Did you know that you can make magic happen in your oven? All you have to do is separate a few eggs, whisk a couple of things together and add a pinch of salt. After a few simple steps, you will carefully place these mixed ingredients into the oven combined as one and over the next 50 minutes or so, they will magically separate into three different delicious layers. How does this happen? Well, some things are better experienced than explained, so let’s get this magic started…
To make this magic happen, you will need 4 large eggs, 1 stick of butter melted, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, 2 cups of whole milk, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Those are pretty simple ingredients needed to make magic happen, right? I thought so too, but trust me, this cake will make you believe…
Step one – divide your eggs. You will be whipping the egg whites, so place them in a bowl large enough to whip them in and then place the yolks into a smaller bowl and set them aside. We need the egg whites to form stiff peaks, so be sure that the bowl they are in is dry and clean and that no yolks join the party.
Combine 2 tablespoons of water with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and the 4 egg yolks. Beat them on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns into a pale yellow color. This takes a while, so if you are using a stand mixer, turn it on medium and walk away for 3-4 minutes, if you are mixing with an electric hand mixer, mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure that everything is included and if you are mixing by hand, put on your favorite work out tunes, grab that sweat band and Godspeed….
This smooth, pale yellow texture is what you are looking for and once you have it, gradually add in 1/2 cup of melted butter. Once the butter is fully incorporated with the egg yolk mixture, add 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and a pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon) and mix to combine.
Continue mixing on medium low and slowly pour in 2 cups of whole milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. This mixture will be very loose, but be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure that none of the dry ingredients are left behind. Once everything is fully incorporated, set it aside and begin whipping the egg whites.
Once the egg whites can form stiff peaks (as in the photo above), slowly fold them into the batter. You want to be very gently with this stage. You are not trying to combine the egg whites and batter fully, just kind of toss them together a bit. I only did 10-12 slow drags through the batter and this gave me what I was looking for….
I know… it looks half way mixed, but trust me… this is what you want. The egg whites have all been coated in batter, but there is still plenty of fluffy egg white floating over the top of the batter. Again, I ask you to trust me. Just mix it until this point and then stop.
This cake should be baked in an 8’x8″ or 2 quart deep cake pan. Anything larger will not allow the custard to form. Spray the dish with non-stick spray and then line it with parchment paper. I cut two 8″x14″ strips and place one “east to west” and the other “north to south”. The left over hanging over the edges will act as handle to help you easily remove the cake from the pan later.
Bake on a middle rack at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes. You want the top to be golden brown and the edges feel set. The center should jiggle when you lightly shake the pan. Once the cake is at this point, remove it from the oven and let it come to room temperature on a cooling rack. Place it in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic, for 4 hours before serving.
During the baking process, the ingredients separate into distinct layers of custard, light fluffy cake and a sweet top. It is cool, refreshing and silky. The perfect dessert for a hot summer day.
Once the cake is fully chilled, carefully remove it from the pan using your handy parchment paper handles and then cut it into big squares, dust with confectioners sugar, add a little whipped cream and some fresh berries and you have yourself a beautiful, light, creamy dessert that is not only delicious…. but, magical….
Enjoy!
Custard Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Prepare an 8"x8" square baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray and lining with parchment paper
- Divide the eggs and place the 4 egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the 4 yolks into a smaller bowl and set aside
- Whip the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks
- In a separate bowl, cream together the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until the sugar dissolves and the color is a light pale yellow
- Continue to mix on medium speed and gradually add in 1/2 cup of melted butter
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients are being incorporated
- Add in 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and mix to combine
- Add in 2 cups of milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix until all of the ingredients are smooth and fully incorporated. You should have a loose, pale yellow batter at this point
- Now gently add the whipped egg whites into the batter
- Stir gently 10-12 times to fold some of the egg whites into the batter, but not fully combine them. You should have a fluffy layer of egg whites remaining over the top of the batter (see photos above)
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish
- Bake at 325 degrees on a middle rack for 50-55 minutes or until the corners and edges are set and golden brown, but the center still wobbles when the dish is shaken
- Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack or wooden cutting board and allow it to come to room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator for 4 or more hours
- Once fully chilled, remove the cake from the baking dish, cut into squares and dust with confectioners sugar
- Serve chilled with whipped cream and fresh berries
