Mexican chocoflan

Method

• step 1

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and butter a large bundt tin (about 2.5 litres in volume). Select a deep roasting tin to use as a bain-marie – it should be deep enough to accommodate the cake tin. Pour enough water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the cake tin. Put the roasting tin in the middle shelf of the oven during the pre-heating period.

• step 2

  For the caramel, put the caster sugar and 70ml of water into a pan and stir to dissolve for 1 minute. Once dissolved, don’t stir again. Cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until it turns a deep golden colour, then pour into the base of the bundt tin.

• step 3

  For the chocolate cake, use a stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix for a further 2 minutes until well combined. Add the dry ingredients in small portions, alternating with the buttermilk. Once everything is well incorporated, put the cake batter into a piping bag and set aside.

• step 4

  For the flan, put all ingredients into a blender and blitz on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until well mixed. Set aside.

• step 5

  To assemble the chocoflan, pipe the cake batter into the bottom of the cake tin, covering the golden caramel you added earlier. Level using a rubber spatula. Pour the flan mixture over the top of this.

• step 6

  Cover the cake tin with foil and put it in the bain-marie. If you need to, pour additional hot water into the roasting tin – it should come halfway up the cake tin.

• step 7

  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake mixture has flooded to the top of the tin. Test by inserting a sharp knife into the deepest parts of the cake. It should come out clean – if not, bake for another 5-10 minutes.

• step 8

  Remove the cake from the bain-marie and let it cool down completely before taking it out of the tin (when doing so, shake the tin in circular movements to loosen any sticky points around the borders). Garnish with chopped toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted amaranth and cacao nibs. Adding a touch of crushed ancho chilli flakes will add a different note.