Brigadeirao is an easy family-size chocolate fudge flan made in the blender and baked in 40 minutes. It's gluten-free, rich, fudgy, and addictive!!!
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If brigadeiro is THE THING, just imagine a brigadeirão -- a family-size brigadeiro.
Goodness, my mouth is watering like crazy just thinking about it! 🙂
When I told one of my daughters that I was going to make brigadeirao, her face totally lit up.
I have to confess -- mine did, too! It's fudgy and so addictive!
On top of that, it's easy to prepare. All we have to do is to blend a few ingredients in the blender and then bake in a ring pan for about 40 minutes.
It requires no special cooking skills, yet is a hit among people of all ages.
The secret is in the quality of the cocoa powder that you use and of course, in being careful not to overbake it. And that's all!
Unlike a caramel flan, brigadeirao requires no caramel or tempering of yolks. 😉
Well are you ready for your new fave dessert?
HOW TO MAKE BRIGADEIRAO (BRAZILIAN CHOCOLATE FUDGE FLAN)
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) ring pan with butter or cooking spray. Sprinkle sugar all over; set aside.
- Blend all ingredients (except the sprinkles.) in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake in bain-Marie for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, run a knife the edge around carefully, and place on a rack to cool. SEE RECIPE NOTES!
- Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge gently, and place on a rack to cool.
- Then, cover and refrigerate for about at least 4 hours, or until chilled and set.
- Last, run a knife around again and invert onto a plate. You may have to tap bottom of the pan to encourage unmolding.
- Serve chilled with chocolate sprinkles on top. If desired, drizzle chocolate fudge on the edges.
What Is a Bain-Marie?
Bain-marie (or Mary's Bath) is the French term for a 'hot water bath' or double boiler, and it's used for cooking custards, creating gentle, uniform heat around the food.
Its creation is credited to the alchemist, Mary the Jewess.
Bain-Marie Method
It's a simple method!
Pour boiling water into a larger baking dish and then place ring pan inside.
Make sure water comes about halfway up the sides of the ring pan.
If you don’t have enough boiling water, just add hot tap water instead, making sure to not splash any into the custard.
Did you know that flans as well as cheesecakes fall into the category of custards?!
How Do You Pronounce Brigadeirao?
Here is one way to get close to the Portuguese pronunciation: if you say "bree-ga-day-ROWN" using rolled r's.
Even better, don't actually touch the roof of your mouth or teeth with the tip of your tongue when it comes time for the N in ROWN-- just bring it very close.
Repeat several times and you'll get the hang of it. Or if you want, you could call this treat Big Brigadeiro or Giant Brigadeiro! It's all good!
Brigadeirao Ingredients
Although there are variations, its main ingredients are sweetened condensed milk, milk, cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, and chocolate sprinkles.
How to Store Brigadeirao
Store brigadeirao covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Do not freeze! Why? This is a large flan and most flans don't freeze well.
But if you'd like to give it a try (at your own risk):
- Adjust your freezer to 0 degrees F and cut cool the brigadeirao into quarters.
- Then, seal in freezer plastic bags for storing up for 1 month.
- Thaw in the fridge and serve.
Serving Occasions
Serve brigadeirao all year round.
It makes a great dessert for potlucks, get-together, Sunday meals as well as for Easter and Christmas depending on how you decorate it.
Other Chocolate Desserts
- Brazilian Chocolate Cake Roll
- Ganache-Style Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (With Video)
- Brigadeiro Cookies
- Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart
- Vegan Chocolate Pot de Creme
- Hot Chocolate Fudge
- Hot Chocolate Trifle
Also, find out everything you ever wanted to know about brigadeiro here.
PIN & ENJOY!
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Brigadeirao (Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Flan)
Ingredients
- 28 oz sweetened condensed milk (or two 14-oz cans)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar plus extra to sprinkle the pan
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup chocolate sprinkles good quality
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease a 8-inch (20 cm) ring pan with butter or no stick cooking spray. Sprinkle sugar all over. Set aside.
- Blend all ingredients (except the sprinkles) in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in bain-Marie for about 40 minutes (or more depending on your oven and the size of your pan). Please, read some important NOTES below. It will be ready when the top is set and the flan is slightly jiggly like a cheesecake. Remove from the oven, run a knife the edge around carefully, and place on a rack to cool.
- Cover and refrigerate for about at least 4 hours, or until chilled and set. Run a knife around again and invert onto a plate. You may have to tap bottom of the pan to encourage unmolding.
- Serve with chocolate sprinkles on top. If desired, drizzle chocolate fudge on the edges.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Baking time may vary depending on how well your oven heat/calibration, and the size, depth, and material of the pan. Large, less deep pans will bake the flan faster than small, deeper pans. Ring pans also bake flans faster than cake pans. In addition, prefer metal pans instead of glass or ceramic dishes which tend to not bake custards uniformly.
- When brigadeirao is ready? More than the time stated in my recipe, you need to understand this type of flan is ready when the top is set and the custard is jiggly like a cheesecake. As stated above, if you change anything in this recipe such as the size or the material of the pan, your baking time may be longer.
- BAIN-MARIE: Place hot water in a large baking pan and place the ring pan inside. Make sure water comes halfway up the side of the pan. This will help to bake the brigadeirao faster and uniformly.
- STORAGE: Store brigadeirao covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not freeze! Why? This is a large flan and most flans don't freeze well. But if you'd like to give it a try (at your own risk):
- Adjust your freezer to 0 degrees F and cut cool brigadeirao into quarters.
- Then, wrap in freezer plastic bags for storing up to 1 month.
- Thaw in the fridge and serve.
- Serve brigadeirao all year round. It makes a great dessert for potlucks, get-togethers, or Sunday meals, as well as for Easter and Christmas, depending on how you decorate it.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Please, give it a star rating below!!
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
Gina says
Hi!
Is it ok to use dutch-processed cocoa powder?
Thanks!
Gina
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Gina! Yes, absolutely! You can use dutch-processed cocoa to make brigadeirao. I use one from Hersheys's.
Chantal says
Hi if I use sweetened coco powder do I omit the sugar or do I need to change anything to the recipe? Where I live we don’t have unsweetened xoxo powder.
Chantal says
Sorry about that never mind my question I did find the answer. You already answered someone else with same question. Thank you I can’t wait to try it.
Valentina Dimitrova says
No problem, Chantal! You have the same name as my younger daughter. 🙂
Oliver M. says
I ate brigadeirao when I visited Brazil a few years ago. Since then I have tried to find a good recipe in English and this one was the best of them all. Easy to prepare and the flan turned out smooth and delicious. Thanks for the recipe lady!
Rosella says
The BEST chocolate flan that I have ever had. So darn addicting!
Cristina says
Esse é o mesmo que o pudim?
Valentina Dimitrova says
Oi Cristina! Esse eh melhor do que o pudim porque eh mais consistente e cremoso. O pudim nao leva amido de milho e tem calda de caramelo. Esse brigadeirao lembra muito o brigadeiro so que em tamanho familia.
Cristina says
Obrigada por responder! Vou fazer sim!
Zane says
The best flan that I have ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
Kaaren (Back Road Journal) says
Oh my, does that look wonderful and so very different. Thank you so much for sharing this great dessert.
Jodie says
Can this be piped into pastry base or baked in one?
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi Jodie! Brigadeirao is technically a flan but with a fudgy consistency. I bet it would be OK if you use our recipe to make a cake flan -- flan on top of the cake. I bet you already heard about this dessert! But as for baking briagdeirao into a pastry or with a pastry, I think the filling of the pastry would have a strange cosistency. But if you still want to try, I would try to bake brigadeirao as a filling for a pie crust. I would use a single pie crust as the base and the brigadeirao as the filling. Of course, you would have to bake as a pie (NO bain-marie), just like you do with a pumpkin pie. It would remind a brownie pie but with a fudgier consistency.
2pots2cook says
Am I in Heaven already ?
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
Chocolate is always a hit! This brigadeirao would be fabulous at Easter Brunch!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Thanks for the pronunciation lesson. I think I'll just call this good. 🙂 Thanks!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Haha. That's a good name too.
Paula Guskuma says
Hi Denise! I am a fan & love all of your recipes! Question, what happened to the recipe instructions? The 1st step is to preheat oven & prepare pan. Then step 2 jumps straight to pour mixture into prepared pan. Do I just blend all the ingredients? And for how long? Please let me know-I intend to make this for my husband's birthday on April 25th.
Thank You =)
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Paula! Thank you so much for pointing out the missing blending step. I have just fixed the recipe to include that step. I apologize for it! I am quite sure I wrote that step but somehow it might have gotten deleted by mistake because I made several modifications in the original post. My husband and kids love this recipe which I made 3 times recently. LOL I hope your husband enjoys it. Wishing him a very happy yummy birthday!
Deborah says
Dear Denise,
I noticed your recipe calls for spring pan but on your video you used the good old "forma de pudim". Does the baking time change one way or another, given the spring pan doesn't have the hole in the middle? I am assuming the "pudim pan" bakes a little faster. I am planning on doing this for Christmas eve' dinner to add my Brazilian touch to my (very) american family.
Deborah says
Ops... you wrote RING pan not spring. My bad.
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Deborah! The recipe calls for a ring pan, not a spring pan for this brigadeirao recipe so please use the same. And yes, if to use a spring pan which has not a hole in the center, the baking time would be a little longer. Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Paula! Thank you for pointing out the missing blending step which I have just fixed. I believe that step was accidentally deleted since I was greatly modifying that post to republish. My husband and kids are crazy for brigadeirao, which I made 3 times recently. I hope your husband enjoys it and wish him a very happy yummy birthday!
Rafael says
Denise, eu vou salvar o seu site aqui. sempre eu tento fazer alguma coisa brasileira com a minha mulher, mas nunca sei direito como explicar as medidas. ela estava com vontade de comer brigadeirao mas moramos longe da loja brasilieira mais proxima. esse vai ser nosso santuario para receitas brasileiras. muito obrigado.
Valentina Dimitrova says
Rafael:
Obrigada a voce por sua gentileza. Espero que voces experimentem e gostem. A minha familia eh louca por brigadeirao e tudo mais feito com brigadeiro.
A qualquer tempo que voces tiverem alguma duvida sobre uma receita, substituicoes, medidas ou ingredientes, ficarei feliz em ajudar. Um abraco pra voces dois.
Cristina says
Minha querida, è a primeira vez que entro no Seu site e que faço Brigadeirao.
Uma pergunta: eu cozinhei 40 min a 180graus. Deixei esfriar e estava
Morno quando EU resolving tentar desenformar e estava liquido por dentro e cozido por fora. O que EU faco? Cozinho mais um pouco e repito como a receita?
A parte luquida eh normal?
Obrigada!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Olá, Cristina!
Desculpe mas eu só vi o seu comentário agora.
Assim que sai do forno, você deixa esfriar na forma ã temperatura ambiente e depois põe na geladeira (ainda na forma) por pelo menos de 2 a 4 horas (ou mais). Somente quando o brigadeirão tiver gelado é que você desenforma com cuidado (passe uma faquinha nas beiradas da forma para soltar mas com cuidado), como instruído na receita. Isso não é feito um pudim de leite condensado que primeiro desenforma para gelar. Para o brigadeirão, primeiro gela e depois é que desenforma pois a consistência é de um fudge.
Se você cozinhou no forno por 40 minutos a 180 graus C, o cozimento é suficiente sim mas não para desenformar ainda morno. Gele ele na forma e depois quando tiver bem geladinho, você desenforma com cuidado para não quebrar.
Um bom domingo pra você.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I am officially craving chocolate now!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Thanks, Laura! I am glad that you like my brigadeirão!!!
Luciana says
Olá Denise, obrigada por visitar meu blog. Fiquei muito contente com seu comentário.
Esse brigadeirão é dar água na boca. Suas receitas são maravilhosas! Adorei seu prestigio cheesecake.
beijinhosss
Valentina Dimitrova says
Obrigada, Luciana! Eu de vez em quando faço esse brigadeirão porque além de ser rápido, é realmente uma delícia. Aqui em casa nós amamos ele. Obrigada também por visitar o meu blog!
Como eu havia dito, adoro as suas fotos, e as suas criações são mesmo de dar água na boca. Eu adooooooro um doce!! :):)
Nydia says
OMG...Brigadeirão...I have years without eating it, I just cannot remember when was the last time I had one. Everything that is made with chocolate can be my favorite, mine and my family's.
The tea party is so excited, look at the girls...!!! Of course, I can understand you, have your house with al that girls could be a little amazing...!!!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Thanks, Nydia! It was a challenge because they are very active, but turned out to be a blessing. The girls had a lot of fun and I have to confess that me too. 🙂
The Brigadeirao was over quickly. I just think that I ate a little too much. What can I say? I definetely love chocolate! See you soon at your blog. xx
Elaine says
I am excited to try this recipe, but I don't have and cannot find an 8" tube pan. I do have a 9.5" non stick angel food tube pan. Would that work? Do you have any idea of how much I would adjust baking time? Thank you!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi Elaine! Yes, it will work with that size of pan that you have. But keep in mind it will take less time to bake because your pan is larger and will make the batter spread out more and be less deep. I would take a look at it after baking in a bain-marie for 35 minutes. If needed, let it bake longer but take a look at it every 5 minutes after that. The flan is ready when fully set on top and slightly jiggly like a flan. Make sure to let it cool and chill before unmolding.
Elaine says
I tried making this with an angel food pan with a removable bottom. Big mistake! Some of the "batter" seeped out of the bottom until it had cooked enough in the bain marie to become solid. It was still delicious! I did manage to now find the proper ring mold pan with a fixed bottom, and it turned out perfectly and was so delicious. My husband, skeptical when trying any new recipes, said it tasted like a special dessert that would be served in a "gourmet restaurant." High praise, indeed! Even though it is sweet and not bitter, It was a little too sophisticated for those with a palate accustomed to typical American sweets and desserts (think Little Debbie and Oreo's.) . I'll be making this delicious dessert many times! Bonus: It's a make-ahead recipe! Thank you!