Vanilla Bean Magic Cake

One simple batter that bakes into 3 different delicious layers; a chewy dense base, a creamy custard centre, and a fluffy sponge cake on top. It’s truly magic!

The first time I came across this cake was on one of my favorite blogs, Dave Bakes. The recipe intrigued me, one batter becomes 3 different layers when baked? What the? So I had to try it as soon as I got the chance and I was super excited the first time I made it. It is seriously the coolest thing I’ve ever baked.

One of the keys to this recipe is to have all your ingredients at the right temperature. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, your butter is melted and cooled, and your milk is lukewarm. I start by placing my eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes or until they are no longer cool to the touch. I heat up my butter in the microwave until just melted and let that cool for about 5 minutes. Then I warm up my milk in the microwave for about 1 minute and gather my other ingredients. The other key to this recipe is to beat your egg yolks and egg whites well before combining the two batters. Other than that, it’s a pretty simple recipe made with just 6 staple ingredients; eggs, milk, flour, butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Make sure you take your time and beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form, this will take about 5 minutes or so. You want to have as many tight air bubbles as possible.

Then beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the butter and beat until it starts to thicken again. Add the milk one cup at a time and mix until incorporated. Sift in the flour and beat until all the flour is mixed in. The batter will be very thin and frothy.

Add the eggs whites to the egg yolk batter, then gently and quickly fold together until just combined. As you can see, the batter is still a little lumpy and that’s fine. Slowly pour the mixture into your prepared baking pan and bake until golden on top.

And voila, a delicious cake consisting of 3 different layers, all made from one simple and easy to make batter.

Happy Fiesta Friday #34 to everyone. Thank you Angie@The Novice Gardener for hosting such a wonderful party every week. Thank you to Selma@ Selma’s Table and Elaine@Foodbod for co-hosting this week. Can’t wait to mingle with all of you!

Recipe adapted from Dave Bakes.

Vanilla Bean Magic Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Lily Ernst
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 9
• Category: dessert, breakfast
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

One simple batter that bakes into 3 different delicious layers; a chewy dense base, a creamy custard centre, and a fluffy sponge cake on top. It’s truly magic!

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Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar
• 1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 125 grams (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled
• 500 ml (2 cups) milk, lukewarm
• 115 grams (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8 square baking pan and line with parchment paper so two sides overhang for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites for about 5 minutes or more until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, scraped vanilla bean seeds and sugar until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Add butter and mix until it starts to thicken again. Then add the milk, one cup at a time, mix well. Sift the flour into the bowl and beat until all the flour is mixed in.
4. Gently and quickly fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just combined. Batter will be a little lumpy.
5. Slowly pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Then keeping the cake in the oven, reduce the heat to 325°F and bake for another 40-50 minutes until the top is golden. Let cool completely.

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Notes

Cake is best enjoyed at room temperature or slightly chilled. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.