How do they make it? That was the first question that popped in my mind the first time I had a piece of the so-called Pastel Imposible (Impossible Cake) I love flan and I love chocolate in any form. Chocolate flan was just an idea back then, but a flan and a chocolate cake bake together and yet not mixed together was something that really seemed like an impossible thing to do, a very tasty dream.
I did what I always do when I have a culinary blockade. I called my mom. It turned out that the impossible task was not so impossible after all. It actually was a very easy recipe that has become one of my favorites since. Ladies and gentleman, the only, the original, the Impossible Cake!
Impossible cake (flan and chocolate cake)
Printable version
Makes 8-10 servings.
Method: Bake, bain-Marie.
For this recipe you will need
For the flan part:
- 4 eggs
- 1 can sweet condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz. (100gr) cream cheese
- chocolate sauce
For the chocolate cake part:
I cheated here because I used 1 cup of devil’s food cake mix instead of making it from scratch. However, I should’ve used more chocolate cake. This are the amounts I used:
- 1 cup devil’s food cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C)
- Blend together eggs, milks, vanilla and cream cheese until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl prepare devil’s food cake mix by mixing all the ingredients together until you obtain a smooth batter.
- Pour about 2-3 TBSP of chocolate in the bottom of a baking pan. (You can use some non-stick spray in the pan)
- Pour the flan mix over the chocolate sauce.
- Pour the chocolate batter slowly and evenly over the flan mix (it will go straight to the bottom, but it will raise while baking)
- Place the pan into a larger pan with about ½ cup of water in it to bake in bain Marie or double boiler.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour. The chocolate cake will move to the top and you can check readiness with a knife or toothpick.
- Remove from oven and let it cool.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before inverting the cake over a cake dish. The chocolate sauce will flow over the cake.
As you can see this Impossible Cake is not as tough as its names suggests. I like to use chocolate sauce for this particular flan, but you can use caramel as the original recipe calls for. I also like to make it Neapolitan flan (cheese flan) instead of just the egg custard. So this is a tree-recipe cake in one, if you look at it that way, a flan, a chocolate cake and a not so impossible cake.
Buen provecho!
If you find this recipe useful, you could buy me a cup of coffee.
37 Replies
Mission: Impossible Cake…
This is a delicious cake and a flan baked together. Find out how!…
Posted on January 17th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
You are quite the creative cook, Ben. This cake sounds and looks really, REALLY delicious. You know, one of those dangerous things that you get up in the night for when no one is looking! And absolutely no calories, of course! YUM.
Posted on January 17th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Clap, clap, clap, clap!!!!! Beautiful pictures Ben! It looks absolutely DELICIOSO!
Moms are the best!
I wanted to thank you for your help in the Share This matter. I did it!
Posted on January 18th, 2008 at 8:31 am
This is a might fine slice of Impossible Cake! Great pic, Ben.
Posted on January 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
That looks yumm… what would I do if I couldn’t find devils food cake mix? Not an easy thing to find in Egypt.
Posted on January 21st, 2008 at 9:25 am
This looks INCREDIBLE Ben! Muy Delicioso!
Posted on January 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
Looks great Ben!! could devour it right now:)
Posted on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Did you get a new camera? That’s a GREAT picture. I like it when you make sweet stuff.
So this is a chocolate cake with flan on top? Wow- great idea. I’ve never eaten or made flan, before. I’m putting this on my to-do list.
Posted on January 25th, 2008 at 1:00 am
That looks incredible! I can just about imagine biting into the silky flan, then through the fudgy chocolate layer.
Lovely pictures, Ben!
Posted on January 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I’m glad you left a cooment so I can find you. I’m loving your blog too.I heard of this cake and looks great. I have to try this.Its really amazing.
Posted on January 25th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Oh that is just gorgeous and I bet it is delicious! Well done!
Posted on January 25th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
OMG! Finalmente tu blog quedô super bien estructurado. Muy buen trabajo. No sabîa que este pastel se invertîa mientras lo horneas. Pensaba que se hacîa en dos partes… Lo que es la ignorancia gastronômica.
Saludos, Ben!
Posted on January 26th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
This looks wonderful. I love chocolate and always have a stash lurking in my kitchen. I would love to try the recipe but instead of using the devil’s food cake, I would try using flourless chocolate cake recipe.
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Thank you Kelly. I know it is a dangerous thing to have in the fridge, but every once in a while we should indulge ourselves with delicious treats.
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Yes they are, It looks that moms always have the right answer!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Thank you Cynthia. I didn’t think the picture was going to turn out that pretty. I was experimenting with my camera and some new lighting setting, but it worked!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Hi Lynda, you could use regular chocolate cake or make your own with cocoa powder. I will post a recipe for a chocolate cake in the future.
How’s life in Egypt?
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:33 am
It was delicioso! Hehehe. We devoured it in one night :-p
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Hi Mansi! It was delicious but you’ll have to wait until the next time I make it, we already devoured it :-p
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hi Emiline,
No, I haven’t gotten a new camera yet. I am still using my obsolete, yet amazing Minolta film camera. I love that camera and all its functions, the downside is that I have to wait a long time to develop the film.
Let me know when you make it. It is a delicious cake!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Hi Christina!
It was a really nice cake. I love my mom when she teaches me new recipes like this one. Hehehe. Moms rock!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Hi Courtney,
Your flan looked delicious and I had to share some new secrets with you for more delicious flans. They are one of my favorite desserts to make.
Welcome to my kitchen!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Hi Kristen,
It was delicious, thank you. My mom is such a great baker, I love being in the kitchen because of her.
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Hola Ed!
Gracias por tus comentarios! Yo cuando lo probé por primera vez también pensaba que se horneaba separado y que era muy difícil de preparar. Pero resultó todo lo contrario.
Saludos!
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Hello Malou,
I love chocolate too, is there anything better? I don’t know if the flourless chocolate cake would rise to the top. That is something that I’d like to know. Let me know how it turns out.
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 9:44 am
[...] from Under the High Chair, Roasted Oatmeal with Walnuts and Apricots from What Did You Eat?, and Impossible Cake from What’s [...]
Posted on May 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
Amazing! I’ve been meaning to make that Pastel since a while… Terribly tempting and really delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Posted on June 27th, 2008 at 4:04 am
hey I think your recipe looks absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to try it I am actually going to make it today, thanks for the recipe
Posted on August 20th, 2008 at 11:21 am
It is quite popular in Brazil, called bolopudim, and also made with different cakes, like coconut, orange a pineapple…
Yours came out beautiful.
Posted on October 10th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Wow! That dessert does seem like it would take some doing to make but in reading the directions and ingredients list it really isn’t so impossible!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
~ingrid
Posted on October 11th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
this looks so good, impossible or not, i am definitely adding to my recipe list
your photos are fantastic-and making me crave some chocolate!
Posted on October 12th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Impossible cake…good title. And the images make up for it.
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 4:33 am
what kind of baking pan do i bake this in?? because it says something about putting the one pan in another filled with water?? help i’m lost:(
Posted on March 8th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I am trying to make the impossible cake, but in the area of the world where I am located, I cannot find “devil’s cake”.
Would anyone please helpe me to find out the ingredients and preparation for this portion of the cake???
Thanks in advance for your attention to my message!
Minne
Posted on May 20th, 2009 at 3:22 am
is very delicioso!! and fantastic chocolate
Posted on June 5th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
fantastic cake, made by an in-law. Recipe in Spanish and she could not translate. Now it’s my turn and I hope it turns out as good as her’s and yourpicture.
Posted on June 24th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
ps … I will be adding some coffee liquor to the flan.
Posted on June 24th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Leave a reply