Bánh flan (caramel custard) is a popular dessert, a familiar treat for both adults and children all over Vietnam. If you think this dish made from eggs, milk, and sugar will taste eggy, you are wrong. The whole cake only has the rich and aromatic flavor of eggs, milk, and a little sweetness from caramel. The cake can be described as delicious and well-rounded in flavor.
Additionally, this is a dish that many women can master because it is easy to make, simple, requires few ingredients, and doesn’t take much time. However, the common concern for everyone is how to make the finished cake smooth, without any holes, and as smooth as a baby’s skin. So, if this is also your concern when making flan, remember these secrets.
The flan cake will be smooth without any holes if you remember these principles. (Photo: Internet)
There are 2 common ways to make flan: steaming and water-bathing in an oven. Both methods can give you delicious, smooth cakes without any holes if you pay attention to whisking the eggs. Remember, when whisking the eggs, just whisk until the eggs are blended, don’t whisk too vigorously or for too long, as this will create air bubbles in the eggs.
These air bubbles will rise when the cake is steamed or baked, causing holes on the surface of the flan cake. Also, when mixing the milk and eggs together, you should remove any air bubbles to make the cake smooth and hole-free.
Furthermore, you should also pay attention to the steaming time (if you choose the steaming method). When steaming the cake, if you don’t cover the mold, the water that condenses on the lid will drip onto the cake, causing holes on the surface of the flan cake. Therefore, when steaming, you should cover the mold with a cloth before closing the lid to prevent water from dripping onto the cake.
Use porcelain or glass molds to make flan cakes. (Photo: Internet)
Lastly, you should steam or bake at a low temperature and use porcelain or glass molds, instead of metal molds. The reason is that metal molds conduct heat quickly, which can cause the cake to have holes.