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close up shot of Magic Custard Cake stacked on top of each other

Magic Custard Cake

Magic Custard Cake is a melt-in-your-mouth dessert with three creamy layers. This dreamy dessert is made with one batter that magically separates in the oven.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cool Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
  • 1 cup baker’s sugar, superfine sugar
  • ½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk, lukewarm
  • ½ cup heavy cream, lukewarm

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8”x8” square baking pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the melted and cooled butter and vanilla extract and beat to combine fully.
  • Beat in the flour.
  • Combine the milk and cream together and slowly pour into the batter, mixing to combine.
  • Beat egg whites in a standing mixer with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
  • Use a large whisk to lightly incorporate egg whites into the batter. Add in 2 to 3 additions and only whisk slightly. The batter will have two distinct textures - a very thin, runny batter with the lightly incorporated egg whites floating on the top of the batter.
  • Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when the center is still jiggly, but the batter does not slosh in the pan. The top will be lightly browned.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Allow the cake to sit for 2 to 3 hours before dusting with powdered sugar and cutting into 9 pieces.

Video

Notes

  • The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 10×10 square baking dish. Bake for about 60 minutes.
  • While we would suggest only removing one piece at a time from the pan, if for some reason you do want to remove the entire cake at once, lining the pan with parchment paper may help to lift the cake out of the pan. We can't guarantee that you won't get a bit of custard that will try to ooze out the side of the cake.
  • The 8×8 square pan is important to achieve the three distinct layers. A larger pan will spread the cake batter too thin for the custard layer in the center to form. The batter won’t fit in a smaller pan.
  • The low temperature (325°F) is important for baking this custard-like dessert.