Recipe

Cuban-style Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)

Name: Cuban-style Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 545 min
Ingredients: 160 g white sugar; 45 ml water; 1 can (397 g) condensed milk; 1 can (354-360 ml) evaporated milk; 4 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 pinch of salt; 180 g all-purpose wheat flour; 40 g unsweetened pure cocoa; 140 g sugar; 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (2-3 g) baking soda; 1 pinch of salt; 2 eggs; 125 ml milk; 75 ml mild vegetable oil; 60 ml strong Cuban coffee, already lukewarm; 1 teaspoon vanilla; A little oil or butter to grease the sides; Hot water for the water bath

Chocolate panetela impossible cake with Cuban coffee and homemade vanilla flan, bathed in caramel and baked in a water bath.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

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Preparation30 min
Cooking1 h 35 min
Total time9 h 5 min
Servings10-12 servings
DifficultyMedium

Chocoflan, also known as impossible cake, is a dessert of Latin American inspiration that combines two classics in a single mold: a chocolate panetela and a creamy flan, all topped with caramel. It is not a sweet of Cuban origin, but in Cuba we know a lot about flans and panetelas, so this version is designed for our palate.

Here the panetela includes strong Cuban coffee, which enhances the chocolate, and the flan is the usual one: condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla, without cream cheese. The beauty of it is that you pour the batter first and the flan afterwards, and in the oven the layers rearrange themselves.

It is ideal for a birthday or a family Sunday, because it is made the day before and the next day all that remains is to unmold it and show off.

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 °C with top and bottom heat, without fan. Lightly grease the sides of a ring mold or one 22-24 cm high (at least 2.3 liters) and have a larger, deeper dish ready for the water bath.
For the caramel, heat the 160 g sugar with the 45 ml water, without stirring with a spoon, until it turns amber. Very carefully —it burns badly— spread it over the bottom of the mold and let it harden.
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Mix the 4 eggs with the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, and salt at low speed, without creating foam. Strain the mixture if you seek a silkier flan and set aside.
For the panetela, mix in a bowl the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Separately, mix the 2 eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and lukewarm coffee. Incorporate the liquids into the dry ingredients without overbeating.
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Pour the chocolate batter first over the already hardened caramel. Then pour the flan mixture very slowly over the back of a spoon, so that the stream does not hit the batter. If they mix a little, it is normal: in the oven they will rearrange. Do not fill the mold above 3/4 of its capacity.
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Cover the mold well with aluminum foil and place it inside the deep dish. Add hot water to the dish up to 2-3 cm high, without letting water enter the dessert. Bake for 80-95 minutes without opening the oven during the first hour. It is ready when a skewer comes out clean from the panetela and the flan barely wobbles in the center; if necessary, extend in 10-minute intervals.
Carefully remove the mold from the water bath, remove the foil, and let it cool for 45-60 minutes. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, so that it settles.
Gently loosen the edges with a thin spatula. Briefly rest the base of the mold in lukewarm water to release the caramel, place a wide dish on top and flip the mold in one motion. The flan will be on top, the chocolate panetela below, and the caramel bathing everything. Serve cold.
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