Magic Custard Cake

I chanced upon this last year from e' joie's blog and knew instantly I had to give this recipe a try. 

I was curious how a cake batter can churn out 3 magical layers. Did some reading up and found out more from White On Rice Couple's write-up on this magical cake.

There are 3 distinct layers to this cake. The bottom layer is a denser and kueh-like probably due to the flour batter, the middle is a custard layer from the egg yolks while the top and fluffy layer is from the egg meringue floating to the top. What a truely wonderful cake! I can't wait to let my husband try it since he absolutely loves custard and nonya kueh!

This cake doesn't disappoint and is truly a magical cake. Try it. You will love it! I've shared the recipe with a number of friends and all came back with positive feedbacks. One important note though...this is a very watery and curdly cake batter, so do not panic and think something has gone wrong. As I didn't have a blog previously and it was not a habit to include any notes in my recipes, I had forgotten to warn my good friend how liquid and curdly the cake batter can be when I shared the recipe with her in a hurry and she nearly threw the batter away!

I've included some pointers on this cake so that anyone who is planning to try this recipe can take note:

- Temperature of the ingredients are important. The milk should only be lukewarm so that it does not cook the eggs.

- As the batter is very liquid, it is better to use a hand whisk rather than an electric whisk. Otherwise, you'll end up having to clean up all the splatters.

- When folding in the meringue to the egg yolk mixture, I prefer to use a hand whisk. The mixture is very liquid and curdly. Have no fear, this is normal. Just fold in the whites gently till there's not big chunks of whites left.

- For ease of removal from the cake pan, line with parchment paper. Have about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of parchment paper hanging outside the pan so that the cake can be easily lifted up the cake pan.

- As the cake from the oven will be wobbly and jiggery, I will chill it in the fridge (with a cling wrap covering the pan) after it is completely cooled on wire rack. I find it easier to remove from the cake pan and cut the cake after it has been chilled in the fridge.

- The cake will shrink after it is cooled, so do not be too alarmed.

- Trim the sides of the cake so that you can present the 3 magical layers. 

Magic Custard Cake

makes a 8" square pan 

Ingredients:

113g unsalted butter

485g milk

1 tbspn water

4 eggs, separated

115g plain flour

145g confectioner sugar

2 tbspn sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

extra confectioner's sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Lightly grease and line a 8"x8" square pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 160ºC.

3. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, sift flour.

5. Whisk egg whites till foamy. Add 2 tablespoon sugar and whisk to stiff peaks.

6. Beat the egg yolks and confectioner sugar until light.

7. Beat in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.

8. Mix in flour until evely incorporated.

9. Gently beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.

10. Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in.

11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top is golden.

12. Allow cake to completely cool on a wire rack.

13. Cover the top of the cake pan with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before removing the cake from the pan.

14. Trim the sides of the cakes, dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.



Magic Custard Cake for a colleague's birthday

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