Mexican Spiced Chocoflan Author: adapted from a Rick Bayless recipe available here Recipe type: Cake/Flan Awesomeness Cuisine: Mexican Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 30 mins Serves: 12

A layer of chocolate cake spiked with coffee-cinnamon-chipotle with a layer of cool, creamy coffee-cinnamon flan on top. Fantastic! What You Need For the Cake

 5ounces (10 tablespoons) butter, cool room temperature

 7 oz (1 cup) granulated sugar

 ⅜ teaspoon fine sea salt

 1 teaspoon vanilla

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 ¾ teaspoon chipotle powder

 1 egg

 2 tablespoons espresso powder dissolved in 1½ tablespoons hot water OR 3 tablespoons espresso

 6.5 oz all purpose flour

 ¾ teaspoon baking powder

 ¾ teaspoon baking soda

 ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon American cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

 9 ounces buttermilk For the Flan

 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

 4 eggs

 2 teaspoons espresso powder or freeze-dried coffee  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla or pure vanilla extract

 ¼-3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt To Prepare the Pan

 1 cup liquid (warmed) cajeta, dulce de leche or caramelized sugar (as for creme caramel). I made cajeta based on this recipe What To Do For the Cake 1. Cream butter until smooth. 2. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnaon and chipotle powder. Cream until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 6 minutes. 3. Add the egg and espresso and mix thoroughly until completely combined. Scrape bowl as necessary. 4. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. 5. Add half to the mixer and mix on low for a few seconds. Add half the buttermilk, then the rest of the dry mixture followed by the last of the buttermilk. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary. 6. Beat on medium-high speed about 45 seconds. For the Flan 1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. To Prepare Pan and Finish 1. Spray a Bundt pan with pan spray and then dust liberally with flour. Knock out excess flour. 2. Pour the cajeta, dulce or caramel evenly in the bottom of the pan. 3. Spoon the cake batter in evenly and then smooth it all out. 4. Strain the flan mixture through a fine mesh strainer slowly right on top of the cake batter, moving the strainer around so you aren't pouring it all in one place. 5. Set the pan in a larger pan and place in a preheated 350F oven. (center rack) 6. Pour enough hot water in the larger pan to come at least an inch up the sides of the Bundt pan. 7. Bake for about an hour, or until the cake is firm. 8. Let cool to room temperature before turning out onto a platter. 9. Spoon any cajeta stuck in the pan over the cake.