A Box Of Yellow Cake Mix Starts A Holiday Dessert That Gives Pumpkin And Pecan Pie Serious Competition

The holidays can create some stressful environments, especially in the kitchen. Whether you need to feed a crowd or come up with a last-minute dish to bring to a party, time just always seems to be an issue. It won't solve everything, but boxed cake mix can certainly help. Use it to create a delicious holiday flan cake that will make you forget all about over-complicated pumpkin and pecan pies. 

By combining yellow cake mix with a few simple ingredients, you can make an easy flan cake that's unique, surprising, and packed with flavor. Also known as flancocho, this decadent dessert has a moist and gooey texture and a warming, comforting flavor, making it the perfect substitute for a pumpkin or classic pecan pie. It features two timeless favorites, cake and flan, all baked together in a Bundt pan. The cake layer sits at the bottom, providing a sturdy base, while the gooey flan sits on top, creating a gorgeous balance of texture. 

The bottom layer is pretty self-explanatory. A box of yellow cake mix is prepared according to the package instructions and poured into the pan. Then for the second flan layer, you'll just need cream cheese, a can of evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla. Oh and some caramel sauce of course.

You can buy the caramel or make your own. Do read our tips for making the perfect caramel sauce if you need them. Pour it in first so that it soaks into the cake. For the flan, just blend the ingredients together until combined.

The baking is where the magic happens. In the oven, the layers switch places so that the flan ends up on top when you flip the pan. In order to make this happen though, you'll need to create a bain-marie by placing the baking pan in a larger dish of hot water. Only use enough water to cover about halfway up the sides and cover everything with foil. The dessert will take over an hour in the oven.

Once it's set, let it cool and then flip. It should be ready to serve but you can add sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or other holiday decorations. Some chopped nuts would suit it, too, as would extra caramel sauce. You can also switch things up by using chocolate cake mix instead. Here are 13 boxed chocolate cake mixes ranked from worst to best if you want to try it out.