This is the first recipe in my franchise, Bake It Make Sense, where two desserts are pulled at random from a list of 100 and brought together in one bake. First up: Guinness cake flan. These two classic desserts work surprisingly well together, with the flan’s creamy custard balancing the cake’s rich, fudgy flavour. The method is inspired by the Mexican dessert pastel imposible, or ‘impossible cake’, in which the layers swap places as they bake. As the cake rises, it becomes less dense, allowing the flan to sink to the bottom.
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Yields:
12
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 25 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
Ingredients
For the flan:
200 g caster sugar
200 ml full-fat cream cheese, softened
397 g sweetened condensed milk
354 g evaporated milk
4 g medium eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Guinness cake:
120 g unsalted butter
210 g light brown soft sugar
2 eggs
50 ml Guinness or another stout
90 g full-fat natural yogurt
1 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
150 g plain flour
60 g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
Directions
Step 1Preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan) mark 3. Grease the sides of a 25cm (10in) solid-base cake tin with butter, leaving the base ungreased.
Step 2Put the caster sugar and 50ml water into a saucepan and simmer for about 5min, or until you have a dark caramel. Carefully pour the caramel into the cake tin, swirling so it completely covers the base.
Step 3Make the flan mixture. Whisk the cream cheese until smooth, then add the remaining flan ingredients and whisk until combined. Pass through a sieve into a bowl and set aside.
Step 4To make the Guinness cake, beat the butter and sugar for 4min until very light and fluffy. In a jug, whisk together the eggs, Guinness, yogurt and vanilla.
Step 5In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Gradually alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture until fully combined.
Step 6Once the caramel and tin are completely cool, spoon the cake batter over the caramel, avoiding the edges of the tin. Gently level the surface, taking care not to smear the batter up the sides of the tin.
Step 7Stir the flan mixture, then, using the back of a large spoon, gently pour it over the cake batter so it lands softly on the surface. Cover the tin tightly with foil and place it into a deep roasting tin.
Step 8Put the roasting tin into the oven, then carefully pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 1hr 25min, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, then chill in the fridge for at least 4hr.
Step 9Remove the cake from the fridge 1hr before serving to bring it back to room temperature. Run a palette knife around the edge of the tin. Place a serving plate over the top, carefully invert the cake, then gently lift away the tin.
GH tip:
Allow the caramel to cool completely before adding the cake batter. This helps keep the layers separate so they switch places cleanly during baking.
When you add the cake mix to the tin, spread it evenly without it touching the sides to achieve the visible cake vs flan look.
Frankie is the Junior Food Content Producer, developing, testing and refining recipes, as well as creating fun, educational content across the GH Kitchen’s print and digital platforms. While studying Communications and Media, her passion for bringing people together through food quickly found its place in the kitchen, leading to a career shaped by hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. Now, she brings that same energy and creativity into the world of food publishing. Previously, Frankie trained as both a baker and chef at Landrace Bakery and Upstairs restaurant in Bath, Somerset. She has also worked as a freelance assistant food stylist and private chef in London, combining a love of beautiful presentation with flavour-led, seasonal cooking.
