Corn Flan or Flan de Elote is a silky, sweet, and amazingly creamy dessert made with simple ingredients. The smoky and decadent caramel is delicious and all you need to serve this Mexican dessert.
Place sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
Swirl the pan from time to time until it starts to bubble and change color to a golden brown.
Carefully pour the caramel into a baking round pan or flan mold and swirl the mold so the caramel will coat also a bit on the sides.
Place corn and evaporated milk in a blender and process until nicely smooth.
Add eggs, cream cheese, condensed milk, and vanilla, then blend for a few seconds until combined (do not overmix!).
Strain the custard into the caramelized pan.
Place the pan with the flan mixture inside a larger baking pan. Pour hot water into the larger pan, enough to cover half of the pan with the flan mixture.
Bake for 1 hour or until nicely set on the sides but a bit giggly in the middle.
Remove the mold from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack. Allow to reach room temperature then chill in the fridge overnight.
When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the mold to loosen up the flan.
Take a serving plate and place it over the pan. Quickly flip them, then lift the mold so the flan will easily slide out with the caramel covering it all.
Notes
Caramel can go from perfect to burnt within 15 seconds so you will want to keep a close eye and practically babysit your pot of sugar whilst it caramelizes.
For a silky and smooth texture, always strain the custard mixture.
Use room-temperature eggs, so the shock of the warm milk won’t cause the eggs to scramble the mixture.