Caramel Cheescake Flan

I am worried about starting my blog with this post seeing how I did falter a little on it. It is a tried and true recipe, although I was trying new techniques. While I do get a little self-conscious when something doesn't turn out just right, I thought the recipe is worth sharing.

This recipe was made by my a good friend, Gayle. She is amazing - award winning!
My husband doesn't really like the texture of flan (too jello-y) but he loves this - the flavor of flan with the texture of cheesecake. This recipe is copied directly from her. The green are my tips - learn from my mistakes!

Caramel Cheesecake Flan

1 cup sugar
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Over medium-high heat, cook some sugar in a small skillet, stirring occasionally, until melted and golden in color. Pour into ungreased, deep, 2-quart mold, tilting to coat bottom and sides. (Be so careful!) (I used smaller individual molds because I didn't have bigger ones. Make sure you get high enough on the sides so that the flan falls out - I didn't do this... oops.)

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat. Gradually add milk and mix until smooth. Add eggs and beat at least 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients slowly and beat until well combined. Pour mixture into caramel coated pan.
Place flan in larger baking pan and fill pan halfway up sides with hot water. (easier to do this with a pot in the oven already...)
Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (I did mine a little too long... they probably shouldn't get this dark... but they still taste good)
Remove from hot water and place on rack to cool.
Chill overnight. To remove, run a thin knife around the mold to loosen flan. Place serving platter on top of mold and invert. Scrape additional sauce from mold and spoon over top if desired. Garnish with whipped cream and toasted almonds.