Monday 21 July 2014

Magic Custard Cake


This cake is a curiosity. One batter but yields three cake textures. Of course I was curious and I wondered if I would I be able to produce the three layers. From what I read, most people managed only two layers. What if I messed up and the cake did not have any layers?



My first trial run took place the previous Saturday. The same day I baked Pandan Chiffon Cake. I called it a trial run because I knew I would not get it right the first time. And sure enough I did not do a good job. The top of the cake wasn't brown enough but the cake was already set. That's what I thought because a skewer inserted into the center came out clean. When I sliced the cake, the middle part was all gooey. But I did get the two layers. Last weekend I tried again, using the original recipe. 



My cake cracked a little bit here and there. And once taken out of the oven and cooled, it shrank and got all wrinkly on the surface. But I understand that it is normal.



I let the cake chill overnight before slicing it. And of course I was anxious to see if I managed to produce the three layers of cake. Nope, did not. I only see two layers. The custard layer is very dense, not custard-like at all.  This must be due to the way I mixed the batter. But I was not disappointed.



When I tasted the cake, I found that it was just ok for me. I could detect the smell of milk (not my favorite smell, I'm afraid) and in future I should add another teaspoonful of vanilla. The sweetness was just nice, perhaps adjusted for the extra sprinkling of icing sugar on top. 



Curiosity aside, honestly I did not find anything special about the taste of this cake. Perhaps I should try the pandan version again and decide if this cake will make it to my regular baking list.



Overall, this is not a difficult cake to bake. The egg yolk batter is very runny due to the volume of milk used. At first it felt kind of weird when I mixed the meringue into this very liquid mixture. Other than that, it was a breeze and the only "worry" is if the cake would yield the 3 distinct layers. Even with two layers, I think you should give yourself a pat on the back.











Magic Custard Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from White On Rice Couple
(My notes and adaptations in red)


Ingredients:

- 113g unsalted Butter

- 480ml Milk
- 4 Eggs, separated
- 4 drops White Vinegar (I used 1/4 tsp cream of tartar)
- 150g Confectioner's Sugar (I used 145g icing sugar, sifted to remove lumps)
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- 115g Flour
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract ( I would prefer 2 tsp in future)
- extra confectioner's sugar for dusting


Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (I used 140C because my oven is very hot). Lightly butter or grease a 8"x8" baking dish. (I used a 9" pan)
2. Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.
3. Whip the egg whites and vinegar (cream of tartar) to stiff peaks. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.
5. Mix in the flour until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.
6. Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes (60 minutes) or until the top is golden. Allow cake to completely cool before cutting and then dust with confectioner's sugar.

59 comments:

  1. Ahhhhh!!! I saw your photo of this on Facebook. I love custard!!!

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    1. Arthur, this one not so well done because the custard layer was dense. Should be softer.

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  2. Hhmmm I don't get it same batter all poured in at the same time so why will there be 3 layers? Is it due to some ingredients will sink to the bottom, some will stay in the middle and some will float to the top causing 3 layers?

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    1. Mun, that is a mystery :) But you have got the general idea correctly.

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  3. Oh drool!!!!

    I love these!

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    1. Next time I give you becoz I was not that impressed with the taste :D

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  4. Amazing that a batter could result the cake into 3 layers right? One part of layer as custard i knew this cake be delicious if one loves custard. Are you going for few more rounds till you achieve the perfect 3 layers cake?

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    1. Mel, I will try again with pandan flavour. If I still can't get 3 layers, I will accept the result. Won't try too many times. I prefer to eat cheesecake hee..hee...

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  5. Wah, magic custard cake.. At first, I thought what magic.. After seeing the pictures, yep, I agree it's magic la.. I can never make cakes like that.. I like the pandan one, I guess it's sold in every bakeries.. Custard ones I also like, call me jakun, never eaten before.. Ooops, wait, maybe eaten before, but mum called it corn or jagung custard cake.. Oh yes, I agree you bake a pandan one next time, hehe, coz I like..

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    1. But after reading your ingredients and steps part, I totally agree it's magic la.. It can be "magically" separated into 3 (in your case, 2, but I think I see 3) layers? I macam tak belif, but I'm not making this to see if it works, coz too much work la.. But the ingredients look very simple.. But not making this coz I don't like the egg separation.. If I see any recipes which require egg white separation, I'll skip it.. But I keep scrolling your post to see the "magic" layers leh.. Very magical indeed..

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    2. Hi Louiz! I know lah you won't won't bother with this type of very "mafan" cakes. This cake was a sensation on the blogoshpere and I just had to try it. I did not really get excited about the taste. Just so so for me. Will make pandan flavour next. :)

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  6. Slurps ..... poslaju to me ?

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    1. Chris, tak dijamin sampai in good condition hah..hah...

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  7. A popular bake among the bloggers lately. Yours looks very nice, with two distinct layers. I've never seen or eaten this cake before so not sure how they would look like.

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    1. Hi Veronica! I think the wow factor is the 3 magical layers. Other than that, I feel that cheesecake taste better. But that's just me lah. Will try pandan again.

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  8. Phong Hong...

    Sekejap... sekejap.... now tell me... your cake ni jadi 2 layers or 3 layers? Kalau 2, how come you've stopped trying? That is totally not Phong Hong! Phong Hong will keep trying till she gets it right!

    Tapi kan Phong Hong, frankly speaking, you punya kek nampak lebih menarik, lebih yummy dari kawan tu punya. Hehehe... Kalau tengok gambar you, ada harapan I cuba, Kalau tengok gambar kawan tu punya, besar harapan i tak cuba.... shhh....

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    1. Hi MamaFaMi! Hmmm...I think I am happy with two layers lah. Sebab I prefer cheesecake. This one the taste is just ok ok only for me. Eh, I punya lebih menarik? hee..hee...Actually the other bloggers have baked it very beautifully. Check out Ann Low (Anncoo Journal) punya. Fuiyoh, cantik! Yang kawan tu punya nampak kesian....kan?

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    2. Visited Anncoo Journal already. Cannot masuk there always la. Tears my heart to pieces tengok her work of art because I can't do like what she did! Hmmm... since you said the cake is just ok ok to you, then k.o k.o la i nak buat. Hahaha... If 3 layers, then the third one will look like bantat eh? If so, then just stick to 2 layers dah lah. Cantik dah kek you tu. Can be happy with that already. Tak payah try lagi. :)

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    3. Agree lah. Ann's works of art are really class! I wish I can take great photos and make beautiful cakes like her. But never mind lah......takder bakat hee..hee...

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  9. Looks so professional, lady! Two or three layers, it doesn't matter as long as it tastes good!

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    1. Thank you, Claire! Teh taste is just OK lah. Cheesecake better for me.

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  10. Hi Phong Hong, don't worry your MCC looks perfect, so much better than mine, lah. You are right this is an easy cake to bake. Anyway, I prefer to bake them in cupcake liners, looks good and easy for serving. Don't need to slice. I'll be trying with pandan next time.

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    1. Kimmy, I actually like yours because your top layer is much thicker than the bottom one. And you managed 3 layers. I noted that your cake rise quite a lot. Mine hardly move and I read from Baking Tai Tai that this cake does not rise much and is wobbly. But mine was solid. Overbaked maybe. Will also try pandan and we can compare notes later :)

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  11. wow, instead something quite miraculous!! one batter and one step and you got three layers!! wow, that's amazing!! at first i thought even with one single batter, you need to bake three different layers to form this, but reading your recipe, it doesn't seem to be the story!! i am impressed!!!

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    1. SK, that's why they call this Magic! But mine only two layers wor....

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  12. and this cake certainly looks inviting to me!! i mean something like the "pandan layer" cake, the bottom layer looks solid like custard and the middle layer looks fluffy like light cheese cake!! awe, three texture in a cake to savor in a mouth!! i really want to try this.. PosLaju dijamin sampai esok eh?? muahahaha.. *hint hint*

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    1. SK, like I told Chris - Pos Laju tak dijamin sampai in good condition. By the time arrive it become kek himpit :D

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  13. Lovely writeup. Your post reads like a detective novel. In any case, a cake with more than one layer is enough to impress me. I think you did great.

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    1. Thank you! I was happy with the two layers. At least the batter separated hah..hah...

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  14. I was thinking to bake this popular cake too, but a bit hesitate to bake the custard version as my family don't appreciate custard taste of bake..if I were to bake, I will bake pandan version. Then I wait for you to try out the pandan version again, then only decide whether to try this cake or not, hehehe..

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    1. Sonia, the pandan version will taste better. This one very sorry I was not impressed with the taste. I know you will do a good job with it. OK, this weekend I bake the pandan one :)

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  15. Hi Phong Hong, Your magic cake looks pretty. You've done a good job! :D

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    1. Thank you, Ann! I was very motivated by your gorgeous Magic Custard Cake. Even though I only got 2 layers, it was good enough for me :)

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  16. Hi Phong Hong, I have bookmarked this quite sometimes back but yet to try. I am curious too about how the cake will turn out. Think I will try the Pandan version too. Wish me luck lo...

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    1. Good luck, Cecilia! I am confident that you will do it well. I recommend pandan flavour as this one wasn't that great for me.

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  17. Hi Phong Hong, your MCC looks nice even though with 2 layers. I agree with you that MCC does smell 'milky'. I still haven't tried out the chocolate version ... crazy in chiffon marathon ha ha! Oh yes, surely you deserved a pat on the back ! ^-^

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    1. Thanks, Karen! I think the pandan or chocolate version would be better tasting. I don't like milk :(

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  18. Hi Phong Hong, this looks so yummy and irresistible. I am bookmarking this recipe and hope to give this a try soon. Thanks for sharing and regards :)

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    1. Ivy, you must go on a baking adventure with this cake!

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  19. Hi Phong Hong,
    This is a very interesting cake and have seen it round bloggerland. I have bookmarked it to try, and it is on my waiting list! So many lovely treats to try!

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    1. Hi Joyce! Me too have bookmarked so many recipes and I don't know where to start hah..hah...

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  20. trial run? hehe...dont look down on yourself ...you are not that bad la. But after reading your post, the curiosity had passed to me too..i know there are 3 layers and didnt know most people get 2 layers..wait la...not so lazy then i try to do trial run like you...:D

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    1. Hi Lena! Two layers considered ok lah, hor? I am going to bake it again and I reckon pandan should be better. My previous bake had to be given away to Mr Tong Sam Pah :D

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  21. Wow, such a nice desssert!!!
    my favourite was using durian on the custard....

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    1. Hi Dentist! Oh..durian custard must be like so yummy, yummy!

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  22. I did try this cake some time back, I didn't get the 3 layers either, only 2. Neither was I impressed with the taste and my boys refused to touch it because they said it looked like a failed cake! :P

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    1. Jeannie, hah..hah..your boys are cute!

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  23. Your cake lookd magical though you managed to get two layers. I wanted to try it when I saw it on Anncoo's blog :) but havent found the mood to do it ;p can it be the magic lies in tge vinegar and i noticed you substitute it with cream of tartar ;)

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    1. Hi Elin! Maybe but cream of tartar is also acidic.

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  24. I am sweet toothed and love any custards. Your photos made me drool now.
    I love these cakes that come in layers with creams and custards sandwiched with fruits which make eating more heavenly. I would love to eat them chilled.

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    1. TM, I also like custards but this one was not that satisfactory. Too hard. To be attempted again!

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  25. Yum...I think i ove pandan the most. You made it sound very easy to make leh

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    1. Actually it is easy. The only "difficult" part is beating the egg whites. I will do again with pandan. I don't like milk :(

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  26. Phong Hong,
    Your magic cake looks magic to me. It's has got 2 layers ba! I am curious too with the outcome and the taste of this magic cake. I am waiting for your pandan version then I follow you hehe
    mui

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    1. mui mui, I am sure if you bake this cake, it will come out beautiful! Don't worry, pandan version coming up soon :)

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  27. I tried this too but like you the 3rd layer was not obvious :)) That wasn't the main concern though, maybe my family members were too conservative they found it difficult to accept, i ended up eating a lot of it!

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    1. Oh dear! Maybe they didn't like the taste. I found it too "milky". I tried the pandan version last weekend but I messed up. Will try again and decide if I really like it after all :)

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