Six-ingredient magic custard cake goes from one batter to three layers when baked

by Lisa Goldberg

on Sep 13

The ‘magic’ title comes from the fact that you create one batter but when it’s cooked, it splits into three beautiful layers of fudge, custard and cake.

Preheat your own to 160C and lightly grease a cake tin or dish you’re going to cook your cake in.
Separate your eggs with four yolks in one bowl and four whites in another.
Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk for about one minute until glossy and pale yellow.
Add vanilla extract and butter, whisk until incorporated.
Add the flour and beat until combined.
Pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking each time. This will make the mixture very loose. Whisk the whites in another bowl, until stiff peaks form.
Using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites. You don’t want to knock the air out of them – a few lumps of egg white left in the mix is fine.
Pour everything into the cake tin and put in the oven. The cooking time will vary depending on the temperature of the ingredients and your oven. It took us 60 minutes to set the cake. It’s best to check around the 40-minute mark. If the cake jiggles when you shake it, it’s not set. Keep checking every five minutes until it’s cooked.
Once it’s cooked, take it out of the oven, turn out onto a plate or tray and leave to cool. You won’t see the layers from the outside. Don’t be tempted to cut it (as we learned) yet as it needs to be completely cold.
Once it is completely cool, cut it into pieces and you should see the three perfect layers.
If you have some icing sugar, sprinkle it over the top, and enjoy your three layers of cake.