Vanilla Flan

Preheat oven to 160°C fan bake.

Place a clean wet kitchen cloth or small napkin in the base of a deep roasting dish and put the cake tin on top.

Caramel: Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and heat slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Brush any stray sugar crystals off the side of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, until a dark caramel colour, swirling the pan for even colouring. Quickly pour into the base of the cake tin, tilting the roasting dish to coat the base evenly then leave to cool and harden.

Custard: Spray or grease the sides of the cake tin to prevent the custard from sticking. 

Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl then stir in all the remaining ingredients until well combined. 

Strain the custard over the set caramel. Cover the tin tightly with foil and add hot tap water to the roasting dish until it comes halfway up the side of the cake tin. 

Bake for about 1 hour, topping up the water during cooking, until just set but still with a slight wobble in the centre. It will continue to firm up as it cools. 

Carefully remove the tin from the roasting dish and leave to cool.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight if possible.

To serve: Loosen the sides of the custard by running a small palette knife around the edges. Place a serving dish over the top and turn upside down. Pour any caramel remaining in the tin over the top. Serve with softly whipped cream.