Three distinct layers magically bake up in this chocolate custard cake. With a crackly top layer, smooth and creamy custard center and a cake-like bottom crust, this one-batter dessert will blow your mind!
You all know the saying: “If at first you fail, try, try again.”
That’s what happened the first time I attempted one of these magic custard cakes. While it wasn’t an ultimate failure, I didn’t achieve a beautiful bottom crust layer, and it was lacking in the flavor department. That was 3 years ago. I guess I have been avoiding it since. Maybe I was slightly bitter about the whole thing. Who knows.
Well, my husband sent me a note at work one day about the magic custard cakes and how he wanted to try it. *Cue flashback* I distinctly remembered that we weren’t a big fan of the cake, but it’s highly possible that I may have messed it up accidentally. So, I put on my big girl pants and made the decision to try this cake again. This time, I was going to use a different recipe.
So here we are again, with magic custard cake #2.
Addie loved this cake. As soon as she bit into it, she said, “Mmmm!” and gave me a thumbs up. I guess I am a harsher critic because the cake didn’t knock my socks off. I guess I wanted something more chocolate-y (can you blame me?) but I did like the 3 distinct layers that emerged. The top was a spongy cake, the middle was pudding-ish while the bottom was similar to a thick custard.
Let me make something clear – this is still a great cake and I’d eat it if it was given to me. I just wanted a little bit more chocolate flavor. Maybe I’ll try a 3rd version and see how that goes.
Chocolate magic custard cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 eggs separated
- Splash of white vinegar
- 1 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups milk of choice warmed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease and/or line a standard 8"x8" baking pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites and vinegar on high speed until you achieve stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a large bowl and set aside.
- Clean the bowl and fit it with the paddle attachment. Beat the egg yolks with the powdered sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the melted butter and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and very, very slowly stream in the milk until well incorporated. If the batter splashes, you can turn off the mixer and add in the milk by hand. Your batter will be very watery (this is what you want).
- Gently fold in the egg whites, about 1/3 at a time. The batter will look curdled and weird, which is OK. Just make sure that no big chunks of egg whites remain.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake in your preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the center is still jiggly but not watery. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and serving. If desired, you can sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar and/or some fresh fruit.