In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup of sugar. Cook the sugar, stirring occasionally until it begins to melt and turns brown around the edges. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to pull the melted sugar around the edges toward the center of the unmelted sugar; this will help the sugar melt evenly.

Continue cooking and pulling the melted sugar until all the sugar is melted and the caramel is uniformly dark amber (it should smell caramelly but not burnt), about 10 to 12 minutes total. (If you still have undissolved lumps of sugar, stir it off the heat until melted.)

Next, carefully pour the room-temperature water into the melted sugar while continuously stirring the mixture with a heatproof rubber spatula tilted slightly to prevent hot steam from burning you. The mixture will bubble and steam vigorously, and some of the sugar may harden up and crystallize, but don't worry; just keep stirring the mixture over medium heat for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sugar re-melts completely and the caramel is smooth.

Be careful not to overcook the caramel, as it can burn quickly and become bitter. Remove from heat and pour the caramel onto the bottom of an 8-inch (20.32 cm) silicone mold or a nonstick bundt pan; quickly swirl around to coat all bottom and sides. Let the caramel cool completely.

Mix gelatine and 1 cup of milk in a microwaveable bowl. Let stand for 5 min—microwave on high for 2 minutes or until gelatine is completely dissolved, stirring after each minute. Blend the remaining milk, cream, milk powder, vanilla, and condensed milk in a blender until smooth. Blend in the gelatine mixture. Pour into the prepared 8-cup mold. Cover with foil and place the mold in the refrigerator; chill until set, 6 to 8 hours, and up to overnight. Once ready, remove it from the fridge.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Immerse the gelatin mold in the bowl of warm water to loosen the edges. Be careful not to get water inside the pan. Remove it after 15 seconds. Dry off the outside of the pan or silicone mold and use a knife to run around the edges of the flan and in the center. Be careful when doing this, so you don’t cut through the flan.

Slowly start to run the knife around the edges of the no bake flan until you reach the bottom of the no-bake flan, and jiggle the pan every so often, and when you see that the flan is loose in there, it’s time to flip it onto the plate. (It’s important to ensure the whole flan loses from the sides of the mold or pan. If one section is still stuck to the mold or pan, but the rest is not, the flan might break when you flip it onto the plate). Find a flat platter.

It should be several inches bigger in all directions than your pan or mold. Place the platter face down on the top of the mold or pan. Hold the top of the platter and the top of the mold firmly together between your thumbs and fingers. Flip the mold so that the platter is face up. You should feel the no-bake flan release from the mold. If it doesn’t release from the mold, flip it back over and stick it in the warm water for a few more seconds before trying again. Enjoy our  Best No Bake Flan with Liquid Caramel!