SEPTEMBER

Spanish flan
with orange
& cinnamon
2 HOURS + CHILLING
SERVES 6 | EASY | GF
This flan is a baked
custard with a slightly
richer, denser, more
velvety texture than its
more familiar cousin,
the crème caramel. The
combination of caramel,
orange and cinnamon
is irresistible.
whole milk 1 litre
oranges 2, zested
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
eggs 6
caster sugar 80g
CARAMEL
caster sugar 250g
• Pour the milk into a large
pan, add the orange zest and
cinnamon, stir well and set over
a medium heat. Bring to the boil
and simmer steadily until the milk
has reduced by 1 /3. The easiest
way to gauge this is to take a long
wooden skewer and put it into the
cold milk in the pan. Make a note of
the level of the milk by placing your
finger at that point, then carefully use
a sharp knife to nick a little groove in
the stick. Use this mark to test the depth
of the milk as it reduces.
• To make the caramel, put 250g sugar
and 125ml cold water into a heavy pan.
Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar
has dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil
until you have a deep golden caramel.
Pour into a round ceramic or glass
ovenproof dish (approx 19cm). Put the
dish in a roasting tin.
• Once the milk has reduced, heat the oven
to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Whisk together the
eggs and 80g sugar in a mixing bowl until
combined but not too aerated. Strain the
reduced milk through a fine sieve onto the
egg and stir together, trying not to create
too many bubbles. Strain the mixture again
while pouring carefully into the dish over the
caramel. Add enough boiling water to the
roasting tin for it to come about halfway
up the sides of the dish (you might find
this easier to do when the roasting tin and
dish are already in place on the oven shelf
as it will be quite heavy).
• Bake the flan in its water bath for about
30-40 minutes, until just set but with a bit
of a wobble in the centre. Remove the flan
from the tin and allow to cool at room
temperature. Chill in the fridge for at least
6 hours, or preferably overnight.
• To serve, slide a table knife around the
edge of the dish. Put a large plate over the
top and quickly invert to release the flan
onto the plate.
PER SERVING 419 KCALS | FAT 10.5G | SATURATES 5.1G
CARBS 69.1G | SUGARS 69G | FIBRE 0.2G
PROTEIN 11.9G | SALT 0.4G
Tres leches cake
with rum and
toasted coconut
1 HOUR + CHILLING | SERVES 15
EASY
Tres leches cake, translated from the
Spanish as ‘three milks cake’, is a speciality
of central and south America. Sponge is
soaked in a mix of cream, condensed milk
and evaporated milk. Although it may sound
unusual, the soaked-sponge method is
similar to a British trifle or Italian tiramisu.
This cake keeps well, chilled in the fridge,
for 2-3 days.
eggs 5, separated
caster sugar 200g
evaporated milk 100ml
vanilla extract 1tsp
plain flour 200g
baking powder 2 tsp
MILKS
evaporated milk 300ml
condensed milk 397g tin
whipping cream 150ml
golden rum 4 tbsp (optional)
TOPPING
whipping cream 300ml
icing sugar 3 tbsp
dark rum 2 tbsp (optional)
coconut flakes 100g, toasted until golden
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Butter and line a 22-23cm square cake tin.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a large
bowl with electric beaters. Add the sugar
a third at a time, whisking really well in
between. Add the egg yolks, one at a time,
again whisking well in between. Pour in the
evaporated milk, add the vanilla and whisk
until combined.
• Sift the flour and baking powder onto the
egg mixture and fold through gently with
a large metal spoon, trying not to knock
too much air out of the mixture. Pour into
the cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes,
or until a skewer pushed into the centre
comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then invert the
tin onto a large, lipped plate. Peel away the
baking paper. Leave the cake bottom-side
up, as this creates a nice flat surface to pour
over the soaking liquid. Use a skewer to
pierce the cake all over, making holes all the
way down through the cake to the plate.
• In a large jug, mix together the evaporated
and condensed milks and the whipping
cream, adding the rum if you’re using it.
Slowly pour over the warm cake, allowing
it to soak in before continuing. Some of the
liquid will puddle onto the plate. This is fine
as it will soak in over time, but try to go
slowly to get most of it to absorb through
the sponge. Cool completely, then transfer
to the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours,
or overnight.
• To make the topping, softly whip the cream
in a large bowl with the icing sugar and rum,
if using. Spread all over the top and sides
of the cake and sprinkle over the toasted
coconut flakes.
PER SERVING 422 KCALS | FAT 22.5G | SATURATES 14.5G
CARBS 45.2G | SUGARS 34.8G | FIBRE 1.8G
PROTEIN 8.6G | SALT 0.4G
34 Omagazine.com September 2016