This French Chocolate Flan is a baked chocolate custard tart that is popular in Paris, France. Creamy, smooth, and full of chocolate flavor, it's a decadent dessert for chocolate lovers!
Reader Review:
This is my number 1 favorite recipe, It is a show stopper! When I really want to impress I go to this. Thank you, Thank you , THANK YOU for this.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Joseph
I first discovered 'Flan Patissier au Chocolat' in a sunny little cafe in Paris while visiting my sister. My first thought was 'What?! You can get CHOCOLATE FLAN?!' We ordered one up and it did not disappoint. The silky, creamy, smooth dessert has such a luxurious mouthfeel and is intensely chocolatey.
Ever since that trip, I have been daydreaming about that delicious baked chocolate custard and I just had to develop my own chocolate flan recipe and make it at home. That trip also inspired this post about how to make Almond Croissants (French bakery style).
Jump to:
Ingredients
This chocolatey French dessert uses classic ingredients you'd find in creme patissiere, but with a few additions.
Chocolate Flan Ingredients:
- Egg Yolks - The egg yolks provide richness and flavor. Use large eggs and always free-range if you can.
- Eggs - We use some whole eggs as the little bit of egg white will help to make the chocolate custard firm when it is baked so that it will hold its shape nicely. In my regular creme patissiere (custard) recipe I use only egg yolks for flavor, but here we want the extra stability.
- Milk - Make sure you use Whole Milk when making pastry cream/custard, we need the high-fat content to carry the flavor. Low-fat custard is sad custard.
- Heavy Cream - To make the custard even richer and creamier. Use heavy cream, double cream, or heavy whipping cream.
- Sugar - Regular white sugar is good here, try to find extra fine sugar (caster sugar).
- Cornstarch - The cornflour acts as a thickening agent in the custard. Make sure you whisk out all the lumps of cornflour once it is added.
- Dark Chocolate - Use high-quality dark chocolate for this chocolate flan as the flavor of the chocolate really shines through. Try to find chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content.
Chocolate Pastry Base Ingredients:
- All-purpose Flour - Regular all-purpose flour is fine for this pastry base.
- Powdered Sugar - This will dissolve into your dough much more easily than regular sugar and makes for a nice, easy pastry dough.
- Cocoa Powder - I used Dutch-processed, but you can also use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Salt - Don't skip the salt! It really complements the chocolate flavor.
- Butter - Room temperature. Salted or unsalted (If you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
- Vanilla Extract - Or vanilla bean paste.
See the recipe card for quantities and the full recipe.
How to Prepare the Chocolate Custard
The chocolate custard for this Parisian flan starts off like any other custard (pastry cream) recipe.
- Add 2 eggs and 3 egg yolks to a large bowl with the sugar. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is light and slightly foamy (about 30 seconds).
- Add the cornflour and salt and whisk everything together until it is smooth and there are no more lumps of cornflour. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream on medium heat.
- Once the milk starts to heat up and you can see steam rising from it, drizzle a little of it into the egg mixture and whisk. Then add more gradually, whisking as you go.
Don't rush this step, we are trying to temper the eggs, which means bringing the temperature up very slowly so they can incorporate into the warm mixture without the eggs scrambling.
Advanced Tip
If you are confident with your cooking/pot juggling abilities, you can pour from the saucepan in a slow, steady stream with one hand and whisk with the other hand. But if this sounds too tricky then it's absolutely not necessary, just add the milk bit by bit and whisk in between
- Once all the milk is incorporated into the eggs, add the whole mixture back into the saucepan and turn the stovetop down to medium-low heat. Whisk CONSTANTLY as your custard thickens.
- You'll feel the custard starting to thicken after a minute or two. You'll know it is ready when you can coat the back of a spoon and run your finger through it, and it will leave a trail on the spoon.
- Now for the chocolate part! Once the custard has reached this stage, remove it from the heat and add in your chocolate, and whisk until totally incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer to a separate bowl to cool, cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface of the chocolate custard). Let cool for 1-2 hours or at least until lukewarm in temperature.
Tip:
If you do end up with a few lumps in your custard while it is thickening, it's okay, you don't have to start again - just pass the custard through a sieve before adding the chocolate!
How to Make the Chocolate Pastry Base
The chocolate pastry base is ridiculously easy to make and comes together super fast. If you want to, you can make this before your custard, but I just find it easier to make it while the custard is cooling, as I have time to kill anyway.
- Add the flour, icing sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to a bowl and mix together.
- Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and then add to the dry ingredients along with the vanilla.
- Mix everything together until it forms a dough. Knead gently with your hands a couple of times and then flatten it out onto your lined cookie sheet. You can use your hands or a rolling pin to shape it into a flat circle, slightly larger than your pastry ring.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastry loses its glossy sheen, then remove from the oven and immediately press the pastry ring into the pastry, like a giant cookie cutter. Leave it there while the pastry cools.
Doing it this way will ensure that your pastry base fits the ring perfectly and doesn't shrink in the oven. - Once the pastry cools, you can break off the excess around the outside of the ring. We don't need it for the recipe, but don't throw it out, it makes a great crunchy snack or a crumbly topping for ice cream or yogurt!
- Leave the pastry ring on the pastry, we will be pouring our chocolate mixture on top of it once it has cooled.
Note: If you don't have a pastry ring, see the Equipment section below for instructions on how to make this with a loose-bottomed cake pan instead.
How to Make the Chocolate Flan
- Once your chocolate flan mixture has cooled, grease your pastry ring very lightly with butter or flavorless cooking spray.
- Pour the chocolate custard into the cake ring and bake in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes.
- When the flan is baked, it should be slightly wobbly in the middle. You can check if it's ready by inserting a cake tester or skewer 1 inch from the edge of the flan, it should come out clean.
You can't test the middle as it would still be gooey. The flan will continue to bake after it comes out of the oven, so if the middle is set already, then you would end up with an overbaked, rubbery flan. - Let the flan sit on the countertop until the sides of the cake pan feel completely cool, then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
If your baking sheet doesn't fit in your fridge (like mine didn't), you can gently use the baking paper under your flan to carefully lift the flan onto a smaller plate that will fit. - Chill overnight. Do not try to unmold or slice your chocolate flan before it has had time to chill. It will still be too soft and gooey to support itself in the middle and you will end up with a big chocolatey mess.
- Unmold the chocolate flan by gently lifting the pastry ring off. If it is stuck or you are having some trouble, you can run a sharp knife around the inside of the cake pan to release it. Alternatively, you can gently heat the outside of the pastry ring to loosen it slightly.
- A classic flan patissier has a thin layer of apricot jam painted on top to give it a nice shine. I didn't have apricot jam so I just used strawberry jam. You really don't get the flavor of the jam, it's purely for aesthetics, so you can use whatever kind of jam you have or just skip this extra step entirely if you like.
Melt the jam in the microwave or a small saucepan and then brush it on top of the flan with a pastry brush.
What is Chocolate Flan?
When you think of flan, you are probably picturing a custard dessert baked with dulce de leche in the bottom of the bundt pan, so when it turns out, it is swimming in a sea of hot caramel sauce. This is a traditional flan, and it's delicious.
But we are looking at a Parisian Flan, which is more like a chocolate custard tart. The full official name for this French dessert is 'Flan Patissier au Chocolat', which translates to 'custard pastry with chocolate'.
It is basically a custard with dark chocolate melted into it, poured onto a pastry base, and then baked and left to chill overnight to make a wonderful, luxurious dessert.
The best way I can think to describe it is that it's like my Baked Chocolate Cheesecake, but without the tang of cream cheese and with more of a creamy flavor.
It's also similar to Creme Brulee, but it's a chocolate version and doesn't have the crunchy top. It's difficult to describe exactly so you'll just have to try it for yourself!
Equipment
- Pastry Ring or Loose-bottomed Cake Pan - The easiest way to make this chocolate flan recipe is with a pastry ring, but you can make it without. If you don't have one, you can use a loose-bottomed cake pan instead.
If you are using a cake pan, you will need to use the pan as a guide to cut the pastry base out with a knife, then place the base inside the cake pan. When unmolding your flan, just push up from the bottom, rather than lifting it off. - Saucepan
- Whisk
Storage
Because it is a baked custard, you want to store your chocolate flan in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
However, chocolate flan is best served at room temperature as it will unlock all the chocolate flavor, so I recommend removing it from the fridge about one hour before serving for maximum flavor.
FAQ
No. The baking process is different from something like a baked cheesecake (which is basically a cream cheese flan) because we don't need a water bath to get a great texture, you can bake it just like you would a regular cake batter without having to faff around with a large roasting pan full of hot water. You can just put your baking sheet right onto the oven rack and bake like you would anything else.
More French Dessert Recipes
If you love French patisserie, you may also enjoy some of these sweet French recipes:
Recipe
French Chocolate Flan
Ingredients
- 3 Large Egg Yolks
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar 200g
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch 42g
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 ½ cups Whole Milk 600ml
- 1 ¾ cups Heavy Cream 400ml
- 7 oz Dark Chocolate 200g (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Jam for brushing on top
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour 120g
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar 35g
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder 25g
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter 114g
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- 8-inch Pastry Ring or loose-bottomed cake pan (see notes)
Instructions
- Put the flour, icing sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl and mix together.1 cup (120 g) All-purpose Flour, ⅓ cup (35 g) Powdered Sugar, ¼ cup (25 g) Cocoa Powder, ¼ teaspoon (¼ tsp) Salt
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the dry ingredients along with the vanilla extract.1 stick (114 g) Unsalted Butter, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Vanilla Extract
- Mix everything together until a smooth, thick paste is formed.
- Knead the paste into a dough with your hands - just 3 or 4 times, don't overwork it.
- Flatten the pastry onto the lined baking sheet, use a small rolling pin or just your hands to work it into a large flat circle, slightly larger than your pastry ring. Try to make it as flat as possible, but don't worry about the sides being neat as they will be cut off.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the top of the pastry no longer looks shiny.
- Remove from the oven and immediately press the pastry ring into the pastry like a giant cookie cutter. Do not remove the pastry ring. If you are using a loose-bottomed cake pan instead of a pastry ring, see notes for instructions.
- Put the eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk together with the sugar. Whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds - the eggs should lighten slightly in color.3 Large (3) Egg Yolks, 2 Large (2) Eggs, 1 cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- Add the cornstarch and salt and whisk until smooth.⅓ cup (42 g) Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Salt
- Put the milk and the cream in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.2 ½ cups (600 ml) Whole Milk, 1 ¾ cups (400 ml) Heavy Cream
- Once the milk/cream mixture starts to get hot (steam is starting to rise from it), add a small amount to the egg/sugar mixture and whisk in. Then gradually add more, bit by bit, whisking as you go. Be sure not to add the hot milk too quickly as we are trying to slowly bring the eggs up to temperature to stop them from scrambling.
- Once all the milk is incorporated, pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Whisk constantly until the the custard starts to boil, then keep whisking for 1-2 minutes until it thickens.
- You'll know the custard is ready when you can coat the back of a spoon, run your finger through it and it leaves a line on the spoon.
- Remove the custard from the heat, if you have gotten any lumps in the custard while cooking, you can pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. If it looks smooth then go ahead to the next step.
- Add the chopped chocolate to the hot custard and continue whisking until all the chocolate has melted and it is smooth and silky.7 oz (200 g) Dark Chocolate
- Your pastry ring should still be sitting in the chocolate pastry. Leave it there and break off all the outside excess pastry.
- Lightly grease the inside of your pastry ring with butter.
- Pour the chocolate custard into the pastry ring, on top of what should now be a perfect circle of pastry. Smooth out the top of the custard as much as possible using a palette knife.
- Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. When it's done the outside will be set but the middle will still be very jiggly as it will continue to bake after it comes out of the oven.
- Allow to cool on the countertop completely and then transfer to the fridge, covering in plastic wrap. Let it chill overnight. Do not attempt to cut into the flan before you have let it chill!
- Once the flan has completely chilled, remove from the pastry ring. If it doesn't lift easily, try running a sharp knife around the outside of the flan, or even apply heat to the outside to soften it up a little
- If you'd like the shiny finish, melt 1 tablespoon of jam in the microwave for 20 seconds and then brush a thin layer all over the flan with a pastry brush. It is traditional to use apricot jam, but I didn't have any so I used strawberry - you really don't taste the flavor of the jam so it's not important what kind you use.1 tablespoon Jam
Ellie
Can you freeze this? And if, should it be done before or after baking?
Jules Grasekamp
I wouldn't recommend freezing it as custard desserts can get a bit clumpy after thawing. If you do freeze it though definitely freeze after baking and make sure it is well wrapped. Defrost it gradually in the fridge overnight.
Enjoy!
Jules
Alex
My custard is not thickening and is watery. What went wrong? Can it be saved?
Lorraine
How can I convert 200 g of chocolate to US measuring?
Jules
H Lorraine,
200g is 7 ounces 🙂
Hope you love the recipe!
Jules
Joseph B Friedrich
This is my number 1 favorite recipe. It is a show stopper. When I really want to impress I go to this.. Thank you, Thank you , THANK YOU for this.
Jules
Hi Joseph,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, you've made my day! It's one of my favourites too and it always impresses! I'm so happy you like it, thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Jules
Joseph B Friedrich
Up until a couple years ago I had never baked a single thing. Then my best friend in the world became ill and I needed to take care of her. My once amazing social life stopped and I became tied to my home . Things could get pretty frustrating and just to keep my mind clear I decided to bake . It worked and it kept me sane.. Starting out completely clueless I made so many mistakes. I didn't receive much fan fare from people who tried what I made. I was giving up but thankfully I found this recipe. I made it and I got my first taste of that "OMG this us so good .You didn't make this did you?" I was hooked I have made this recipie about 50 times now. I actually bake all kinds of things now but it really was this one that started it. It is actually the one I made for Christmas. I just thought I would say thanks again. Joseph B Friedrich
Helen Frye
Can you use almond flour instead of all purpose flour to make this gluten free?
Jules
Yes you can definitely switch for almond flour at a 1:1 ratio 🙂
Barbara
Can coconut milk and coconut cream be used instead of cows milk
Jules
Hi Barbara,
I have never tried making this recipe with coconut milk and coconut cream, but I can't think of a technical reason why it wouldn't work. If you do try it I'd love if you'd let me know how it turns out!
Jules