This Cuban Flan Recipe has been passed down generations in my family, and it’s so good, I had to share it with you.
Believe it or not, it’s funny to look back on my past and say that I was a picky eater as a child. My parents would have to pull the “we’re not leaving this dinner table until you finish your dinner” card, way too much. Now, I’ll eat an octopus tentacle without hesitation.
But one food that I never pushed away from myself at the dinner table? Flan. Of course, a dessert. But it’s not your usual dessert! And my mom has been making the best flan your tastebuds have ever experienced since I can remember.
And this time, she did something a little out of the ordinary – she added mango slices to the top. It was a delectable addition that I’m not afraid to admit that I wasn’t happy about at first.
C’mon – you can’t tell me that when you’ve had the same, amazing, mouthwatering dessert your whole life, and someone decides to change it, that you’re going to be excited!? It ain’t broke, don’t fix it – right? Okay, I’m annoying. But while I was reluctant to accept such blasphemy, it was a genius addition. You can choose to mango-nize your flan, or leave it out for the classic recipe.
[Tweet “Traditional Cuban FLAN! “]
I have always felt so blessed to grow up with a mother who was such an amazing cook. And on top of the fact that she was an amazing cook, the fact that she even cooked at all is a blessing to me. Any day that my sister and I were able to enjoy a McDonald’s happy meal was the best day of our lives; it was such a rare occurrence. Of course, there were the Kraft mac n cheese nights, and the breakfast-for-dinner nights (each of which I would never complain about), but overall, my mom is pretty much Wonder Woman. And by her side? Superman! My dad is one of the funniest men you’d ever meet, and he’s taught me how to work hard. He’s been busting his bum for the same company for almost 40 years – how’s that for a role model!?
(Mom and Dad – am I your favorite child yet?)
My dad’s probably wondering why I haven’t featured one of his recipes yet, or mentioned that he’s actually a great chef, too. Being from New Orleans, he’s got some great cajun recipes down his sleeve. I’ll give you guys another Jumbalaya recipe or po’ boy sandwich one of these days.
- 8 eggs
- ¾ cream cheese bar, softened
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- For caramel:
- 1 cup of sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Put all ingredients, except vanilla and sugar, in blender and beat for approximately 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla into blender mixture and pulse until well-combined.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, stirring constantly, until melted.
- Once melted, immediately pour the melted sugar (caramel) into a round pan and swirl it around so it
- coats entire pan.
- Pour blender with flan ingredients into pan with swirled caramel.
- Place the flan onto a larger baking pan filled with 1/2 cup of water.
- Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes, depending on oven. Start checking after first 30 minutes to make sure it doesn’t overcook (test with a toothpick).
- Once baking is complete, remove from oven and let stand until cool. Place in the refrigerator until flan gets cold (approximately 3 hours).
Join the conversation:
What was food like in your house growing up?
What was your favorite food as a child?
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Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
OMG this looks incredible Christina!! FLAN IS SO GOOD. My favorite food as a child was probably some sort of pasta dish with my grandmother’s sauce and meatballs. Classic
The Blissful Balance says
Omg I bet your grandmother’s sauce/meatballs are amazing! My great uncle used to have ‘Spaghetti Thursdays’ where he would get dressed up (mind you, he lived by himself!) and have spaghetti and meatballs, every single Thursday. Italians really honor their food!!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
That last photo is beautiful and yesssss flan! I tried it for the first time over Christmas/the last time I was in DC visiting Miguel’s relatives. SO good and now I’m curious about the addition of mango. I bet it’s delicious.
The Blissful Balance says
Fun fact – Georgie let me borrow her massive camera for this recipe LOL. Shh. Where is Miguel’s family from? I bet they made some killer flan!
Beverley @ Born to Sweat says
i always wondered what the ingredients were that went into flan. basically a ton of eggs and condensed milk. that makes a lot of sense hahaha. looks amazing Christina
The Blissful Balance says
hahaha yep i hope you weren’t hoping it was healthy cause yeah no. BUT SO GOOOOOOD AND WORTH IT
Alexa [fooduzzi.com] says
I’ve never had flan before, but this looks absolutely delicious! It looks so smooth and creamy…*swoon*
The Blissful Balance says
Omg you have got to try it. It seriously is amazing!!
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says
I was a picky eater until my family went on vacation to New Orleans when I was eight and I announced I was going to try anything and everything. I ate alligator and duck on that trip, and I’ve been eating everything ever since. Except olives. Still can’t do olives. 😉 And funnily enough, I’ve never had flan, but this looks incredible, so I think that’s going to be changing very soon!
The Blissful Balance says
Omg actually I love alligator. It’s funny bc my college mascot is a Gator, so every time I eat gator I say I’m a cannibal lol cornyyy. I HATE OLIVES. VOMMM. I hope you try this flan I think you’d love it!
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says
I seriously wish my parents cooked more lol. My dad can heat up pasta and canned sauce and he makes a pretty good tuna salad. But that’s about it. My mom’s a much better cook, but she’s had arthritis for as long as I can remember so she doesn’t cook much.
My grandmother though?? Epic cook. I love going home and getting some of her home cooked meals 😀
The Blissful Balance says
I seriously don’t think I can name one friend whose grandmother isn’t a great cook haha! That’s just how it is I guess!! 😀
Amanda @ Anchored to Sunshine says
This looks amazing! I never knew flan was that simple to make I will have to give this a try!
Jess @hellotofit says
OMG this looks amazing. I am a huge sucker for flan, and I could eat that whole pan, hehe! My mom used to make a Vietnamese flan recipe when we were growing up, and now I’m curious about the ingredients that she uses, because I’m not sure if there’s cream cheese!