2 ways to make flan cake with milk tea, black sugar, and fragrant red Thai tea

Brew the tea

Mix 20g of flower tea number 9 with 20g of Phuc Long black tea together, then put it in a pot, add 600ml of water, and bring it to a simmer for about 15 minutes to extract the tea essence.

After cooking, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and steep the tea for about 1 – 2 hours to fully extract the flavor. Then, strain the tea through a sieve to collect the liquid, discarding the leaves.

Prepare the milk tea

Place a clean pot on the stove, turn on a low flame, and gently heat 200ml of unsweetened fresh milk, 200ml of condensed milk, and 100ml of cream with 30g of sugar. Continuously stir until dissolved, then transfer the heated milk mixture to a bowl.

Add the strained tea mixture to the bowl of milk, stirring well to combine.

Making the flan mixture

In a large bowl, add 6 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks, using a whisk to gently mix them together until well combined, avoiding creating air bubbles, as this will make the cake not smooth.

Then, add the prepared milk tea mixture to the beaten eggs, stir well to combine, and strain through a sieve multiple times to ensure the flan is as smooth as possible.

Making caramel

Place a pan on the stove and turn on medium heat. Add 70g of sugar and 50ml of water to the pan, letting it sit without stirring.

Heat until the mixture starts to turn light yellow, then squeeze in an additional 20ml of lemon juice, gently shaking the pan to ensure the lemon and sugar dissolve evenly.

When the mixture turns a brown color, turn off the heat, pour the mixture into a round mold, and place it in the freezer for about 1 – 2 hours.

Making black sugar pearls

Boil a pot of water on the stove, when the water boils, add the pearls to cook for about 25 minutes until done. Then, take them out and put them in a bowl of cold water to cool, then drain. Additionally, you can soak the pearls in sugar water or honey for about 15 minutes to enhance their flavor.

Prepare another small pot on the stove, add 300g of black sugar, 100ml of water, then stir well, cook over medium heat until the mixture boils, then lower the heat and cook until the liquid thickens and turns into syrup.

Turn off the heat and let the cooked sugar mixture cool, then pour the black sugar over the pearls, mix well, and marinate for at least 30 minutes for the pearls to absorb the sweetness of the sugar mixture.

Baking the cake

Preheat the oven for about 15 minutes at 155 degrees Celsius.

After taking it out of the refrigerator, remove the mold, pour the smooth filtered flan mixture into the mold, cover the surface of the mold with aluminum foil and place the cake mold into a larger tray, pour boiling water into the larger tray, filling it 3/4 of the mold so that the flan heats up and cooks evenly. Bake in a water bath for 2 hours at 155 degrees Celsius.

Final product

You now have flan and black sugar pearls, when eating, just add the black sugar pearls to the flan on the plate and enjoy. The flan with black sugar pearls is rich and delicious with the fragrant taste of tea and egg in the flan, plus the chewy pearls are really appealing, right?

Making caramel

Place a pan on the stove and turn on medium heat. Add 80gr of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water into the pan, and let it sit without stirring.

Cook until the mixture starts to turn light yellow, then add 2 tablespoons of warm water, gently shaking the pan to dissolve the sugar evenly.

When the mixture turns a brown color similar to that of a cockroach, turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a glass jar, placing it in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Whisk eggs

Put 2 chicken eggs into a bowl along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, use a whisk to beat the eggs until well mixed.

Cook Thai milk tea

First, put 2 tea bags into a pot, add 40ml of hot water to the pot. Soak for about 10 minutes for the tea to fully release its flavor.

Next, gradually add 100ml of condensed milk, 100ml of unsweetened fresh milk, and 50ml of cream into the tea pot.

Place the tea pot on the stove, turn on medium heat. Stir the mixture well and gently press the tea bags with a spoon to extract more flavor, making the mixture bitter and aromatic. Cook until small bubbles appear, and the milk tea thickens, then remove the tea bags, turn off the heat, and let it cool for about 5 – 10 minutes.

Making the flan mixture

Slowly pour the milk tea mixture into the beaten egg bowl. As you pour the milk tea, use a whisk to gently stir to combine evenly, avoiding creating air bubbles, as the flan will not be smooth.

Next, strain the mixture through a sieve several times to achieve the smoothest flan possible.

Finally, pour the mixture into the jar that has the caramel layer. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes to allow the surface to settle.

Steaming

Preheat the oven for about 15 minutes at 155 degrees Celsius.

Wrap aluminum foil over the jar and place the jar of cake into a larger tray, pouring boiling water into the large tray, with the water level covering 3/4 of the mold so that the flan is heated and cooked evenly. Steam for 35 – 40 minutes at a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius.

After steaming, remove the aluminum foil from the jar, and let it cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Completion

After cooling, place the cake in the refrigerator for about 6 hours to let it set.

Use a thin knife to gently slide along the edge of the cake to easily remove it from the mold. Then place a plate on top of the jar, invert it. Gently shake and take the jar of cake out.

Final Product

The flan is fragrant and rich. The cake base is soft and smooth, with the aromatic flavor of Thai milk tea combined with the sweet and creamy taste of milk making the flan richer and more appealing. The cake also looks lovely and wobbly!