Magic Custard Cake

The most important thing in this recipe is that all of the ingredients are at room temperature and that the milk is not too warm, or else it might scramble the eggs. I used free-range eggs that are smaller than regular ones. If you have large eggs, use 500 ml of milk. If you don't have a vanilla pod on hand, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead. It is also crucial that you fold the egg whites gently into the batter. The batter will be very runny, but that's perfectly fine. The cake is done when it still has a slight jiggle in the middle. It has to be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.  It's best eaten the same or the next day. After that, it becomes very rubbery.

Category: Cakes

Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)

• Makes a 22x22 cm cake
• Prep time: 30min
• Cook time: 1h
• Total time: 1h 30min + chilling time
• Difficulty: Basic

Ingredients

• 480ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 medium eggs, separated
• 130g confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 125g butter, melted and cooled
• 115g all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• few drops of lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 165°C. Butter a square 22x22 cm baking pan and set it aside. Pour milk into a saucepan. Split vanilla pod open, scrape out the seeds and add them to the milk, together with the pods. Put the saucepan on medium heat and bring the mixture almost to a boil. Remove from heat and let it steep until the milk cools (it should still be warm, but not too warm). Beat egg yolks with confectioners' sugar and water until light and fluffy. Add melted butter and mix until well combined. Mix flour with salt, sift to get rid of any lumps, and whisk into the egg and sugar mixture. Strain the milk, pour it into the batter, and whisk until well incorporated. In a standing mixer, beat egg whites with lemon juice until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in. The batter will be very runny, and that's fine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. If the top starts browning too quickly, cover the cake with a piece of parchment paper. The cake should still have a slight jiggle in the middle. Cool the cake completely, and then place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Additional images