Creamy and Easy Filipino Custard Cake Recipe (Flan Cake)

If you are looking for the ultimate dessert comfort food, look no further than a classic Filipino Custard Cake. Combining a layer of rich, velvety crème caramel (leche flan) with a light, airy chiffon cake, this show-stopping dessert melts in your mouth with every single bite.

While it looks incredibly professional, making this double-layer cake at home is surprisingly easy when you follow the right steps.

In this post, we’ll break down exactly how to make this creamy and easy custard cake. Plus, you can watch our step-by-step video guide right here to see the process in action!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Perfect Texture Contrast: The heavy, dense richness of the caramel custard sits beautifully beneath a sponge-like, fluffy chiffon cake.

  • Simple Pantry Ingredients: You don’t need anything fancy—just everyday baking essentials like eggs, flour, sugar, and milk.

  • The Magic Flip: Baking the cake using a water bath (Bain-Marie) ensures the custard cooks smoothly without curdling, allowing you to seamlessly invert the cake onto a platter at the end!

The Ingredients

We have broken down the ingredients into four simple parts so you can measure everything out perfectly before starting.

1. The Caramel Layer

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

2. The Custard Layer

  • 6 egg yolks

  • 1 can (14 oz) condensed milk

  • 1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

3. The Cake Batter Base

  • 1 ½ cups cake flour

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • A pinch of salt

  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

  • 5 egg yolks

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

  • ¾ cup water

4. The Meringue (For the Cake Layer)

  • 5 egg whites

  • ¼ tsp. cream of tartar

  • ¾ cup white sugar

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the Caramel Base

  1. Pour the 1 cup of granulated sugar into a pan over medium-low heat.

  2. Stir continuously until the sugar completely dissolves and turns into a smooth, golden-amber liquid.

  3. Immediately pour the melted caramel into a 9×13-inch baking pan, tilting the pan to spread it evenly across the bottom. Set it aside and let it cool completely until it hardens.

Step 2: Prepare the Custard

  1. In a mixing bowl, gently whisk together the 6 egg yolks, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract until completely uniform.

  2. To ensure a perfectly smooth, silky texture without any air bubbles or stray egg pieces, strain the custard mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth directly into the pan over your hardened caramel. Set the pan aside.

Step 3: Mix the Cake Batter

  1. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, ½ cup sugar, salt, and baking powder.

  2. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the 5 egg yolks, vegetable oil, and water.

  3. Combine the wet egg mixture with the sifted dry ingredients and stir until just combined and smooth. Set this batter base aside.

Step 4: Whip the Meringue

  1. In a clean, oil-free glass or metal mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on high speed to beat the 5 egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.

  2. Once bubbles form, gradually add the ¾ cup of white sugar while continuing to mix. Beat until stiff peaks form (the mixture should be glossy and hold its shape when you lift the beaters).

Step 5: Combine and Bake (The Water Bath Method)

  1. Preheat your oven to 305°F (150°C).

  2. Gently fold the whipped meringue into your cake batter base in 2 or 3 batches until completely incorporated. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites!

  3. Pour the cake mixture directly over the custard layer in your 9×13 pan. Don’t worry—the cake mixture will naturally float right on top of the liquid custard.

  4. Place your cake pan inside a larger baking pan. Fill the larger outer pan with about 1 inch of hot water to create a water bath (Bain-Marie).

  5. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test if it’s done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake layer; it should come out clean.

Step 6: Cool, Flip, and Serve!

  1. Remove the cake pan from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack. Let it cool down completely to room temperature (about 1 hour).

  2. Run a sharp knife around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cake.

  3. Place a wide serving platter face-down over the top of the pan. In one confident, swift motion, invert the pan and the platter together.

  4. Gently lift the baking pan off to reveal your gorgeous, glistening golden caramel custard top!

💡 Pro-Tips for Success

  • Why Straining Matters: Skipping the straining step for the custard can leave you with tiny bits of egg white that ruin the smooth texture of the flan layer. Always strain!

  • Serve It Chilled: While custard cake tastes amazing at room temperature, letting it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before slicing makes it even more refreshing and gives the layers a cleaner cut.

Loved this recipe?

Let us know how your custard cake turned out in the comments below, and don’t forget to head over to the Texas Pinoy Kitchen YouTube channel to subscribe for more sweet, authentic recipes!