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Filipino-style leche flan with addition of banana sponge cake layer and finished with a caramel sauce on top is simply out of this world.
I first had this dessert a long time ago when I was still in college and a Filipino friend baked it. It was an extremely rich and heavy cake I must say but also really good! A little piece sure goes a long way for me! My husband and the kids enjoy this cake. Honestly, it’s a bit too sweet and rich for me, but I have adjusted the recipe to cut down on some sugar.
What is leche flan banana cake?
Leche flan, literally translated into milk flan, is a popular dessert in countries like Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines. It is a custard-like dessert that is typically made with eggs, milk, sugar, and caramel. Leche flan banana cake is a Filipino adaptation of leche flan, by adding a layer of banana cake to the equation. The result is an amazingly rich and smooth cake. This Filipino Leche flan banana cake is much richer and sweeter than regular leche flan because the flan is made with evaporated milk and condensed milk.
How leche flan banana cake is made in a nutshell
1. CARAMEL SAUCE: A caramel sauce is prepared by melting sugar in a saucepan until it turns golden brown and then poured into a baking dish and set aside to solidify.
2. LECHE FLAN: The custard mixture is prepared by mixing eggs, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. The mixture is then poured over the solidified caramel sauce.
3. BANANA SPONGE CAKE: The cake is prepared using an egg separation method (similar to how chiffon cake is made). The cake batter is then poured on top of the leche flan layer.
4. BAKE: The cake is usually baked in an oval pan called llanera but if you don’t have any, you can use regular round pan like I did. The cake is then baked in a water bath until the custard and cake are set. Once cooled, the cake is inverted onto a plate, allowing the caramel to form a sweet sauce on top of the custard.
Step-by-step how to make leche flan banana cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, preheat to 330 F (165 C). Prepare a tray/baking pan larger than your round baking pan and deep enough to hold about 1 inch of hot water bath for baking later. Do not grease the pan
2. Put sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer gently until the syrup turns amber in color, like the color of a honey. Take care not to cook until the color is too dark as the caramel turns bitter
3. Quickly but carefully pour the caramel into the pan and swirl the pan at the same time to evenly cover the base of the pan. Set aside to let it solidify
4. Combine eggs, lightly beat them with a whisk to loosen a bit. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk to combine, but don’t whisk too vigorously because it creates too many air bubbles that will make your flan porous. Set aside. We will strain this batter later to make sure there are no lumps from the egg whites
5. Separate the egg yolks from the whites when they are still cold. It’s easier to do so when they are cold. Let the egg whites come to room temperature.
6. Puree the banana, egg yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl. 
7. Sift in the flour, ground cinnamon and salt. Combine into a smooth batter
8. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Whisk over medium speed using a whisk attachment for one minute until foamy and then add vinegar and whisk for another minute. Increase the speed to high and add sugar in 3 batches and beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff. You can always stop halfway and check. When you lift the meringue up with the whisk attachment, the meringue should stand up stiff and just bent slightly at the tip but not moving. If you turn the bowl upside down, the meringue won’t drip. This is a stiff peak and you can stop whipping. Do not overwhip the meringue or it’s going to break
9. Scoop 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter. Use a whisk to gently fold the meringue into the cake batter. Cut through the middle and fold over. Then the next 1/3 
10. Switch to a spatula on the last 1/3 and use a swipe down and fold over motion to make sure everything is properly combined, especially at the bottom and the side of the mixing bowl
11. The batter should be fluffy and voluminous at this point
12. Gently pour the leche flan mixture over a sieve/strainer, to catch any lumps, onto the baking pan or llanera that you have poured caramel on top earlier. We don’t want to create too many air bubbles
13. Next, gently pour the cake batter over the leche flan layer. Don’t worry about the layer will get mixed together. They won’t as long as you pour the cake batter gently. Smooth the top as needed. Gently tap the cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to pop any large bubbles
14. Place the pan inside another larger tray/baking pan. Pour hot water into the tray, about 1 inch high
15. Carefully place this inside the oven, middle rack, and bake for about 70 minutes or until the top of the cake is dry to touch and springs back when you gently press on it. If you insert a skewer inside the sponge cake, it should come out clean with a few crumbs is okay as long as it’s not wet
16. Remove from the oven and put on top of a cooling rack. Let it cool down inside the pan completely at room temperature. Cover with a cling wrap over the pan and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible, before cutting the cake
17. Remove the cake from the fridge. Use an offset spatula to loosen the side of the pan. The caramel at the very bottom has turned into a sauce now. Put a large round plate on top of the pan and then carefully but quickly flip the whole thing upside down. Gently remove the pan and voila, there you have it.
Did you make this leche flan banana cake recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Leche Flan Banana Cake
Ingredients
Caramel syrup:
- 150 g sugar
- 60 g water
Leche flan:
- 200 g whole eggs 55-60 g each weigh with the shell
- 200 g condensed milk
- 375 ml evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- â…› tsp salt
Sponge cake:
- 220 g very ripe bananas weigh without the peel, puree
- 72 g egg yolks about 4 large egg yolks
- 10 g sugar
- 60 g oil
- 60 g milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 125 g cake flour
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
For egg white meringue:
- 120 g egg whites about 4 egg whites
- 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 65 g sugar
Instructions
- The cake is usually baked in a llanera (flan mold), which is oval in shape. I don't have the pan and so I use one 8-inch round pan. This recipe can fit into 2 8-inch llanera pan
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, preheat to 330 F (165 C)
- Prepare a tray/baking pan larger than your round baking pan and deep enough to hold about 1 inch of hot water bath for baking later. Do not grease the pan
Prepare caramel sauce:
- Put sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer gently until the syrup turns amber in color, like the color of a honey. Take care not to cook until the color is too dark as the caramel turns bitter
- Quickly but carefully pour the caramel into the pan and swirl the pan at the same time to evenly cover the base of the pan. Set aside to let it solidify
- If you use two llanera pans, divide the caramel between the two pans
Prepare the leche flan batter:
- Combine eggs, lightly beat them with a whisk to loosen a bit. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk to combine, but don't whisk too vigorously because it creates too many air bubbles that will make your flan porous. Set aside. We will strain this batter later to make sure there are no lumps from the egg whites
Prepare the cake batter:
- Make sure you have hot water for the water bath baking later
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites when they are still cold. It's easier to do so when they are cold. Let the egg whites come to room temperature.
- Puree the banana, egg yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, ground cinnamon and salt. Combine into a smooth batter
- Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Whisk over medium speed using a whisk attachment for one minute until foamy and then add vinegar and whisk for another minute. Increase the speed to high and add sugar in 3 batches and beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff. You can always stop halfway and check. When you lift the meringue up with the whisk attachment, the meringue should stand up stiff and just bent slightly at the tip but not moving. If you turn the bowl upside down, the meringue won't drip. This is a stiff peak and you can stop whipping. Do not overwhip the meringue or it's going to break
- Scoop 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter. Use a whisk to gently fold the meringue into the cake batter. Cut through the middle and fold over. Then the next 1/3 and do the same
- Switch to a spatula on the last 1/3 and use a swipe down and fold over motion to make sure everything is properly combined, especially at the bottom and the side of the mixing bowl
Assembling:
- Gently pour the leche flan mixture over a sieve/strainer, to catch any lumps, onto the baking pan or llanera that you have poured caramel on top earlier. We don't want to create too many air bubbles
- Next, gently pour the cake batter over the leche flan layer. Don't worry about the layer will get mixed together. They won't as long as you pour the cake batter gently. Smooth the top as needed. Gently tap the cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to pop any large bubbles
Bake in a water bath:
- Place the pan inside another larger tray/baking pan. Pour hot water into the tray, about 1 inch high
- Carefully place this inside the oven, middle rack, and bake for about 70 minutes or until the top of the cake is dry to touch and springs back when you gently press on it. If you insert a skewer inside the sponge cake, it should come out clean with a few crumbs is okay as long as it's not wet
Cooling:
- Remove from the oven and put on top of a cooling rack. Let it cool down inside the pan completely at room temperature. Cover with a cling wrap over the pan and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible, before cutting the cake
When ready to serve:
- Remove the cake from the fridge. Use an offset spatula to loosen the side of the pan. The caramel at the very bottom has turned into a sauce now. Put a large round plate on top of the pan and then carefully but quickly flip the whole thing upside down. Gently remove the pan and voila, there you have it.
How to store:
- Simply cover the cake tightly with cling wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
