Chocoflan Impossible Cake – Mexican Chocoflan Cake is a dense, rich chocolate cake stacked with creamy vanilla flan, dripping with a delicate layer of cajeta caramel sauce!

Slice of chocoflan cake on a white plate with a fork.

Why You’ll Love Mexican Chocoflan Cake

Have you always wanted to try Impossible Cake, but never had the nerve? This easy Chocoflan Recipe, aka “Pastel Imposible” is a winner! Mexican Chocoflan Impossible Cake is a dense, rich chocolate cake stacked with creamy vanilla flan, dripping with a delicate layer of cajeta caramel sauce! A Mexican caramel sauce made with goat milk.

This amazing Chocoflan will make you do a double-take. It is a beautiful double-layered cake covered with Cajeta caramel sauce. It is like no other cake I have ever made or enjoyed. Impossible Cake has the look of a cake you slaved over all day.

Contrary to appearances, it is surprisingly fun and easy to make. However, there are specific steps you must attend to, in order to achieve the desired magic, but there is nothing too hard about that. This Chocoflan Cake is such a perfect combination of textures and flavors. The moist cake, silky flan, and creamy caramel are not your everyday cake, but you will want it to be. It is impossibly addicting, impossibly easy, and very possibly your new favorite dessert!

Mexican Chocoflan Impossible Cake after being baked and placed on a serving platter.

What is Impossible Cake?

Chocoflan is often referred to in media as an “Impossible Cake” because it defies culinary logic by inverting its layers during the baking process.

The pan goes into the oven layered with caramel, then chocolate cake, then flan. Then later comes out of the oven with the chocolate and flan layers reversed. When you take the cake out of the pan, the chocolate cake layer will be on the bottom, even though you cooked it in the middle layer!

Apparently, this happens because of science. The flan layer is more dense than the cake layer and will drop down and cook in the bottom of the pan while in the oven.

One bite of our Chocoflan Recipe will leave you believing in the Impossible!

Chocoflan Recipe - Caramel being drizzled in the bottom of a greased bundt pan.

Chocoflan Recipe Ingredients

For the Flan Layer:

  • Sweetened condensed milk – don’t mix it up with evaporated milk
  • Evaporated milk – adds a creamy texture
  • Cream cheese – softened
  • Large eggs – helps bind and adds a firm, creamy texture
  • Vanilla extract – Mexican vanilla, if possible

For the Chocolate Cake Batter Layer:

  • Unsalted butter – unsoftened
  • Granulated sugar – adds sweetness
  • Large egg – used to bind and adds structure
  • All-purpose flour – provides structure and stability
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder – adds deep chocolate flavor
  • Ground cinnamon – adds warm flavor
  • Baking powder – helps the cake rise
  • Baking soda – works with the buttermilk to create additional lift
  • Buttermilk – or use a combination of lemon juice or vinegar and milk (use this homemade buttermilk recipe)

For the Pan:

  • Softened butter – for greasing
  • Cajeta – caramel sauce

Pro Tip: Cajeta is easy to find in most grocery stores. Check the Mexican food section or Mexican market. You can also find it online. If you can’t find it you may substitute Dulce de Leche or another type of caramel sauce.

Chocolate cake batter in a mixing bowl next to a hand mixer.

How To Make Chocoflan

  1. You will need a 12-cup bundt pan and a roasting pan large enough to put the bundt pan inside of and have plenty of room for water. You are creating a Bain Marie or hot water bath to cook the flan layer.
  2. Set one oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bundt pan with butter and drizzle the bottom of the pan with cajeta.
  3. Boil about 2 quarts of water for the Bain Marie.
  4. For the Chocolate Cake Layer: With an electric stand mixer or any electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg. Sift all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with buttermilk until all ingredients are incorporated.
  5. For the Flan Layer: Place all the flan ingredients together in a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  6. Set the bundt pan inside the large roasting pan. Scoop cake mix batter into the bundt pan on top of the cajeta, smooth it out. Then gently pour the flan mixture over the back of a large spoon into the bundt pan so that it lays on top of the cake batter.
Chocolate cake batter in a bundt cake pan.
Flan mixture poured on top of the chocolate cake batter in the same bundt cake pan.
  1. Lightly butter a piece of foil and cover the bundt cake pan tightly, butter side down against the cake. Pour boiling water in the roasting pan about two inches high. Gently slide the pan onto the middle oven rack. Bake for 1 hour without opening the oven door. (You need to keep all of the steam inside the oven to do its job.)
  2. Remove the foil and test the cake. It should be firm to the touch, and an inserted toothpick should come out clean. (If not, place back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes.) Remove the cake from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature. When cool, shake the pan from side to side to loosen, place a large serving platter inverted over the cake, hold tightly, and quickly flip over. After you invert the cake, the caramel and flan layer will be on the top. With a rubber spatula scrape the remaining cajeta onto the surface of the cake.
  3. Serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold. Both are super delicious! Garnish with more cajeta if desired.

Get the Full (Printable) Chocoflan Impossible Cake Recipe Below. Enjoy!

Hand pouring a can of condensed milk into a blender with other ingredients in it.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • Use the right size bundt pan! This recipe requires a minimum 12-cup capacity pan. If you use a smaller one, it might come over the edge of the pan!
  • Grease the bundt pan well! The cake came out of the pan much better when I buttered it, instead of spraying it with baking spray. Butter is better! Be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies!
  • Don’t skip the water bath! The water bath is critical to making this impossible chocoflan come out perfectly. It will help the flan layer to cook properly and the layers to reverse while cooking.
Bottom of chocoflan after it is baked and still in the bundt pan.

Storage Suggestions

  • To store, place the leftover chocoflan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days!
  • To freeze the chocoflan, tightly wrap the cooled cake in at least two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months! To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and serve the next day.
Chocoflan on a serving platter - before cutting cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should the chocoflan move when the pan is moved side to side?

It can be a tiny bit wobbly when you take it out of the oven, but not a big wobble, or it might collapse.

Can I make this a day in advance?

Yes, you can make this recipe several days in advance. Cover and chill, in the pan, until the day you plan to serve it. Then set it out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before flipping it out of the pan.

Slices of impossible cake on plates with the rest of the cake in the background.

Looking for More Delicious Cake Recipes? Be Sure to Try:

Get the Full (Printable) Chocoflan Impossible Cake Recipe Below. Enjoy!

BEST Chocoflan Impossible Cake Recipe #ASpicyPerspective
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Chocoflan Impossible Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Mexican Chocoflan Cake is a dense, rich chocolate cake stacked with creamy vanilla flan, dripping with a delicate layer of cajeta caramel sauce!
Servings: 12 slices

Video

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

For the Flan Layer:

For the Chocolate Cake Layer:

For the Pan:

Instructions

  • You will need a 12-cup bundt pan and a roasting pan large enough to put the bundt pan inside of and have plenty of room for water. You are creating a Bain Marie or water bath to cook the flan layer. 
  • Set one oven rack in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bundt pan with butter and drizzle the bottom of the pan with cajeta.
  • Boil about 2 quarts of water for the Bain Marie.
  • For the Chocolate Cake Layer: With an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg. Sift all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with buttermilk until all ingredients are incorporated.
  • For the Flan Layer: Place all the flan ingredients together in a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. 
  • Set the bundt pan inside the roasting pan. Scoop cake batter into the bundt pan on top of the cajeta, smooth it out. Then gently pour the flan mixture over the back of a large spoon into the bundt pan so that it lays on top of the cake batter. 
  • Lightly butter a piece of foil and cover the bundt pan tightly, butter side down against the cake. Pour boiling water in the roasting pan about two inches high. Gently slide the pan onto the middle oven rack. Bake for 1 hour without opening the oven door. (You need to keep all of the steam inside the oven to do its job.) 
  • Remove the foil and test the cake. It should be firm to the touch, and an inserted toothpick should come out clean. (If not, place back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes.) Remove the cake from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature. When cool, shake the pan from side to side to loosen, place a large platter inverted over the cake, hold tightly and quickly flip over. With a rubber spatula scrape the remaining cajeta onto the cake.
  • Serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold. Both are !Muy Delicioso! Garnish with more cajeta if desired. 

Notes

Cajeta is easy to find in most grocery stores. Check the Mexican food section or Mexican market. You can also find it online. If you can’t find it you may substitute Dulce de Leche or another type of caramel sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 453kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 267mg, Potassium: 371mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 685IU, Vitamin C: 1.4mg, Calcium: 247mg, Iron: 1.6mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Sommer Collier
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