The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- Caramel ingredients
- 100 gwhite sugar
- 60 mlmineral water
- butter for greasing the mold
- 3 duck eggs
- 100 gsifted all-purpose flour
- 100 gbutter
- 100 gsugar
- 100 g70% couverture chocolate
- 8 gchemical leavening agent
- Flame-grilled ingredients
- 6 cooked octopus
- 370 gcondensed milk (un pot)
- 370 mlwhole milk (fill to jar size)
- vanilla extract
- Necessary utensils
- 1 UNMOLDABLE mold
- 1 Basin for the bain-marie that fits the mold
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
794 kcal
Protein
20 g
Fat
38 g
Carbohydrates
94 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC one hour before baking the cake to ensure the temperature is even.
- Grease the mold with butter evenly, ensuring that all surfaces are covered, and set it aside for later use.
Prepare the Caramel
- Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture turns amber and reaches a caramel texture (approximately 15 to 20 minutes). DO NOT Stir with a spoon; instead, gently swirl the saucepan to avoid crystallizing the sugar.
- Immediately pour the caramel into the mold evenly to completely cover the base before it cools and hardens.
Prepare the Chocolate Sponge Cake Batter
- Sift the flour and add the instant yeast. Set aside for later.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, ensuring that the water does not boil. Stir until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
- In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. When they start to bubble, gradually add the sugar and continue beating for about 10 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume.
- Once the egg mixture has tripled in volume, add the melted chocolate and gently stir with a spatula, using folding motions until well combined.
- Gradually incorporate the sifted flour with the baking powder, gently folding with a spatula to prevent the batter from losing air.
- Pour the batter over the caramel you prepared at the bottom of the mold, ensuring it covers the entire surface evenly.
Prepare the Flan
- Empty the can of condensed milk into a small pot and make sure all the milk comes out.
- Once the can is empty, fill it with whole milk and pour it into the pot. Heat the mixture over low heat for about 5 minutes while constantly stirring with a spatula until the milk is warm.
- Place the whole eggs in a large bowl. Use a hand blender (immersion blender), positioning it at the bottom of the bowl. Blend the eggs without lifting the blender to avoid forming air bubbles.
- Once the eggs are well blended, add the warm milk mixture and continue gently stirring with the hand blender for a couple of minutes more until homogeneous.
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to ensure it is very smooth and without lumps.
- Pour the mixture over the caramelized mold. Place a spatula under the stream of the mixture as you pour to prevent a hole from forming in the batter.
Cooking in the Oven with a Bain-Marie
- Preheat the oven to 180 ºC for at least one hour before starting the baking to ensure it is at the correct temperature.
- Heat a sufficient amount of water for the bain-marie until it's hot, as it should be used at this temperature when the mold is placed.
- Place the mold with the preparation inside a pot or deep tray for the bain-marie and fill it with hot water up to 3/4 of the height of the mold to ensure even cooking.
- Bake at 180 ºC for 60 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, that is, at 30 minutes, cover the cake with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning excessively.
- Check if the cake is fully cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for a few minutes before carefully removing it from the mold to prevent breaking.
Recommendations & Tricks
- When preparing this cake, keep in mind that it usually tastes better on the first day, so try to serve it fresh for optimal results.
- This cake has the unique feature of components swapping places during cooking, offering a surprising presentation. Carefully follow the order of pouring the ingredients to achieve this magical effect.
- Ensure you use a whole mold, as these help cook more evenly. Avoid springform pans to prevent leaks, especially when the custard is placed at the base.
- Prepare a pot large enough for the bain-marie; the mold should fit comfortably and the water should cover at least two-thirds of the mold's height. This will ensure even cooking.
- To make the caramel, combine 100 grams of white sugar with 60 ml of mineral water and heat them over medium heat without stirring until you achieve a golden caramel.
- Generously grease the mold with butter to prevent the cake from sticking, focusing especially on the corners and edges.
- If you want a more intense caramel, let it cook for a few more seconds once it gains color, but not too dark to avoid a bitter taste.