My peruvian boyfriend and ecuadorian roommate swear by my flan recipe :) I use 4 eggs instead of 3 to get the right consistency, and brown sugar instead of white sugar for a nice rich caramel color. Tastes better when made a day ahead and chilled well. One of my favorite desserts - very cheap to make and doesn't take much time.

Excellent flavor ! Tastes like a rich truffle cheesecake. Best when made the day before and chilled. Here are the changes I made to the recipe 1)Reduced the butter by 2 tbsp 2) Used 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites 3) Used strong brewed coffee instead of the water 4) Used 12 ozs of Ghiradelli bittersweet (60% cocoa) chips and 6 ozs of Ghiradelli semisweet chips (but did not change the amount of sugar that the recipe asks for) 5) added vanilla essence. I used a 9" round non-stick cake pan, and sprayed lots of Bake-Ease non-stick spray before I poured the batter in. I baked it at 300 F for 50 minutes, in a water bath. I allowed it to cool to room temperature on counter, and then flipped in onto a tray. I had no problems with the cake sticking to the pan, and I think this was because I used a non-stick pan. Decorated the cake with strawberry syrup (made from microwaved strawberry preserves), fresh cut strawberries and powdered sugar. I chilled this cake in the fridge for a whole day before I served it. Got rave reviews on it - "Wow, this is better than what you get in top quality restaurants", "Tastes exactly like a truffle", "Absolutely delicious when eaten with the strawberries". This is a rich cake (richer when you increase the proportion of bittersweet chocolate or coffee) that you need to serve with something fruity (like berries) to complement the taste. On the whole very impressive and tasty and not at all time consuming. Will make again many times ! :)

The taste of the milk sauce was superb. Here are my changes : 1) For convenience, I used a boxed super-moist yellow cake mix. 2) I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp almond essence and 1/2 tsp orange essence to the milk sauce. 3) I substituted 1 1/2 cups of half and half and 1/2 cup of whole milk for 2 cups of whole milk. 4) I added 2 tbsp of sugar to the milk sauce. 6) I made it the day before. 5) I served it with banana slices and whipped cream. The end result was amazing - my bf, who is latin, loved it ! However, it is a calorie-dense cake and is heavy on the stomach because of all the milk-fat in it. Tastes much much better the day after, and when eaten cold with whipped cream and fruit. :)

Absolutely amazing recipe - easy to make, with great results. I've made this many times, with the following changes : 1) for the coffee layer, I use instant espresso granules or double the amount of instant coffee 2) I use 1 cup of coffee for the coffee syrup (sometimes a little more). This gives the cake a more noticiable coffee flavor and keeps it nice and moist. 3) I substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone cheese 4) I substitute an equal amount of brewed espresso for the coffee liquer Additional tip - 1) Freeze the cake layers, and refrigerate the frosting and filling before assembling. It makes it a lot easier to assemble. 2) This cake tastes much better when made a day ahead