How Mexico's Impossible Cake Is Sort Of Like Oven Magic

Chocoflan is a dessert that unites lovers of flan and chocolate cake. While the layers seem utterly distinct, you are bound to go back for another taste when the bold flavors of each layer are combined in the perfect bite. The chocolate cake layer provides a tender texture that contrasts with the silky smooth texture of the flan. In order to ensure the flan doesn't underdeliver on that rich mouthfeel, take care not to make these two big flan mistakes.

Before going into the oven, the cajeta, which is caramel made with goat's milk, is layered onto the bottom of the pan followed by chocolate cake batter, then the custard. Instead of the caramelized sugar that would top off a traditional flan, is the sweet, yet earthy, cherry on top of the chocoflan. Once served, it is the flan sitting atop the chocolate cake. This oven magic is how chocoflan earned its nickname "pastel imposible," or "impossible cake." 

The magic behind the impossible cake is all due to density and gravity. As you pour even layers of cake batter and flan before baking, you will notice that even though they have similar volumes at first, the volume of the cake increases during the baking process. Since the cake batter expands to take more space, it is also becoming less dense as it bakes. As a result, the denser flan drops down as the dessert cooks, just as water does when poured into oil.

The magic inversion of chocoflan layers is primarily a result of cake batter doing its job in the oven. As it bakes, those characteristic air bubbles of a light and fluffy cake come into being. Still, the batter doesn't just float up through the flan in one fell swoop; the cake batter clumps up into smaller pieces. This makes it easier for gravity to do its job. 

As the cake batter floats up with its newfound airy texture, gravity works hard to pull the flan down a layer. Because gravity has a stronger effect on more dense items, it is going to pull the flan down through the chocolate cake layer instead of the other way around. Once these layers have mostly switched positions, the individual clumps of cake batter solidify into a solid layer.

Now that you're an expert on the impossible cake, you might be tempted to bring the magic to your own kitchen. While you can always keep things simple with an easy cherry delight dessert, the decadent flavors of a chocoflan are worth experiencing. Should you do so, consider adding a splash of orange juice or instant coffee to your chocolate cake batter for a pop of flavor that will make your chocoflan unforgettable.