Coconut Leche Flan is the ultimate flan recipe for coconut lovers. This Filipino-style flan is custardy, sweet, and blends silky creme caramel with coconut, and is topped with young coconut for that extra tropical twist. Easy, elegant and perfect for entertaining!
Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center of the oven.
Prepare your baking dish(es). This can be done in a 9x5 inch loaf pan, a 9 inch round cake pan, or 6 individual 6-ounce ramekins. Place these in a kitchen towel-lined roasting pan.
Pour the sugar into a heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Tilt the saucepan every so often as the sugar turns amber and transforms into a thick, syrupy mixture, about 5 minutes. Do not stir. As the sugar begins to bubble from the edges, moving to the center, reduce the heat to medium-low, keeping a careful eye, as the sugar can easily burn. Once the sugar has fully transformed into a sugary syrup, carefully pour the hot caramel into your prepared baking dish(es), tilting gently to evenly coat the bottoms. Set aside as you prepare the custard.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well blended.
Pour the condensed milk, coconut milk, coconut cream and vanilla into the egg yolks, and blend well with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup.
Pour the custard into the baking dish(es). Carefully transfer the roasting pan into the oven, and pour very hot tap water into the pan up to halfway up the sides of the baking dish(es).
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the flan is set.
Cool the flan for 10 minutes while still in the roasting pan, then transfer to a wire rack or towel-lined counter to cool for another 50 minutes. Cover and refrigerate the flan overnight in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve, run a sharp knife or offset spatula around the edges of the baking dish(es), dip the dish in a bowl of hot water to help loosen the flan, and invert onto a serving dish.
Garnish with macapuno strings and serve.
Notes
If you can't find macapuno, do not worry. I encourage you to make the coconut leche flan anyway and serve without the garnish! It's still delicious.
The coconut cream definitely adds to the richness of this dessert. If you wish to lighten it up, substitute the coconut cream for more coconut milk. If you want to lighten the flan even more, I would suggest substituting the 10 egg yolks with 8 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs.