Ube Leche Flan

5 from 1 vote

This ube leche flan adds a lovely twist to the classic leche flan recipe with its vibrant purple hue and deliciously nutty flavor. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make too.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Chilling time8

Total Time8 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: Five inches round mold

Calories: 1592.9kcal

Author: Priya Maha

Ingredients

Caramel

50 g sugar
1 tablespoon water

Custard

6 egg yolks
195 ml condensed milk (half a tin of a 14 oz can)
165 ml evaporated milk (half a tin of a 12 oz can)
½ teaspoon ube extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Wash and pat the flan mold or tin dry.
Prepare your steamer. Pour water into the base pot and set the steamer tray. Place a cloth on the steamer tray but make sure to not cover all the holes entirely.
Add sugar into the flan tin. Turn on the heat and let the sugar melt over low heat. Swirl the tin as the sugar start melting to distribute the heat. Avoid mixing with a spoon to prevent the sugar from crystalizing (see Note 1). Swirl the pan instead.
Cook until the sugar turns amber (see Note 2). Swirl the tin so that the caramel covers the entire bottom of the tin. Place the tin on a level surface and let the caramel set.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth (with a hand whisk or a cake mixer) Do not overmix as it should not be incorporating any air bubbles.
Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, salt and ube extract. Whisk again until all the ingredients are well combined.
Strain the custard with a fine mesh strainer onto the caramel layer in the prepared tin.
Use a large cloth to wrap the steamer pot lid. This will prevent water droplets from the steam that has accumulated on the lid from dropping into the leche flan (see Note 3).
Place the tin in the steamer and steam for 35 to 40 minutes on lowest heat. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, the flan is cooked (see Note 4).
Remove the custard from the steamer and let it rest at room temperature until it cools down. Place the cooled custard in the refrigerator and chill overnight (see Note 5).
To serve, run a thin knife along the edges of the flan in the tin to create air pockets on the sides. Make sure it touches the bottom of the mold as you run it around. Place a rimmed plate on the tin , hold it tight to the tin and turn the tin over to transfer the ube leche flan onto the plate (see Note 6).
Lift the tin. Cut and serve the ube leche flan. The custard is best consumed chilled.
This recipe makes 450 ml custard.

Notes

You can also make the caramel in a separate saucepan and pour it into your mold or tin once ready. If the sugar crystalizes, continue cooking it over the heat. It will start to caramelize eventually.
Keep close watch on the sugar when making the caramel as it tends to burn very quickly. Do not multi task and use low heat.
Another option is to cover the tin with foil instead of wrapping the steam lid. However, this will make it difficult for you to test the doneness of the flan.
Make sure there is sufficient water in the steamer to steam for the entire cook time. Do not over cook the custard. Overcooking can result in a firm and eggy custard. The cooking time for the custard will vary depending on the thickness of the custard. This recipe uses a 5 inch round tin. If you use a larger tin without scaling up the recipe, your custard will be thinner and the cooking time should be reduced. Vice versa if you use a smaller tin.
If you are in a hurry, you can try chilling the custard for at least 4 hours before consuming but it is highly recommended to let it rest further to allow the caramel to soften and prevent it from sticking to the tin when overturning the flan.
If the flan does not fall onto the plate, tap the tin lightly.
To make a larger batch, double the recipe and steam in a 7 inches round tin.

Nutrition