Pumpkin Flan With Caramel and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Submitted by Stephanie Y.

"Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine. This is like a cross between pumpkin pie and flan. It is easy to make and looks impressive. You can use recipe #78053 or recipe #108469 for the whipped cream. Prep time includes refrigeration."

 

• Ready In: 9hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 1⁄3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups heavy cream

• Accompaniment

• cinnamon whipped cream

directions

1. In a small skillet combine 2/3 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and washing down any sugar crystals clinging to the sides with a brush dipped in cold water until the sugar is dissolved. Cook the syrup, swirling the skillet, until it is a deep caramel, pour it into a warm 2-quart glass loaf pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly, and let the caramel harden.
2. In a bowl beat the eggs with the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, beat in the pumpkin puree, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cream, and pour the custard into the loaf pan. Set the loaf pan in a deep baking pan, add enough hot water to the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan, and bake the flan in the middle of a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for 1 hour and forty five minutes to 2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the flan cool and chill it, covered overnight. Run a thin knife around the edge of the loaf pan, invert a platter over the pan, and invert the flan onto the platter. Serve the flan, cut into slices, with the cinnamon whipped cream.

Reviews

[Tarynne]

I made this as one of our Christmas desserts. The family really liked this, rating it either a 4 or a 5. Those that rated it a 4 stated they prefer a denser, firmer flan. This flan was very light and smooth. I actually preferred it this way. If I was to go on taste alone I would have went 5, but I did have some problems with the directions. The first problem was creating the caramel sugar. I took much care to follow the directions carefully. The end result was a huge crystallized mass which never browned. I have made flan in the past so I went to method I was familiar with, which is melting the sugar with just a small amount of water (about a tsp)over a medium high heat stirring constantly so the sugar does not burn. It will quickly melt to a caramel liquid and added this to the loaf pan. The second problem was that it took 2 hours to bake. I had set the pan with hot water in the oven and preheated for over 30 min. Maybe I should have started with boiling water? I also tested the temperature of my oven and it is running correct. I think next time I will make this in 9x9" or 2 qt casserole, as it did come out almost 3" tall and this may have been one reason it took so long. Although i did have these problems I was able to overcome them and would definitely make this again.

 

[donnaherring]

Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find my photo above the Pumpkin Flan recipe! Although I had made this for decades, I couldn’t locate my old Gourmet magazine with the recipe. I looked and online and found it! My loaf pans had apparently gone the way of the recipe, so I tried a Kugelhopf pan, with beautiful results.

 

[noliatb]

This recipe was originally published in Gourmet Magazine back in the 80's and I've been making it for friends and family for many years. <br/><br/>For anyone having trouble with the caramelized sugar, eliminate the water, it's not necessary. Put 2/3 cup of sugar directly into a small, non-stick skillet and heat SLOWLY, stirring constantly. It's important to go slowly as the sugar will burn quickly if overheated, then you'll have to start over. <br/><br/>For anyone concerned about the fat calories, a 14 oz can of evaporated milk can be used in place of the 16 oz of heavy cream. The results are still creamy and delicious. <br/><br/>I use 1 tsp of cinnamon -- I like a heavier cinnamon flavor. <br/><br/>If you want a little Southwestern tough to this, add 1 tsp Ancho chili powder to this recipe, gives it a little spicy kick.

 

[JoleneC]

Thank goodness I decided to make a double batch of this, because my family really, really wanted to eat some of this right out of the oven. It was WONDERFUL! A great change to regular pumkin pie.

 

[lauralie41]

I made this as a apecial treat for my mom and it was wonderful! Almost burned the sugar by walking away so do pay close attention to it. A rich, warm flavored, comforting dessert that would be very nice for the holidays too. I did let this chill overnight in the refrigerator and topped with Redi Whip dusted with cinnamon before serving. Made and reviewed for ZWT 4.