Easy Peruvian Flan dessert: Crema Volteada

Easy Peruvian Flan dessert: Crema Volteada

My husband’s favourite dessert and I have to learn it from my mom. The Crema Volteada recipe is a classic among Peruvian desserts. History says that this dessert was born in colonial times, that’s why you can find it in almost all Latin American countries.

You can find it in the street vendors that sell other Peruvian classics like suspiro de limeña, turrón de doña pepa, mazamorra morada, arroz con leche, frejol colado, etc.

What I love about this recipe is the creamy texture when you try one spoon of it, and the little flavour of lime you’ve got from the lime peel you add to the recipe. Some people use lime juice, but I prefer to use the lime zest. Is stronger and doesn’t add any liquid. This is my Peruvian version of flan:

Drizzle some caramel sauce over Peruvian flan

Ingredients:

  • evaporated milk
  • condensed milk
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • lime zest

For the caramel:

  • sugar
  • water

First, we need to make caramel sauce in the microwave. You will pour the water and sugar into a glass container. You will cook for 5-8 minutes until it turns into caramel. Pour the hot caramel into the tube mould, and be careful to use gloves or a towel to handle the mould because it will turn very hot. Let it cool down while you prepare the flan.

If you want you can do the caramel the traditional way, you just pour the sugar over a heavy skillet over medium heat and let the sugar caramelise moving the caramel to prevent burning.

In a large bowl pour the condensed milk and the evaporated milk (the trick is to measure the evaporated milk with the condensed milk cans, I will not put a measure for that because every country will have condensed milk in different sizes between 285-350ml) The idea is to pour the same amount of condensed milk and evaporated milk. Crack the eggs into the bowl and mix it slowly to break the egg yolks and incorporate them into the mix while adding the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the caramelized ring mould.

Put the mould over a tray with water to bake it under a bain de Marie for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cover the flan with aluminium foil to prevent caramelizing on top.

You can serve the flan just with the caramel sauce. I like this original version, but you can serve it with a spoon of ice cream, dulce de leche or a dollop of heavy cream.

A close up of a piece of Peruvian Flan
A close up of a piece of Peruvian Flan

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the main ingredients of flan?

The main ingredients are milk, eggs and sugar. Because flan is a type of custard with a firm texture.

Can I make flan without a water bath (baño maria)?

it is possible to make flan without a water bath, but it is not recommended because it will alter the texture.

How do I know when the flan is done?

You can check it with a toothpick or with a thin knife and chef if it is runny or not. Another way to check is to check if the edges are firm but the centre is still jiggly.

Can I bake the flan in a muffin tin to make individual flans?

Yes, you can but you have to caramelise each compartment and be sure you have a large pan to put water under that tin.

Can I use another citrus fruit instead of lime?

Yes, you can use orange and the result is amazing too.

Starting to drizzle some caramel sauce over a Peruvian Flan
Starting to drizzle some caramel sauce over a Peruvian Flan
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