What Does Flan Taste Like? Is It a Cake or Pie?
There are different kinds of desserts, and they all come from different parts of the world, so sometimes it is very difficult to choose one. Many people tend to try desserts that have peculiar taste and texture, i.e., something that is not so common such as a flan. So, what is flan, and how does it taste like?
Flan is a dessert that includes caramel toppings and a custard base. The flan’s texture is close to a custard pie, so the taste is somehow similar, but the structure is less firm. The taste of flan is often compared to the taste of French creme caramel.
This article is focused on the features of flan, so you would be able to understand what this dessert is all about. There is also a recipe included below, so you would have the chance to easily and successfully prepare a flan, and enjoy this unusual type of dessert. Once you read everything you need to know about flan, you will definitely want to try and make one.
What Is the Taste Of Flan?
Flan is a baked dessert with a custard base topped with caramel. The basic ingredients of flan are milk and eggs. On top of that, people use to add all sorts of different flavorings: chocolate, orange, apple, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.
Since it is a quite unusual dessert, many people question its taste and try to find something similar to it in order to get an idea of its taste. Therefore, many people ask whether flan tastes more like a cake or more like a pie. Even those who have eaten flan many times, find it difficult to describe the taste of this dessert.
The taste of the flan largely depends on the sweetener (flavor) you will be adding to the flan. What is sure, that it is sweet. Because of the similar ingredients, some would say it tastes similar to pannacotta or creme brulee, or even kremsnita – a traditional eastern European dessert (if you are familiar with it).
As far as the texture goes, the flan should be creamy and smooth.
Does Flan Taste Like Eggs?
It is normal for a freshly cooked flan to taste a little bit eggy. Since eggs are a mandatory ingredient in the flan, you should expect a little bit of egg taste in it. However, the eggy taste often can come from the disproportional egg-liquid ratio, so you might add some vanilla extract, so your flan would not have the prominent taste of eggs.
In addition, there are also other steps you can take to prevent the eggy taste in your dessert. For instance, you could warm up the liquid before proceeding with adding it to the egg mixture. This will aid in a better blending of the ingredients, and it will reduce the eggy taste of the flan.
What Is Flan Made Of?
Flan is usually made of certain ingredients that cannot be easily substituted with something else. You can try variations of the same ingredient, but you can rarely replace the ingredients with some similar to them. Therefore, below you have a list of ingredients that are used for making a flan.
Milk
Although not 100% needed, many people like to use sweetened milk because it adds sweetness and flavor to the flan. Thus, you need to use fewer additional flavorings (like vanilla or coffee).
Eggs
Of course, eggs are used for the base of the flan.
Additional Sweeteners/Flavourings
As talked above, depending on your taste, you can add things like vanilla, chocolate, coffee, orange, apple, coconut to give your flan an additional taste and sweetness.
Is Flan a Cake or Pie?
This is a very difficult question to be answered since the texture of the flan is not easily determined. On the one hand, the custard base of the dessert reminds of pie, but the caramel topping can be quite easily compared to cake. Therefore, it is quite difficult to determine whether flan is closer to a pie or to a cake.
However, some people claim that flan is closer to a pie due to its custard base, and it should be considered as a type of pie. Still, some people tend to use flan as a substitute for a cake, so you cannot easily say in what ways people replace desserts.
Where Is Flan Eaten?
Flan is most present in the Mexican regions since this dessert was first introduced to Mexican people by the Spaniards. In addition, it is eaten in many Latin regions worldwide. Most people regard flan as a type of dessert, but some have the habit of eating flan at any time of the day.
Why Is Flan Called a Flan?
The origin of the name “flan” comes from the French word “flaon” which means “a flat cake” due to its shape. It is a little bit strange to believe that the name has Frech origin, but it is considered a Mexican dessert.
In conclusion, it is clear that flan is a particular type of dessert and it is not so easy for comparison with other desserts. The flan is a special and unusual dessert that tastes somewhere between cake and pie, but most people claim it is closer to the taste of a pie.
