Vegan chocolate custard flan

Prepare the puff pastry (to be done the day before):

Prepare the dough. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the water, salt, sugar, melted margarine, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix until a smooth dough forms. The resulting dough will be quite dry. It’s nothing like the texture of shortcrust pastry. The idea here is to work the dough as little as possible, but the flour must still be well incorporated.

Place the dough on a work surface, form it into a ball, and score a cross in the top with a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20 x 30 cm rectangle using a rolling pin. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry margarine between two sheets of parchment paper to form a 15 x 20 cm rectangle. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the dough and the puff pastry margarine from the refrigerator. Place the margarine in the center of the puff pastry and fold both sides of the dough over the margarine, sealing the edges together. Brush off any excess flour.

Roll out the dough lengthwise to a height of 50 cm. If the dough is too sticky, lightly flour it.

Fold the dough into thirds like a letter (see video link below), folding the left side first, then the right side (called the “key”). You have just completed one single turn.

Before rolling out the dough, always check that the “key” is on the right. Roll out the dough again lengthwise to a height of 50 cm, then fold it into thirds again, like a letter. You have now completed a second single turn.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Perform two more single turns (steps 6-8), then let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Perform two more single turns and let it rest in the refrigerator for another 2 hours.

The puff pastry is now ready to use. If you are not using it immediately, store it in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to prevent air from forming a crust. It can also be frozen once rolled out.

To discover the step-by-step instructions in this video: https://youtu.be/OvgZz7fbiqo?si=DdjMtS_A16VNgO4J

 

Prepare the chocolate cream:

Heat 400ml of soy milk with the sugar. Remember to whisk occasionally, as the milk can start to burn on the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, mix the Yumgo, water, and oil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 100ml of soy milk.

When the milk is simmering, pour the two mixtures into the milk and whisk together or use an immersion blender to avoid lumps. Whisk continuously until thickened. Let it boil for 1 minute.

Off the heat, whisk in the plant-based cream and the previously melted chocolate until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a bowl or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To bake:

Line a 20cm cake tin with the chocolate puff pastry. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to loosen the chocolate cream and restore its creaminess.

Fill the frozen puff pastry base with the flan mixture, leaving a 1cm gap at the top as it will rise in the oven.

Smooth the surface with a spatula, then bake for 25 minutes at 200°C (convection oven), followed by an additional 5 minutes at 230°C (convection oven).

Remove from the oven and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.