Strawberry cheesecake flan – a simple and delicious Summer dessert

A fluffy vanilla sponge ‘crust’ with a creamy no-bake cheesecake filling, topped with ripe and delicious berries. Strawberry cheesecake flan is a perfectly Summery cake or dessert.

A few weeks ago I was rummaging in the dark recesses of my overstuffed baking equipment drawer, when I unearthed a flan tin.

It actually took me a few moments to figure out what it was. A flan tin has a unique shape, and at a first glance it’s not always obvious what it’s for!

Essentially, the base of a flan tin has a raised middle section. This means that when you turn out the baked cake from it, the top has a ‘divot’ in the centre. This gap is ready to fill with cream, fruit, custard, or whatever delicious things you like!

In America and other countries, this kind of flan is sometimes called a ‘Mary Ann Cake’ and the tin is called a ‘Mary Ann pan’ or ‘Mary Ann cake pan’.

Fruit flan

When I was young, my Mum would make fruit flan quite often, as a quick and easy dessert. The flan case – the baked, sponge cake part – could be made a day or two in advance and kept in an airtight box until required.

When it was time for the flan, she would fill it with fruit, and then pour over a strawberry “quick jel” – a sort of fast-setting jelly that would solidify almost instantly after it hit the fruit. So the flan case would be filled with sweet fruits in jelly. Delicious!

Creamy fruit flan

Another popular flan filling is a combination of cream or custard with fruit. The space in the flan case is first filled with whipped cream, creme patisserie (sometimes called confectioners custard), mousse, whipped custard or something similar. Then sliced or whole fruits are arranged on top. They can be covered with a sweet glaze, or just left plain.

This kind of flan is popular in Germany and other parts of Europe. In Germany it’s known as Obsttorte or Obstboden.

When is a flan not a flan?

This kind of filled fruit flan is very different to the baked custard kind of flan that’s enjoyed in parts of South America, which is more like a French creme caramel.

The word ‘flan’ apparently comes from the Latin for ‘flat cake’, which I suppose could be used to describe either of these confections!

Strawberry cheesecake flan

Having rediscovered my flan tin, I wondered what I should use to fill my tasty vanilla sponge flan case.

Since Shavuot is almost here, I already had cheesecake on the brain, so I decided to make a sweetened cream cheese filling. I had a punnet of ripe and juicy strawberries just crying out to go on top.

To enhance the fruity flavours, I also added a layer of sweet strawberry jam underneath the ‘cheesecake’ layer. You can choose to leave this out if you like but it did make it extra delicious!

Strawberry cheesecake flan – ingredients

The ingredients for this strawberry cheesecake flan are quite straightforward. The flan case is basically a simple, all-in-one sponge cake. The cheesecake filling is simply cream cheese sweetened with a little sugar and flavoured with a squeeze of lemon.

If you wanted to make this parve (dairy free) you can also substitute non-dairy ‘cream cheese’ and it works perfectly well.

To make your own delicious strawberry cheesecake flan, you will need:

• self-raising flour
• butter or margarine
• sugar
• eggs
• vanilla essence
• strawberry jam – optional but lovely
• cream cheese – or a plant-based, dairy-free alternative
• lemon juice
• fresh strawberries
• lemon zest and mint leaves – to decorate

Turning your flan out of the tin

Because of the shape of a flan tin, it’s nigh on impossible to line it with baking paper. To ensure that your flan case turns out nicely, I recommend coating the inside of the tin with ‘cake release’. There are different kinds available, either as a spray or as a liquid that you brush on.

I really like this PME release-a-cake which you brush over the tin before adding the cake batter. It’s like magic! Cakes turn out beautifully and don’t stick at all. I’ve also used it to grease waffle irons and other items where sticking is not an option! I’m not being paid to say this – I really just think this is a great product that does exactly what it promises.

Help! I don’t have a flan tin!

If you don’t have a flan tin, it’s still possible to make a version of this delicious dessert. You have a number of options.

1. Make a pastry or crumb crust, and use this to hold the creamy cheesecake filling and strawberries. This is more like a pie than a flan, but still good!
2. Bake the cake mixture as two 8-inch sandwich cakes, and fill and top them with the jam, chilled cheesecake filling and strawberries. Also not a flan as such, but the same combination of flavours and textures.
3. Bake the cake mixture in a regular 8 inch cake tin. When it is cold, use a small plate as a template to cut a circle out of the top. Excavate this to a depth of about 1.5 cm (¾ inch), being very careful not to break through the edge. Then fill and serve as per the recipe. This is essentially a flan, although of course you will be shortchanged on the cake part slightly!

Cheesecake filling – just chill!

The cheesecake filling for this flan is quite runny when you first mix it up. However, it will thicken and ‘set’ after a few hours in the fridge. This makes it easier to slice and serve your strawberry cheesecake flan without the filling leaking!

For this reason, I recommend filling the sponge cake flan case in advance of when you plan to serve your flan – even the night before is fine – and then chilling it in the fridge. You can add the strawberries and decorations and chill the whole thing, all ready to go. Alternatively, leave off the berries and decorations and add them just before serving.

Last minute dessert – strawberry cheesecake flan

If you don’t have time to wait, you can simply fill your flan case with something simple and serve straightaway. Ideas for alternative fillings include:

• whipped cream or whipped coconut cream, topped with fruit
• instant vanilla pudding, sliced bananas and chocolate shavings
• scoops of ice-cream, dulce de leche and cookie crumbles

Let your imagination run riot!

Strawberry cheesecake flan – a delicious dessert

I was really pleased with this delectable strawberry cheesecake flan. It’s easy to make, can be prepared in advance, looks gorgeous, and tastes amazing! What more do you want from a recipe?!

I will have to rummage through my kitchen drawers more often!

📖 Recipe

More delicious cakes and desserts

If you enjoyed this glorious strawberry cheesecake flan, you’ll probably also enjoy:

• Mini berry cheesecakes
• Strawberry tarts with mascarpone cream
• Cheese blintz crepe cake

And if you can’t get enough of bakes featuring berries, try this banana and strawberry loaf cake, or these zingy lemon and berry blondie bars.