Pumpkin Flan / Flan de Calabaza

Fall, but make it latino. The perfect way to get in the fall spirit with a flan.

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Fall means two things - pumpkin spice and the beginning of the holiday baking season. And as the flan and pumpkin spice lover I am, porqué no los dos?

When I started researching flan de calabaza recipes, I came across an interesting method used in my copy of Nitza Villapol - Cocina Al Minuto II cookbook. In this recipe, Nitza used maicena and actually cooked the flan on the stove. This specific method didn't achieve what I was looking for, but from that recipe I was inspired to start simmering my milk with a cinnamon stick when making my flanes. You can see how I do so in this flan de leche recipe.

Even though this pumpkin flan recipe does not use her method, I wanted to mention Nitza Villapol only because of her impact in teaching cuban cuisine. If you have cuban heritage you may have heard of her, but in case you haven't, chances are that your parents or grandparents have. She's a huge reason why many learned how to cook cuban food starting back in the 50s and 60s, via her books and cooking show. You can read more about her impact here, but please note that according to my friend's abuela, she was Pro Castro, and we're not that over here.

When it comes to this recipe, I landed on the more common method of cooking the flan which is in a water bath, or as I prefer to say Bañito de Maria. I also suggest you make it in a round cake pan so you can achieve the glossy mirror effect that I did. It can be a show stopper for any party.

Pumpkin Flan / Flan de Calabaza Recipe

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of sugar for caramel

• 1 whole egg 4 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup of whole milk

• 1 12 oz can of evaporated milk

• 1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (I used Trader Joe's Brand)

• 1/4 cup of sugar

• 1/4 tsp of salt

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp of pumpkin spice

Special Equipment

• 8 inch cake pan.

• Deep roasting pan for water bath.

Instructions

Preferably make a day ahead. For video guide see my tiktok

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Place a small heavy saucepan over high heat and add in the sugar. Cook sugar until you achieve a deep amber color. Be careful to not burn the sugar. Pour caramel into your mold and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl whisk eggs together, being careful to not overwhisk. Whisk until it's combined.

4. To the egg. mixture add in the milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, pumpkin puree, sugar and salt. Whisk until combined. Then add vanilla and pumpkin spice and mix.

5. Strain the mixture over the pan and place the pan into the deep roasting pan.

6. Make enough hot water for the water bath. The amount of water you need depends on the size of your roasting pan. The idea is that the water should go half way to 2/3rds up the flan mold. I find the water bath is easier to do when you first place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully use a kettle to add the water into the roasting pan. Alternatively, you can add the hot water into the roasting pan before placing it in the oven, but you will risk some water spilling and getting onto the flan when transporting the water bath into the oven.

7. Cook flan for around 90 minutes. Depending on your oven it may be a bit more or less. The goal is to make sure that the flan has a slight jiggle in the middle as it will continue to cook once out of the oven and then set while in the fridge. Once out of the oven let it cool down in its water bath then cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight.

8. To help unmold the flan, gently use a knife around the edge of the flan to loosen it up and help remove the vacuum. Place your serving dish upside down on the mold and flip.

9. Cut up and enjoy!

Notes and Tips

1. You can see a video of me making this flan on my tiktok

2. All my recipes use diamond kosher salt

3. If you find your flan is having trouble cooking, try covering the mold with aluminum foil.