Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel) and Sweet Vietnamese Bakes

Sweet Vietnamese Bakes: A Dessert Lover’s Tour of Southeast Asia, written by Tara Nguyen, features an exciting variety of 50 Vietnamese snacks and treats. A few highlights include Honeycomb Cakes (Bánh Bò Nướng), Rainbow Dessert (Chè Sương Sa Hạt Lựu), Durian Crepes (Bánh Crepe Sầu Riêng), Coconut Milk Buns (Bánh Mì Sữa Dừa), and Brown Sugar Bubble Tea (Trà Sữa Trân Châu Ðường Ðen). I will also be sharing her recipe for Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel) following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Tara Nguyen

Tara Nguyen is a baking and culinary enthusiast. She is also the creator of the account, @taras.recipes, on social media platforms where she shares the world of desserts and cakes using traditional techniques with modern twists.

She is currently based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is her second cookbook.

Sweet Vietnamese Bakes

Tara (I think this is the first time I have reviewed a book while sharing a name with the author!) begins Sweet Vietnamese Bakes with a short introduction before jumping into the cake, bread, chè, custards, frozen treats, jelly, and more.

She has put together this book to share “the richness and diversity of Vietnamese sweets and desserts” and her culture with others.

Chapters are divided according to the type of dessert: Traditional Cakes; Traditional Desserts; Pretty and Elegant Sweets; Breads and Bao Buns; and Boba, Jellies and Ice Creams.

The contents have a list of included recipes with page number for easy reference. At the end of the book, there is a small guide to notable Vietnamese ingredients with descriptions and uses.

Tara also provides the photography. Every recipe is paired with at least a full page, beautifully-styled photo of the finished dish. There are also a few smaller photos to demonstrate specific techniques.

Each chapter and recipe has a headnote with background information and personal stories. Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and Vietnamese.

Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel)

To pair with the review, I am sharing the recipe for Tara’s Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel). I was so excited with how this recipe turned out.

Crème Caramel scares me to be honest and it is a dessert I have messed up often in the past. Either I burn the caramel (I actually ended up going a little light on the caramel color here because I was afraid of burning it) or I overcook the custard. The flavors turned out beautifully with Tara’s detailed instructions.

To start, prepare the caramel and transfer evenly among four ramekins.

The custard comes next with a blend of eggs, egg yolks, milk, and sweetened condensed milk. It is poured through a sieve twice to create a smooth texture, then poured over the caramel in the ramekins.

The ramekins are covered with foil and baked in a water bath until nearly set. For me, this was exactly 50 minutes. They should still jiggle slightly in the center.

Remove the ramekins from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for that least 2 hours and up to 5-7 days.

To remove from the ramekin, run a sharp knife around the edges, cover with a rimmed plate, then flip.

Serving the Bánh Flan

I served the Bánh Flan in both of the recommended ways- flipped over onto a plate with an adorable bear design on top and sliced over a bed of shaved ice and coffee. I especially enjoyed the contrast of texture between the silky custard and coffee-soaked ice.

The bear design is incorporated into a handful of Tara’s recipes. For this Bánh Flan, dark chocolate buttons are used for the ears and white chocolate for the nose. To finish, melted dark chocolate is piped over the top for the eyes and mouth.

As a note, the eyes shifted around the caramel when moving the plates so this is best done right when serving.

More Treats

I also made Vietnamese Baguettes (Bánh mì Việt Nam), Coffee Buns (Bánh Mì Pappa Roti), Layered Coffee and Flan Cheese Jelly (Rau Câu Cà Phê Flan Phô Mai), and Avocado Smoothie with Coconut Ice Cream (Kem Bơ).

Adapted from French cuisine, these Vietnamese Baguettes (Bánh mì Việt Nam) have a crisp outer shell that gives way to a soft, spongy center. To get this texture, there are a few resting times, but overall the bread comes together easily and is the perfect base for sandwiches.

The Coffee Buns (Bánh Mì Pappa Roti) are another fun option for bakers. Originally from Malaysia, this light and fluffy bread has an extra piece of butter in the center and a crisp coffee-infused topping. Like the Bánh Flan, Tara also decorated these buns with chocolate melts to make a bear design.

I was immediately drawn to the striking layers in the Layered Coffee and Flan Cheese Jelly (Rau Câu Cà Phê Flan Phô Mai). Mine didn’t turn out quite as neat (just means I need to practice more!), but the flavors were so good. After creating a jelly base with agar-agar and konnyaku jelly, the mixture is divided in half- one flavored with coffee and the other with sweetened cream cheese. The mixture is then alternated in a pan to make the layers.

The Avocado Smoothie with Coconut Ice Cream (Kem Bơ) was such a refreshing afternoon treat. Especially perfect for hot and humid days, a silky avocado smoothie is topped with a homemade, no-churn coconut ice cream. To add a contrast in texture, it is topped with toasted coconut flakes, shredded coconut, and toasted peanuts.

Sweet Vietnamese Bakes is a great pick for those interested in Vietnamese cuisine and desserts highlighting Southeast Asian flavors. There is such a fantastic variety of options for every occasion. In general, the resting times and different steps make the treats perfect for a weekend baking activity.

Many of the recipes come together with items available in larger American grocery stores. Having a market nearby with Vietnamese ingredients will be helpful in locating items such as konnyaku jelly, agar-agar powder, durian, meat floss, taro, rock sugar, grass jelly powder, palm sugar, glutinous rice flour, pandan leaves, salted egg yolks, and dried wood-ear mushrooms.

Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel) Recipe

Excerpt from Sweet Vietnamese Bakes

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5 from 4 votes

Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel)

A recipe for Bánh Flan (Crème Caramel) from the cookbook, Sweet Vietnamese Bakes! This decadent custard is baked with a layer of caramel.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword caramel, custard, dessert, flan, Vietnam, Vietnamese

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Resting Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Caramel:

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
• 6 tablespoons (90 milliliters) water divided

Custard:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (420 milliliters) milk
• 2/3 cup (160 milliliters) sweetened condensed milk

For serving:

• Shaved Ice optional
• Brewed Coffee optional
• Dark and white chocolate buttons optional

Instructions

• Gather four ovenproof molds, such as Pyrex® cups or ceramic ramekins, for the crème caramel. This recipe requires four molds each with a volume of 210 milliliters (a little under 1 cup).

To make the caramel:

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Turn the saucepan a few times to let the sugar absorb the water, but do not stir, to avoid crystallization.
• Heat the sugar until it turns golden-brown. Then, lower the heat to low, carefully pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of water, and stir until the water and caramel sugar mix together.
• Wait about 10 seconds more, then remove from the heat and pour equal-sized amounts of the caramel into the four molds. Tilt the molds to spread the caramel evenly.
• Preheat oven to 300˚F (150˚C).

To make the custard:

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla, being careful not to create air bubbles, which could cause holes to appear in the cake after baking.
• In a small saucepan, whisk the milk and condensed milk together well over medium heat. Remove from the heat when it starts to steam.
• Pour the milk mixture slowly into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
• Sieve the mixture to remove any lumps.
• Pour the custard mixture through a sieve again and divide it equally among the caramel-filled molds.
• Place the molds in a deep baking pan and cover them with foil.
• Put the pan in the oven and fill it halfway with boiling water to ensure the custard bakes evenly.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the custard is almost set. When the custards are done, they should jiggle slightly in the center.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool down completely.
• Put them in the fridge for at least 2 hours to bring out the best flavor. Crème Caramel lasts 5 to 7 days in the fridge.
• To remove the crème caramel from the mold, run a knife along the edges, cover with a plate, then flip to enable it to come out.
• You may eat the crème caramel as is, or with shaved ice and coffee drizzled on top, as many Vietnamese do.