Pumpkin Pie Flan (Flan De Calabaza)

Fall is here! I love all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Aromatic spices, creamy custard topped with sweet caramel. This Pumpkin Pie Flan (Flan de Calabaza) is perfect to pair with a latte

It's Fall Season Y'all!

I love the Fall season and here in the Pacific Northwest it is the most beautiful time of the year. The leaves really don't start to change until mid October but the temperatures are prefect for baking, soups and cafecito.

You can find other Fall recipes like this Apple Cider Spice Cake, Fall Harvest Charcuterie Board, The Best Apple Cider Margarita and my favorite pie to serve on Thanksgiving, this Mascarpone Bourbon Roasted Sweet Potato Pie.

Growing up in Puerto Rico we don't get to experience Fall but you can feel the weather changing in the air. I do remember the first thing we would do as soon as the temps cooled down was soup or baked goods.

One of my favorites things to make is Flan. It has creamy pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices and a combination of milks and eggs. It is basically, a caramel custard baked in the oven in a Bain-Marie. Here I am going to show you How to Make Pumpkin Pie Flan (Flan De Calabaza)

What you will need to make the Pumpkin Pie Flan (Flan De Calabaza)

**See the Recipe Card below for detailed measurements and directions**

Here is a quick list of what you will need:

• Pumpkin purée - You can make your own at home but store bought it's fine! (Just like Ina says!) Honestly it does not make a difference in flavor if it's homemade or canned pumpkin. I used Trader Joe's Organic Pumpkin Puree. Make sure that you are using pumpkin purée NOT Pumpkin pie mix.
• Condensed Milk - It is important to use full fat condensed milk. This will help yield a rich creamy Flan.
• Evaporated Milk - I use Carnation full fat evaporated milk. Therefore it will yield that rich consistency.
• White Sugar - I use C & H Bakers sugar because it's super-fine and will melt evenly. I like a caramel that is not burnt.
• Vanilla - I use paste or pure vanilla extract. I try to stay away from imitation.
• Spices - There is no Pumpkin Pie Flan without Pumpkin Spice seasoning. I stopped buying premade seasoning at the store and make my own. You can find the recipe for my Pumpkin Spice Seasoning here. You will need Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves and Allspice.
• Eggs- You can use any eggs you like but I prefer to use Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs.
• 9 inch Round Pan - Any pan would work as long as it is deep enough. I use a Farberware round pan.
• Blender - You don't need a fancy blender to mix all of the ingredients. However you do need a blender that is powerful enough to render a smooth mix for the flan.
• Large Roasting Pan - I use a pan from Ikea and it needs to be deep enough because this is one of the most important parts in the recipe. You will be cooking the flan in what's called a Bain-marie. I explain below!

First make the caramel

How to Make the Caramel:

Making caramel is super easy but one must be careful. Caramel gets really hot and it can cause serious burns. Always handle hot items with caution. Here are the directions how to make caramel:

1. In a medium sauce pan pour 1 cup of sugar on med-high heat.
2. Stir frequently with spatula until sugar starts to melt.
3. Continue stirring until ALL the sugar has melted.
4. Stir until sugar has attained brown color.
5. It is important to watch the sugar as you are stirring because it will burn fast. You don't want burnt caramel, it tastes bitter.
6. Lastly after it attains a brown color, using oven mittens, you will pour it into the pan and move the pan around to coat evenly. As soon as you pour the caramel into the mold, The mold will get really hot and you will get burn. Set the pan aside while you prepare the custard.

Making the custard for the Pumpkin Pie Flan

Finally we are in the part of making the Flan. It's important that I give you the deets so you know what to do and how to put it together. So here we go.

1. First, it's crucial that all the ingredients are at room temperature. Yes! It makes a difference. Cold eggs lead to crumbly flan.
2. In a blender add the eggs, evaporated and condensed milks, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and vanilla.
3. Use the blend button to blend until everything is completely incorporated. It should look like the last picture above. The foam on top once it cooks it gives the flan a nice light bottom crust and it is low-key delicious!
4. Place the 9 inch round pan into the large roasting pan. Pour the flan mixture.
5. Add enough water to the large pan to cover the bottom of the small pan.
6. This method is called a Bain-marie or Baño de Maria. The purpose for this is to ensure the hot water evenly distributes heat around the custard to prevent the eggs to curdle. If you don't use this method you will have a cracked and rubbery flan.
7. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 70 minutes.
8. Carefully using oven mittens remove small pan from large pan and let it rest in the counter (on top of a trivet) for about 30 minutes.
9. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
10. To remove from pan: Using a knife, separate the edges of the flan from the pan.
11. Place a large plate on top of the pan and carefully turn upside down and the flan should come out the pan easily pouring all the caramel on the plate.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you are not fan of pumpkin you can use sweet potato instead.
• The reason you should use pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie mix is because the mix already is sweetened and has spices in it and you can't control the flavoring.
• You can add a tsp of Bourbon to give it a kick. The alcohol will cook down enough for consumption.
• The Pumpkin Pie Flan it is great in the morning for breakfast with a cup of your favorite black coffee.

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