Magic Custard Cake- 1 batter that bakes magically into 3 layers, easy recipe!

Magic Cake. What is this? I've never seen anything quite like this, and it really caught my attention when I first saw it. Essentially it's one batter that "magically" separates to three distinct layers when baking, and the center one is a custard like layer. This cake reminded me of something you could find at an Asian bakery, why? The custard was almost a dead ringer for the egg custard (dan tat) tarts they have. This cake was very easy to make, the ingredients were even simpler since I always have them on hand! The only extra step was whipping up the egg whites, but nothing too tough. I think the prep time for this cake was under 15 minutes.. but the bake/ cool time was significantly longer.

When it comes to my foods, I can't wait to just dig in ( after a proper photo shoot that is!) ... but this cake... had to be cooled... man. that was tough. I tried placing it into the fridge to speed it up, that definitely did the trick, and I did sneak a piece when it wasn't totally cool, I was praying that the custard  layer wouldn't leak out of the slice I took.. thankfully it didn't. I may have over cooked it, or something since my bottom layer is a tad denser than most pictures I've seen. Somehow my batter divided into almost perfect 3rds. I prefer one that is more heavy on the top 2 layers. These pictures were taken a day after it was made. I left it out all night, wrapped in plastic, and in a covered area... so the custard looks a lot more set up than it did the day before. This cake was SO good. It's just a very unexpected consistency. I shared some with my sister and brother in law, and they liked it a lot.  I even sent some home, we'll see what my parents think :)

I tried looking at as many magic cake recipes as possible, but there aren't too many. I found most of them on foodgawker, because when I searched magic cake on google, I'd get a regular chocolate cake or something that isn't probably so "magical"... I made a loaf size cake. I didn't anticipate company this weekend, and also, didn't want to try out a recipe on a larger size cake... now I kind of regret that decision. I will be making more of this cake soon. Maybe I'll update with the photos of the steps.... since the batter looks very very strange before placing it into the pan. I didn't know if it was ever going to come out since it was so lumpy... and I didn't want to beat out all the air in the egg whites when mixing it in... but.. amazingly everything settled... and voila... 3 beautiful layers :)

Now.. go ahead.. make it today !

These are my impressions of the layers: 

Top layer: reminds me of a spongey soufflé cake-y layer
Middle layer: egg custard/ pudding layer
Bottom layer: this layer is hard to describe... it's my least favorite layer.. it's like a dense unbaked pie crust? .. it provides a nice sturdy foundation for the rest of the cake, so I guess it's a practical layer... and combined with all the other layers, it works very well! I've seen pictures where this layer is the smallest, I guess I will tweak my technique to see if this layer shrinks a bit :)

Topped with melted semi sweet chocolate, a sweet strawberry, and powdered sugar.. what a cute dessert!

Magic Custard Cake Recipe

Makes one loaf cake 

Adapted from : http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/magic-custard-cake/

and

http://decoraciondemabel.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/tarta-magica.html 

( Watch the video on that site on how to make this cake!) 

Ingredients:
2 egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of meringue powder (optional)
2 drops of white vinegar (optional)

2 egg yolks, room temperature
75 grams confectioner's sugar (this was the only thing I weighed, but it should be around 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup of sugar)
1/2 tbsp water
1/4 cup butter melted and slightly cooled (I microwaved it for 30 seconds, and stirred until melted)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup warm 2% milk (or any milk)
1 tsp (good) vanilla extract

Preheat oven at 325 degrees

Use a stand or hand mixer to whip up the egg whites and meringue powder (if using, I always add a pinch to my egg whites for that extra push but it's not necessary if you're using fresh eggs) to a stiff peak (I used my KA stand mixer on the highest setting with a whisk attachment, took only a few minutes!) Also you can add a few drops of vinegar to the egg whites before you whip it up.

In a medium size bowl, use a whisk to whip up the egg yolks for 30 seconds, then whisk (or stir) in the powdered sugar and water. Add in melted butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add in flour, stir, and slowly add in the milk. Whisk until combined, batter will be very thin. ( around 1 minute of whisking)  ( you could also use a hand mixer for this step)

Using a whisk, gently beat/stir in 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter, continue with the rest of the egg whites in 1/3 increments. The batter will look lumpy, so don't worry too much about getting it all smooth. I probably whisked it around 10 times after every new addition of egg whites, don't over do it!!

Pour into a lightly buttered loaf pan ( 8.5 inches X 3.5 inches) and place into preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until top is evenly golden brown, and the center is still jiggly when moved. Remove from oven, and let cool completely before serving. It will deflate and look undercooked but it should be a nice consistency when it sets up. I also put it in the fridge for about 1.5 hours.