Make The Easiest-Ever Flan With One Secret Ingredient

A well-made flan is a creamy, rich delight, but it can be hard to get right every time. This dessert is well-loved throughout Europe and Latin America (via AllRecipes). Here's a Cuban variation on flan to try. It is most commonly made by bringing eggs and milk together into a gentle pudding. It's often saved for special occasions because of its challenging baking process.

Flan can be extremely intimidating for the uninitiated because it is made using a classic French method known as a bain-marie (via the Spruce Eats). This is done by baking the flan in a bath of warm water. This method allows for a more gentle and uniform heat to form around the dish thanks to the water acting as a buffer. It also cooks the tops more gently thanks to the steam produced during the process. It is often used for temperamental dishes like flan, crème brulee, and the french crème caramel. Basically, anything that needs a particularly gentle texture. The flan for example is one dish where the desired outcome is pillowy soft with a loose jiggle. This texture can be difficult to achieve even with the bain-marie.

There are a few options for skipping the bain-marie, including using an Instant Pot, however, MyRecipes recommends a simple ingredient substitution to help you achieve a perfect faux flan you could make every day.

MyRecipes secret ingredient for an easier version of flan is marshmallows. They say that marshmallows already have a subtle vanilla flavor that's similar to flan, and adding them can help the dessert set as well. Marshmallows contain gelatin which will help the texture come together without the need for the bain-marie. Instead, the dessert will mostly come together on the stovetop followed by some time to set in the refrigerator.

Simply warm milk in a pan, and add the marshmallows. Once they have melted, add them to the eggs and bring the mixture back to the stove to continue cooking. Then, add a pinch of salt and vanilla before pouring the entire flan into a loaf pan. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours. This will yield a large loaf of flan instead of the classic individual mounds, but it should still be durable enough to slice into servings without falling to pieces. It will also have a perfectly creamy texture and can be topped with any kind of fruit, whipped cream, or dessert sauces.