Black Forest Flan

This delightful Black Forest Flan is just the thing to polish off a fantastic family dinner - or a backyard barbecue - or a christening celebration - or even a tupperware party. To be honest, this is exactly the kind of dessert that will delight at any get together.

For this recipe, I've made a chocolate sponge base - filled with a delightful rich chocolate custard and pitted black cherries. To finish off this decadent dessert, I have created a jelly topping from the black cherry juice (and a little drop of red wine) and then drizzled dark chocolate over the entire Flan.

Absolutely delicious!!!

If you have any variations of this Flan that you'd like to share, I'd LOVE for you to submit them in the YOUR recipes section of this site.

The Flan Pan that I've used is a 12" Flan Plan from Kitchenware Direct, a fantastic online kitchenware store that offers great prices and an extensive range of quality products.

If you would like to purchase a Flan Pan like the one I have used, please

click here

Ingredients:

Flan Base:

3 eggs

115 gms butter

120 gms sugar

pinch salt

200 gms plain flour

30 gms cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 tablespoons milk

knob of butter for greasing flan tin

Filling:

1 cup thickened (or heavy) cream

1 cup milk

6 egg yolks

vanilla

100 gms melted dark chocolate

3 dessertspoons cornflour (corn starch)

6 dessertspoons plain flour

2/3 cup white sugar

Topping:

1 tin pitted black cherries

2 tablespoons red wine

3 dessertspoons cornflour

100 gms melted chocolate of your choice (dark, milk or white)

Method:

For the Flan Base:

Break 3 eggs into a large bowl and beat until frothy. Add the softened butter, sugar and salt. Beat until blended well.

Add the baking powder and cocoa to the flour, and sift these dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then beat until well blended.

Gradually add the milk until a light sponge batter is achieved.

Pour this mixture into a well-greased 12" Flan Pan, and bake in a preheated 180°C (350°F) oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the Flan Base is golden, and cooked through (test with a toothpick).

Allow the Flan Base to cool.

For the Filling:

Place one cup of milk, and one cup of thickened cream into a saucepan and simmer gently on the stove.

While milk and cream are simmering, into a bowl place white sugar and egg yolks (6 egg yolks, or half a cup of egg yolk). Mix together, and then add 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix through. Add 2 tablespoons of cornflour.

Once milk and cream mixture is simmer temperature, add 2 tablespoons of the milk/cream mixture at a time to the egg mixture. Add vanilla. Then add melted chocolate.

Place back on a low simmer and stir continuously until the custard becomes very thick (see video below).

Put to the side to cool.

For the Glaze:

Using the retained juice of one tin of pitted black cherries, add 2 tablespoons of red wine and 2-3 dessertspoons of cornflour - blend with the juice and heat on the stove top until thickened. This should become quite a thick jelly. Remove from stove and put aside to cool.

Then:

Place the cooled custard into the Flan Base until it is almost level with the upper crust ridge. At this stage, place the black cherries throughout the custard with your fingers.

Spread the cherry jelly substance over the custard and cherries, and then drizzle the entire flan with melted chocolate of your choice.

Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy.

For those of you who like to see this recipe demonstrated, please see below: