Silky and luscious crème caramel is combined with rich chocolate cake for a crowd-pleasing dessert known as ChocoFlan. Perfect for Holidays and large gatherings, this dessert serves up to 12 people.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Also, boil some water to prepare for a water bath later.*
In a small saucepan, cook the sugar and water for the caramel over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes until dark golden brown. Do not use anything to mix the sugar, just swirl the saucepan around to mix every few minutes. Be careful because the caramel will go from dark golden brown to dark burnt brown in less than 30 seconds!
Pour the caramel in the Bundt pan as soon as it gets to the perfect color. Swirl the pan around to get the edges.
In a large bowl, prepare the chocolate cake mix according to box directions. Once mixed thoroughly with no lumps, pour the chocolate batter over the caramel in the Bundt pan.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together for about a minute. Warm the milk until hot but, not boiling in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Add the milk slowly while whisking to full incorporate it. Add the vanilla paste or extract and whisk thoroughly.
Pour the custard batter over the chocolate cake batter. The custard will go underneath the chocolate cake batter as your pour it. Place the Bundt pan in a large round baking dish. Pour the simmering water in the baking dish to create a water bath. You want about 2-3 inches of water.
Bake for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven temperature. Cake will be done earlier but, using a knife, check the texture of the flan after about 45-50 minutes. Knife should come out clean. Flan should be firm when you jiggle it but not runny.
Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour. Once it has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Run the blade of a knife around the Bundt sides and in the middle. Place a large serving plate over the Bundt pan and invert into the plate. Serve cold.