Mango Strawberry Fruit Flan with Crème Pâtissière Filling

There is no need to tackle pie crust dough with this strawberry mango fruit flan recipe. The sponge cake base is easy to make and perfect for the creamy custard filling. It is baked and then brushed with an orange liqueur syrup to moisten and enhance the flavour of the sponge cake. It is then topped with the crème pâtissière filling, which is brought up an extra notch by adding a touch of Galliano liquere. Refreshing strawberries, mango, and clementine slices and a simple glaze add the finishing touch to this luscious dessert.

This recipe contains , flour (all-purpose), cornstarch, sugar, butter, baking powder, eggs, , water, sugar, liqueur (orange), , milk, vanilla bean, eggs, sugar, flour (all-purpose), liqueur, butter

8 Servings

Prep time:

Cook time:

Ingredients:

• Sponge Cake Base:
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup(s) cornstarch
• 1 cup(s) sugar
• 9 tbsp. melted butter
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs
• Simple Syrup:
• 1/2 cup(s) water
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 2 tbsp. orange liqueur (optional)
• Creme Patissiere:
• 2 cup(s) whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. Galliano liqueur or liqueur of choice (optional)
• 1 tbsp. butter

Instructions:

• 1. Sponge Cake Base:
• 2. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
• 3. Grease and flour a 10" flan pan.
• 4. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder into a large mixing
• 5. In a separate bowl beat 4 eggs and sugar together. Then add the melted butter.
• 6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
• 7. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended.
• 8. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
• 9. Note: The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 4 1/2 tablespoons melted butter,and only 2 eggs. Given that I like to use a large tart tin and prefer a thicker cake base (about 2 inches high), the recipe is doubled.
• 10. Simple Syrup:
• 11. In a saucepan, bring to boil the sugar and water.
• 12. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat.
• 13. Stir in the liqueur.
• 14. Crème Pâtissière:
• 15. Pour the milk and vanilla into a saucepan and heat to just below the boiling point.
• 16. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes to allow the vanilla flavour to infuse.
• 17. Strain the milk and reheat.
• 18. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick.
• 19. Whisk in the flour until well incorporated into the wet ingredients.
• 20. Gradually whisk in the hot milk until blended.
• 21. Transfer to a heavy-based saucepan and whisk continuously, over medium heat until the custard thickens and begins to boil.
• 22. Simmer and continue whisking for an additional two minutes to allow the flour to cook.
• 23. Remove from the heat and blend in the butter. Whisk in the Galliano liqueur or liqueur of choice if desired.
• 24. Transfer to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a film from forming.
• 25. Note: Normally, the knob of butter is rubbed on the surface of the cooked custard to prevent a skin from forming. I prefer using the plastic wrap for that purpose and integrate the butter into the custard for extra flavour. I feel it also gives a much smoother finish to the custard.
• 26. The recipe makes more than enough to cover the cake surface. I ended having about half a cup of the crème pâtissière leftover.
• 27. Assembly:
• 28. Place the sponge cake on a serving platter and brush the surface with some of the syrup. Gently spread the crème pâtissière on the surface of the cake. Decorate the top with the strawberries, mangoes and clementine pieces. Brush or drizzle with the liqueur syrup.