t include any chocolate– if you’re looking for classic chocoflan or for an impossible cake that does feature a chocolate cake layer, check out the classic chocolfan, or my red velvet chocoflan in the Cake chapter of Chicano Bakes. Pick up a copy here. You can also check out the recipe for my dulce de leche chocoflan from my first cookbook, Chicano Eats, here.

This caramel apple chocoflan is comprised of a cream cheese flan layer and a spiced apple cake bottom.

What is a chocoflan, or impossible cake?

Chocoflan is a cake comprised of two different layers, the top layer consist of flan, and the bottom layer consists of a chocolate cake.

Why is it called the impossible cake, magic cake or pastel imposible?

The chocoflan is referred to as the magic cake, impossible cake, or pastel impossible. This is because when you are assembling the chocoflan in a bundt pan, you add in the cake batter first, then you add the flan base on top of the cake batter. As a result, while chocoflan bakes, the batters will swap places. When you invert the bundt pan, the chocolate cake layer ends up on the bottom, and the flan is now on the top. It makes for a tasty magic trick.

Why does the batter swap places when you make a chocoflan?

The batters swap places due to the density of the flan and cake. The flan is heavier and more dense, so it sinks to the bottom of the pan, causing the cake to float to the top since it is lighter.

Tips to make the Caramel Apple Chocoflan:

• I tested this recipe with different variables and I found that I got the best apple flavor by using a combination of apple sauce and grated apples. A good honey crisp apple is perfect for this cake.
• This recipe requires a 10 cup bundt pan. I like to use a standard wilton bundt pan for this.
• Intricate bundt pans are pretty but sometimes prevent the batters from moving as single units and cause too much marbling.
• Assemble the chocoflan inside the pan you will be using for your water bath to avoid any spills.
• Last, but not least, use a slotted spoon, ladle or small sieve to gently pour in the flan. Disturbing the cake batter will have pieces of cake baked into the flan, as a result, it will cause too much marbling.

I am spending the next few days with family in Southern California, and will be back in December with new recipes. I hope you give this Caramel Apple Chocoflan a try. If you make it, don’t forget to tag me in any pictures.

Have a great Thanksgiving! Nos vemos pronto!

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4.20 from 5 votes

Caramel Apple Chocoflan (Pastel Imposible)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword apple cake, apple recipes, baileys flan, chocoflan, impossible cake, magic cake, pastel impossible

Servings 12

Calories 265kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour , (188 g)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt , or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon Ground All-Spice
• 1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce , (250 g)
• ¾ cup Grated Apple , (from 1 apple)
• ¼ cup Vegetable Oil ,
• ½ cup White Granulated Sugar , (100 g)
• ½ cup Brown Sugar , (104 g)
• 1 Large Egg

For the Flan

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese , at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups Half and Half
• 14 oz Condensed Milk , (397 g)
• 1 ½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt
• 4 Large Eggs

To Serve

• Caramel, Dulce de Leche, or Cajeta
• Chopped Pecans

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350º F and spray a 10 cup bundt pan with non stick spray. Place the pan into a large roasting pan that will help act as a water bath. Finally fill a large pitcher or vessel with hot tap water, something around 2-3 quarts will work. Doing this ahead of time makes the oven have to be open for less time.

Make the Cake

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• In another bowl whisk together the applesauce, freshly grated apple (just the apple, we don't need any extra juice left behind from the grating), oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and egg.
• *Grate the apple on a box grater using the large holes you'd normally use for cheese. Peel and core the apple and grate right before mixing with the rest of the wet ingredients to prevent any browning.
• Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.

Make the Flan

• Add the cream cheese, condensed milk, half and half, and vanilla to a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds on medium speed. Add the eggs and salt and blend on low just until the mixture is combined, over blending will add extra air to the mixture.

Assemble the Chocoflan

• Carefully pour the batter to the prepared cake pan, then smooth it out. Gently pour in the flan using a sieve or ladle to avoid disrupting the cake batter.
• Place the square of aluminum foil greased side down onto the Bundt pan and wrap it around the outside edge of the pan. No need to wrap it super tightly, but try not to just leave it sitting on top. Place the Bundt pan in a large roasting pan. Transfer the roasting pan to a pulled-out oven rack. Fill the roasting pan roughly two-thirds of the way up the sides with warm water (a large pitcher with a good spout is your best friend here) and close the oven door. 
• Bake until a short bamboo skewer or cake tester comes out with only a few crumbs from the cake, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Start checking on it at the 1 hour 45-minute mark and note that if the skewer goes into the flan its tip might be a little wet because the flan won’t have set yet; it will do that in the refrigerator.
• Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully lift the Bundt pan out of the water bath and place it on a cooling rack. Let the chocoflan cool completely at room temperature with the foil tented on top of the pan; this will take about 2 hours.
• Place the foil tightly back onto the pan and place the chocoflan in the refrigerator to set completely. This should take 4 to 5 hours, but an overnight 6- to 8-hour chill is ideal for the flan to set up perfectly.
• When you’re ready to serve, carefully use the tips of your fingers to pull the cake away from the edge of the pan then place a large serving platter or cake stand over the Bundt pan and flip over to invert. Depending on your pan the chocoflan might be a little difficult to invert at first. If this is the case dip the bottom of the pan into a bowl of warm water for 5 to 6 minutes and try to invert the cake again.
• Once you are ready to serve, serve each slice with a drizzle of dulce de leche, caramel sauce, or cajeta, and finish with a sprinkle of chopped pecans.
• To store, carefully wrap it in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.