This easy flan cake (flancocho) combines two amazing desserts in one. Tender cake topped with a smooth layer of cream cheese flan and a caramel sauce all bakes together like magic. Plus, it starts with a cake mix so you can have this cake and eat it too, in no time at all!

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Puerto Rican flan de queso. It’s a baked custard made with cream cheese so it has a thick cheese cake-like texture and it’s swimming in a pool of sugar caramel sauce. It’s amazing and if you’ve never tried, I highly recommend!

My second favorite Puerto Rican dessert would have to be flancocho, or flan cake. In Puerto Rico, bizcocho is the Spanish word for cake. Whenever I go to a party and someone walks in with flancocho, they are my new best friend (either that or whoever brought the Puerto Rican Rice)!

So this dessert is a layer of cake topped with a layer of flan. Of course, there’s drippy caramel sauce involved as well. Now you don’t have to choose between cake or flan – you get the best of both worlds!

This recipe is for easy flan cake since it uses a convenient box mix. You can also change up the flavors  – chocolate or pineapple are delicious options. Or you can make the Paris Hilton funfetti flan cake and leave out the cream cheese.

How to Make Flan Cake

Let’s talk about the details to make sure your cake turns out amazing. Firstly, this cake is usually baked in a Bundt pan, but other shapes can be used as well.

You’ll need to use a large 12-cup Bundt pan or tube pan. If using a tube pan, make sure it is not the kind with a removable bottom or it will leak out everywhere.

If you’re like me and only have a small 10-cup pan, that’s perfectly ok. However, all of the cake batter won’t fit in the pan.

Just make the extra batter into cupcakes so it doesn’t go to waste. You’ll have something to snack on while the flan cake cools and sets up!

This easy flan cake is also called “magic cake” because the layers separate while baking. The flan always ends up on the bottom of the pan (top of cake when flipped).

Some people add the flan to the pan first, others add the cake mix first. It will turn out either way. I add the cake batter last, that way I don’t overfill my pan. About 85-90% full is perfect.

The cake is then baked in a water bath to ensure a smooth and creamy flan. Allow to cool completely, and then refrigerate before removing cake from the pan. Overnight is best, but allow at least 4 hours.

Your guests will be delighted when you flip it over onto a platter and all the caramel runs down. Meanwhile, you’ll see me first in line to get a slice!

Pin this to your Puerto Rican food board!