Pumpkin Flan de Queso
Classic Puerto Rican flan de queso is a thing of beauty. While most traditional flan is made with a mix of milk and eggs, the Puerto Rican version includes cream cheese for even more lusciousness and tang. The canned pumpkin and warm spices here add autumnal warmth.
Ingredients · Servings 10–12
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 15-oz. can pumpkin purée
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
Method · 1½ hours (plus cooling and chilling)
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Place a 9"-diameter cake pan inside a large baking dish. Bring 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar and ⅓ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Cook, swirling occasionally but not stirring, until caramel is dark amber in color, 5–7 minutes. Carefully pour caramel into cake pan and tilt pan to coat bottom in an even layer.
- Blend one 15-oz. can pumpkin purée, one 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves in a blender on medium-low speed until smooth. Add 3 large eggs and 3 large egg yolks and blend on low speed just until combined and no streaks of unincorporated whites remain. Add 1 cup heavy cream and blend on low speed just until incorporated. Pour mixture over caramel in pan. Pour water into baking dish to come ¾" up sides of cake pan.
- Bake flan until set but center still jiggles slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit in water bath 10 minutes. Carefully remove cake pan from water bath and transfer to a wire rack. Let flan cool in cake pan 30 minutes, then chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
- To serve, run an offset spatula around outside of flan to loosen. Set a rimmed platter upside down on top and invert flan onto platter in one swift motion. Remove pan. Do Ahead: Flan can be baked 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.