Pudim FlanPortuguese Caramel Custard

Pudim flan is a baked caramel custard, made with eggs, milk and sugar and turned out so the caramel runs down the sides. It's loved because it's on every Portuguese restaurant dessert trolley and every family table, and because it needs nothing you don't already have in the kitchen.

What makes it work: a gentle oven and a water bath (bain-marie), which give a silky custard with no bubbles, and patience. It needs a night in the fridge before you turn it out.

The recipe

Pudim FlanPortuguese Caramel Custard

Pudim flan recipe: a smooth Portuguese caramel custard baked in a bain-marie and turned out with its amber caramel sauce. Just eggs, milk and sugar.

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Prep20 min

Cook60 min

Total80 min

Serves8

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

8

½×1×2×3×

• For the caramel: 150 g sugar and 3 tbsp water
• 750 ml whole milk
• 1 strip lemon peel (no white pith), or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 170 g sugar
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 170 °C. Use a 20–22 cm pudim mould with a central tube, or a 20 cm round cake tin (not loose-bottomed).
2. Make the caramel. Put the 150 g sugar and water in a small pan over medium heat. Don't stir: swirl the pan as it melts. Cook for 6–8 minutes until it turns deep amber. Pour it straight into the mould and tilt to coat the base and some of the sides. Careful, it's extremely hot.
3. Warm the milk with the lemon peel until steaming, then take it off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the peel.
4. Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt gently, just until combined. Don't beat in air. Slowly pour in the warm milk, stirring.
5. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into the caramel-lined mould. Skim off any bubbles.
6. Put the mould in a deep roasting tin and pour in hot water to come halfway up its sides. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until set around the edges with a slight wobble in the middle. A knife pushed in halfway between edge and centre should come out clean.
7. Lift the mould out of the water, cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
8. To serve, run a thin knife around the edges and the central tube. Put a deep plate on top, flip it over quickly and lift off the mould. The caramel will pour over the top.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Pudim flan vs pudim de leite condensado

Pudim flan is the classic made with fresh milk. Many Portuguese homes also make pudim de leite condensado, a richer, denser version made with a tin of condensed milk, fresh milk and eggs. Same method, same caramel. For more set custards and egg sweets, see our guide to Portuguese convent sweets and the Portuguese desserts guide.

Make ahead and storage

Pudim flan is a make-ahead dessert by nature. Keep it in the mould in the fridge for up to 3 days and turn it out on the day you serve it. It doesn't freeze well: the texture turns watery.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Portuguese

Casafina Eivissa oval baker

A big hand-glazed Portuguese baker for gratins, roasts and rice dishes that go straight to the table.

Tip: 36 × 23 cm: feeds six.

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Portuguese

Costa Nova Rosa dinner plate

An 11-inch Portuguese stoneware plate with a soft organic edge. Pairs with the Costa Nova bowls.

Tip: Buy one to check the colour, then build a set.

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Portuguese

Cutipol GOA starter set, 6 pieces

The GOA design from Portuguese maker Cutipol: slim, elegant and instantly recognisable. A starter set to try it at home.

Tip: Handwash the coloured handles.

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