Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)
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Updated May 27, 2025, Published Dec 19, 2021
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If you’re craving a dessert that looks as magical as it tastes, this homemade Chocoflan is the ultimate showstopper. Also known as Pastel Imposible or the Impossible Cake, this Mexican dessert combines a rich and tender chocolate cake with a creamy vanilla-coffee flan, all topped with silky dulce de leche and crunchy walnuts. It’s a dreamy, layered masterpiece that’ll leave everyone asking for seconds.
Table of Contents
What is Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)?
Chocoflan is a popular Mexican dessert made with two classic layers: chocolate cake and flan. It gets the nickname Impossible Cake because the layers magically switch places as it bakes — the flan sinks to the bottom, and the cake rises to the top, even though it’s poured in reverse order.
Once cooled and flipped, the flan and caramel end up perfectly on top. It really does feel like dessert magic!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold, decadent flavors. You get the best of three worlds: chocolate cake, velvety flan, and rich caramel.
- Made from scratch. No boxed cake mix here — this recipe uses fresh ingredients for a flavor that’s deep, balanced, and extra special.
- That wow factor. It looks fancy but it’s surprisingly simple once you get the hang of it. Perfect for holidays, birthdays, or when you’re feeling extra.
- Hints of orange and coffee. The chocolate batter is brightened with orange juice, and the flan is kissed with instant coffee for a subtle mocha twist.
- Tried, tested, and perfected. After several flops and near-misses, this is the version that finally worked — and it’s 100% worth the effort.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This homemade Chocoflan recipe is made up of three delicious layers: moist chocolate cake, creamy flan, and sweet dulce de leche topping.
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need:
- Fresh orange juice – adds brightness to the chocolate cake
- Cocoa powder – gives the cake its rich flavor
- Sweetened condensed milk – the base for the flan
- Instant coffee granules – a pinch deepens the flavor of the flan
- Dulce de leche or cajeta – for that caramel drizzle on top
- Chopped walnuts – optional, but great for a bit of crunch
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)
Step 1: Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease a bundt pan with baking spray or butter.
Step 2: Make the cake batter. In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder, then add it to the butter mixture. Stir in cocoa powder, orange juice, and vanilla until smooth.
Step 3: Pour into pan. Spread the cake batter into the bottom of the bundt pan.
Step 4: Blend the flan. In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, vanilla, and instant coffee. Blend until smooth, then slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter.
Step 5: Bake in a water bath. Place your filled bundt pan inside a larger baking dish. Pour hot water into the outer pan until it reaches about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool and flip. Cool for at least 1 hour. To help loosen, place the bundt pan in warm water for 30 seconds before inverting onto a platter.
Step 7: Finish with dulce de leche. Warm dulce de leche in a small saucepan with a splash of milk until pourable. Drizzle over the cake and top with chopped walnuts.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
- Drizzle extra dulce de leche or cajeta right before serving
- Garnish with toasted walnuts or pecans
- Serve chilled or at room temperature
- Top with fresh whipped cream or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Chocoflan Expert Tips & Tricks
- Grease that pan! Be generous with your greasing to ensure the cake releases cleanly.
- Pour flan slowly. A steady pour helps keep the layers from blending together.
- Don’t skip the water bath. It keeps the flan smooth and custardy.
- Cool completely. Patience is key — this cake needs time to set before flipping.
Storage Instructions
- Store your Chocoflan cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
- Not recommended for freezing or reheating. Enjoy chilled or at room temp for the best texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because the layers magically reverse during baking! You pour cake batter first, then flan, but the flan sinks and bakes on the bottom, making it seem impossible.
Literally, “chocolate flan.” It describes the two main components of the dessert.
It’s rich and creamy with a sweet balance of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and caramel — like a mashup of tres leches cake, flan, and molten chocolate cake.
Chocoflan is a beloved dessert in Mexican cuisine, blending European influences like flan with Latin American flavors and techniques.
More Recipes to Try
If you tried this Chocoflan (Impossible Cake) or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Chocoflan (Impossible Cake) Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 sticks butter, or 1/2 lb
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Flan:
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 14 onces whole milk, measure it out in the sweetened condensed milk can
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch instant coffee
Dulce de Leche Glaze:
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- milk, regular milk or almond milk, as needed
- chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In an electric mixer blend the butter with the sugar until it’s light and fluffy, almost white. Whisk in the eggs, one at time until incorporated.
- Sift together flour and baking powder and then slowly add this to the creamed sugar. Once the flour has been added, stir in the cocoa powder.
- Next mix in the orange juice and vanilla. Once it’s well combined, pour the cake batter into a well-greased cake pan.
Flan:
- In a blender, add all the ingredients and blend well. Pour this mixture on top of the cake batter, very carefully so you don’t disturb the cake batter.
Bake:
- Place a larger cake pan or baking dish in the oven and fill it with about 1 inch of water. Then place the chocoflan pan in the water bath (bain-marie or bano de maria). Let the cake bake for about 75 to 90 minutes or until the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool for about an hour. Then when you are ready to flip the chocoflan, pour some hot water into the larger pan and set the chocoflan pan in the hot water for about 30 seconds.
Dulce de Leche Glaze:
- Pour dulce de leche or cajeta in a small sauce pan on low heat. Stir in milk slowly to desired constancy.
Serve:
- Flip the chocoflan onto a cake plate and serve. This cake holds well in the frig for several days.
- Drizzle with caramel (dulce de leche or cajeta) and sprinkle with nuts, if using.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
- Use a 12-cup bundt pan for this recipe — anything smaller and it could overflow.
- I recommend buttering the pan by hand instead of using baking spray for the best release.
- When creating the water bath, add just 1 inch of hot water to the outer pan. If water gets into the bundt pan, it can ruin the flan’s texture.
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Time-saving tip: Use a squeeze bottle of dulce de leche and drizzle it directly into the pan before adding the batters.
Or, skip the caramel layer during baking and pour a warm dulce de leche glaze over the cake after it’s baked and inverted. - Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. This dessert actually tastes better the next day!
- Do not freeze or reheat — enjoy chilled or at room temperature for the best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
I just attempted to bake this cake gluten free, my cake batter was very thick so I don’t think it will turn out good
I live at 7500′; this delicious recipe works well at this elevation! Thanks so much!!
Thank you for the recipe! Love your cake stand. May I ask where you purchased it?
It’s actually a vintage plate on a wooden pedestal.
my oven is quite small, do you think this recipe would work in a 6 inch round or bundt pan in a 9×9 square pan for the bain marie? Also I know the dulce de leche is the traditional flavor , but would a chocolate or vanilla glaze on top work as well?
Yummy, looks delicous and beautiful. I’ve been waiting for a recipe for this cake. Thanks mija
does it only work in a bundt pan or can I use a regular 9×9 square or 9 inch round pan?
I haven’t tested it, but I’m guess that should work. But the square corners might be tough on the flan portion. I highly recommend a round or 12-cup bundt pan: https://amzn.to/2TAYrx4