With summer in full blast, cold dishes take center stage on the menu. One of my favorite cold desserts is creme caramel..silky smooth custard topped with deep flavored golden brown heavenly caramel,in one word..perfection
I know most people would say..if it is not broken don’t fix it. Creme caramel is by no means broken and I don’t mean to mess with perfection but what if you could take this wonderful dessert to the next level? what if you could pair it with cake in one delicious cold dessert?
This is exactly what today’s recipe is. Taking a wonderful dessert to the next level.
I was first introduced many years ago to this work of yummy art by my mum’s friend who is a talented baker, I asked her for the recipe and she was kind enough to share it with me. I have made it many many times since then but last year I lost the recipe, I got a new recipe book and was copying my old recipes and could not find this particular recipe any where.
I tried about half a dozen other recipes recommended by friends or googled ones and none came even close. So I couldn’t wait for her to come for their yearly vacation this year to ask her to give it to me again, and she kindly obliged.
You can make the cake into a chocolate one by reducing the flour amount by 2 tablespoons and adding 2 tablespoons coco powder.
You can also make the cake layer into a separate cake, I do often and it is a wonderful moist cake.
Cake ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups milk
3/4 cups oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
Creme caramel ingredients
2 cups powdered milk
2 cups water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 cups sugar
Caramel layer
10 tablespoons sugar
Directions
In a pan, measure 10 tablespoons sugar and on medium heat allow them to turn into caramel (you need to keep an eye on the sugar because if it burns or it gets too dark the caramel will be bitter)
Pour the caramel into your cake pan.
Oil the cake pan above the level of the caramel
To make the custard part of the creme caramel
In the food processor mix all the ingredients for the creme caramel untill combined
Pour over the caramel layer.
To make the cake
Beat the eggs with the vanilla, add the oil and sugar.Beat until pale
Add the milk and mix untill combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix untill combined.
Pour over the custard layer
At this stage you will be terrified because the layers will get mixed up but have faith they will separate while baking 
As you notice I filled the cake pan almost to the top, don’t worry about it over flowing, this dessert doesn’t rise much in the oven.
Place the cake pan in a larger pan filled half way with hot water and place on the middle rack of a preheated 180 C oven.
After the first half an hour open the oven and insert a fork or knife in multiple places in the cake, then close the oven again and continue baking for another 30 minutes.
You will know the cake is done when you insert a knife or cake tester and it comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature then place it in the fridge for at least half an hour.(I usually leave it in the fridge over night)
Turn the pan upside down on a serving plate, tap it on the top gently and the cake should come out easily (if you are worried you can place the pan in hot water for 2 minutes before turning it out)
ENJOY!
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You
/ April 14, 2013Nice, caramel flan-cake, Sawsan! I am a trained chef and liked your explanation about what type of pan would be better to cook this dessert (round baking pan versus ring mold).
Mahmoud Abdallah
/ October 19, 2012well
i always make this recipe but i always put nesqueek on the cake to give it chocolate taste 
but i sure would love to try to make it white your cream caramel cake look delicious 
and if you don’t mind telling me the Recipe in Arabic 
i would be so happy because i wanted to make it for my girl friend’s birthday surprise party tomorrow :$ if you don’t mind ofcourse thank you alot 
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ October 19, 2012Hello Mahmoud,
Happy birthday to your girl friend. It is so sweet of you to surprise her with a cake. Here is the recipe in
arabic
كيكه قدره قادر
مقادير الكيك
ثلاثه ارباع كوب سكر
واحد و ربع كوب طحين
2 بيض
ملعقه صغيره فاتيلا
ثلاث ارباع كوب حليب
ثلاث ارباع كوب زيت
اثنان ملعقه صغيره بيكنغ باودر
مقادير الكريم كراميل
اثنين كوب حليب بودره
اثنان كوب ماء
بيضتان
ملعقه فانيلا صغيره
ملعقه صغيره خل
ثلاث ارباع كوب سكر
للكراميل
عشره ملاعق كبيره سكر
في مقلاه ضع السكر على نار هادئه حتى يذوب و يصبح بلون الكراميل
صب الكراميل في قاع قالب الكيك
ادهن القالب بالزيت فوق مستوى الكراميل
اخلط جميع مقادير الكريم كراميل في الخلاط حتى تتجانس ثم صبها فوق الكراميل
لتجهيز مزيج الكيك اخفق البيض مع الفانيلا ثم اضف الزيت و يليه السكر و استمر بالخفق حتى يصبح اللون اصفر فاتح
اضف الحليب و اخفق ثم الدقيق و البيكنغ باودر
ثم صب خليط الكيك فوق الكريم كاراميل
ضع قالب الكيك في صينيه اكبر منه و عبيء الصينيه الخارجيه حتى نصفها بالماء الساخن
ضعها على الرف الاوس في فرن محمى على 180
بعد مرور 30 دقيقه افتح الفرن و اغرس سكين او شوكه في عده مواقع من الكيكه ثم اغلق الفرن و اخبزها لمده 30 دقيقه اضافيه
تأكد من ان الكيك تم نضجه بادخال سكين في طبقه الكيك فاذا خرجت نظيفه فان الكيك تم نضجه
اخرج الكيك من الفرن و دعه يبرد تماما في القالب ثم ادخله الى الثلاجه مده ساعه على الاقل و يفضل لو بقي اطول
Mahmoud Abdallah
/ October 21, 2012thank you alot:)
sumayyah
/ September 11, 2012i’ve been looking for a creme -caramel-cake for ages, i’m from South Africa and we only do a creme caramel, trying it this weekend.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ September 12, 2012Looking forward to hearing how the cake turned out sumayyah
Siham
/ July 28, 2012HI it looks great…. Thanks for sharing this receipy… I want to ask you , What kind of vinger did you add to the caramel and why?
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 28, 2012Hello Siham
I used white vinegar and I add it to make sure I don’t get any eggy smell or taste
REDHA
/ March 2, 2012Hellow…i hve three questions:
1) does the caramel usually end up as a layer under the cake or above the cream?
2) the caramel i make cracks after keeping it for a while..should i refrigerate it while preparing the other components of the cake?
3) For the cake, should i use 3/4 liquid fresh milk or 3/4 powdered milk?
Thank you
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ March 2, 2012Hello
1. the caramel ends up above the cream
2. try not to make the caramel too early but even if it cracks that is still ok. You can carry on with the recipe, the heat in the oven will melt it again
3. 3/4 liquid milk
I hope you’ll enjoy the cake
REDHA
/ March 7, 2012Thx alot dear..appreciate your help..i tried powdered milk and fresh milk for the cake..liked the powdered more…however i dint mix the water with the powder so the cake wasnt really a cake..lol..how much of water is needed to reconstitute powdered milk?..any idea?.. i heard 1/4 cup powdered milk for every 1 cup water..is that right?…
thanks..
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ March 7, 2012Hello Redha
The measurement I use if I want to substitute powdered milk for liquid milk in a recipe is
3 tablespoons powdered milk for every cup of water
Merna Mamdouh
/ February 27, 2012I salute u
this turned up really awesome <3 thank u <3 
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ February 27, 2012Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know the recipe worked out for you
Hanan
/ December 21, 2011Salam,
I am overjoyed that I found this recipe on your site! It is popular in my homecountry, Libya, but few are willing to give the exact recipe and even fewer are actually any good. So I attempted this recipe, to great results with the cake and creme layers. The caramel layer? Not so good. When I flipped the cake, the caramel remained a hard layer at the bottom of the pan while the cake and creme came out beautiful. Why does this keep happening to me? I put the cake pan in hot water for 5 minutes before flipping, but it does not help. The caramel is as hard as a rock at the bottom. Help please???
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ December 21, 2011Salam Hanan,
Thank you so much for your kind comment.I really appreciate it
You are not doing anything wrong, part of the caramel layer will remain in the pan no matter what you do. What I do lately to make it better is to leave the cake in the fridge overnight that helps dissolve most of the caramel.I updated the recipe with these intstructions I hope you’ll try them and they will give you better results.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Hanan
/ December 25, 2011Jazak Allah khair for replying! I took your advice and let it sit in the fridge a bit longer, not overnight, but for about 3-4 hours and it worked! I also think I might have been overcooking the caramel. Thank you again for a wonderful recipe! I turned out beautifully and my husband loved it!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ December 26, 2011Wa jazaki kol el khair..I am really glad you and your husband liked it ..thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment
jolly
/ August 20, 2011this recipe is WaaaW
I just made it,tasted it & i liked it
but it needed less time in the oven than you mentioned
and i think I can cut down the amount of sugar in cream caramel layer to 1\2 cup ans still be good
Anonymous
/ July 23, 2011just tried this recipe out 2day, but i made de caramel frm Greens’ readymade creme caramel mix and followed ur cake recipe. The caramels got 2 cool 2 thicken,so i’ve placed de baked cake in the liquid caramel mix n popped it in de refridgerator!!will let u know how it turned out as soon as it gets cool n de caramel sets!thk u 4 de recipe anyway!
Maram
/ July 23, 2011Inshalla I will try this one for sure… I LOVE cream caramel…
Thanks for all this creativity Sawsan… I am happy
thefooddoctor
/ July 27, 2011Can’t wait to hear what you think when you do try it
marla
/ July 12, 2011This is such a great idea for a caramel cake!
We are in our final week of Get Grillin’ – Dessert is the theme and we would love if you submitted up to any 3 recipes (they don’t have to be grilled) to our link up. This one would be perfect! This week we have a Rouxbe Cooking School giveaway. http://su.pr/2YaIiV
thefooddoctor
/ July 13, 2011Thank you Marla..I submitted the recipe though I am not eligable for the giveaway
anjobanjo22
/ June 22, 2011Oh my gosh! I was literally salivating while reading this. I’m of Filipino background and we have a desert called Leche Flan that reminds me of this dish. YUM!
thefooddoctor
/ June 22, 2011Your dish sounds yummy…hope you’d share the recipe for it
Thank you for stopping by my blog
Kelly
/ June 21, 2011Your creme caramel looks gorgeous and well worth the perfection intervention
My husband is a big fan – will put it on the treat list!
thefooddoctor
/ June 21, 2011Thank you Kelly..I hope your husband will love it
thecompletecookbook
/ June 20, 2011What an ingenious idea! This is a definite “have-to-make” recipe! Won’t have time to make it before heading home next week (to winter
) but I will make it the second the weather warms up. 
Mandy
Mike@The Culinary Lens
/ June 18, 2011Striving to improve on anything even if it is already good is what makes everything better. This looks so great. I am thinking of trying it but making individual cakes and more than likely the chocolate version.
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011I totally agree Mike..I really look forward to hearing what you think when you have the time to try this
fatisrecipes
/ June 18, 2011Not only will you never lose this recipe again (as it’s on your blog now), but in case you do, then give me a buzz, I’ve saved it for later use.
I can’t believe what a fantastic idea this is. I’ve never been toooo fond of creme caramel because it’s just a big wobbly thing on a plate. I really want to try this one soon (I’ll send you a pic or two when I make it).
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011can’t wait to get those pictures
fatisrecipes
/ June 19, 2011Big disappointment. Today we ate creme caramel at a friend’s house. My creme caramel adventures have been put on a halt until another time. You know when people eat something they haven’t tried in a while, they sort of don’t want to eat it again until they start missing it. Hopefully not too distant future…..
wizzy
/ June 18, 2011Must try this! I hope I don’t mess it up. What a fabulous idea to putt the two together in one dessert.
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011I am sure you will make a wonderful dessert..I really love it because you don’t have to choose between cake and creme caramel..you can have both!
Thank you for stopping by my blog
Wendy Irene
/ June 18, 2011I know my husband would absolutely love some of this for Father’s Day! And I would really like some of that coffee in the background with the beautiful flower
Have a fantastic weekend!!
kankana
/ June 18, 2011This is totally my kinda dessert .. give me that whole bowl and i can finish it .. trust me
I think i should make that too !
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
/ June 18, 2011Oh we’ve never made something like that. Gorgeous. And the chocolate sounds good, but I like this better.
ChefMom
/ June 18, 2011Yum! I love the idea of a cold cake.
Maris(In Good Taste)
/ June 18, 2011Oh dear this is incredible! Making it tonight!!!
Raquel @ Erecipe
/ June 18, 2011I am impressed, I actually want to lick that creme caramel.
chicaandaluza
/ June 18, 2011I´ve always loved creme caramel – my mum makes an amazing one and taught me – but I fell seriously out of love with it here in Spain. Most (ordinary) restaurants offer only 2 or 3 desserts Arroz Con Leche (Cold Rice pudding with Cinnamon), Natillas (cold custard with a biscuit on the top) and Flan (Creme Caramel). I don´t make them sound that appetising but they are good – but dull after years of the same 3 desserts
. Now that I´ve seen your recipe, I may well fall back in love with it…will have to give it a go. Big Man would be happy as he adores it!
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011Oh I like the idea of arroz con leche..
But I like this one because it is not really creme caramel nor is it cake..sort of the best of both..
I hope you’ll like it if you give it a try
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
/ June 17, 2011Oh this sounds wonderful! I love all the sauce on the plate. Totally just lick that up!
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011the sauce is what makes it extra yummy
Thank you for your sweet comment Erin
Ginger
/ June 17, 2011Oh wow! What a perfect summer dessert! Beautiful photographs, as always!
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011Nami
/ June 17, 2011Oh my…. looks so beautiful and delicious. You are the true cook. If I have already “good” one I am not sure if I will even try making it “better”. You know how much my husband loves creme caramel…now….this… I think he’ll ask me to make it if I show this (so now I keep it quiet). I have one super basic baking 101 question for you. How come some people use round mold and some use this donuts shape mold? Is there any reason to choose why one is better for a particular dessert, etc? I don’t have donuts shape mold (well I have like only 2 molds at my house LOL), but do I need one? Hopefully I am confident enough to make this for my husband…
fatisrecipes
/ June 18, 2011I was also going to ask the same thing Nami. I don’t have a doughnut-shaped mold, and if I can’t get my hands on one, then I’ll try a normal round tray and let you know the results!
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011As I told Nami..you don’t have to use the doughnut one
Can’t wait to hear your feed back
thefooddoctor
/ June 18, 2011Hello Nami
The reason behind using the donut mold is that some types of cakes or desserts won’t cook through in the center if you use a regular baking pan. Using the donut one will transfer the heat to the cake batter from 2 directions..the outside and the inside and this will ensure that the cake cooks through..
This particular dessert can be made with either mold..you can use the donut and you can use the regular round or square mold..I just like using this one because it give tidy nice looking pieces when you cut it..
I have all the confidence in the world in you and in your ability to make this..:) just give it a try and I really hope you and your family will love it
eva626
/ June 17, 2011dessert to the next level it is!
thefooddoctor
/ June 17, 2011