FOOD NEWS
Mexico's Impossible Cake Deliciously Resists The Logic Of Baking
BY LISA CURRAN MATTE
Also known as a chocoflan, Mexico's Impossible Cake is a tasty confection that defies logic. This cake goes into the oven looking a certain way, but emerges looking different.
A layer of flan is baked over a layer of chocolate cake, but after baking, the cake is magically on top. The cake is inverted before serving, so the flan ends up on top again.
The change is due to gravity. Raw chocolate cake batter is denser than flan, but as it cooks, it becomes lighter by volume, and rises to the top in the process.
Known for his creativity with Mexican cuisine, celebrity chef Rick Bayless first tasted Impossible Cake at a market in Mexico. "It blew me away," he recalls on his website.
According to Bayless, chocoflan is easy to make, and he even says it's okay to go with store-bought cajeta (caramel sauce made with goat's milk) to dress the flan.
You may find cajeta in a Mexican grocery store, but dulce de leche also makes a good substitute. Soften, but don't overheat the cajeta before pouring it over the flan.
Layer your cake batter and flan in a pan, pour the caramel over an inverted spoon to cover the flan, and bake. Let it cool for an hour on the counter and three hours in the fridge.