Ultimate Magic Custard Cake Recipe – Light, Dreamy, & Layered

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, separated (room temperature)

• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar

• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted & cooled

• 1 tbsp water

• ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour

• 2 cups (480 ml) warm milk (not hot)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp salt

• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Prep

• Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C)

• Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment or grease lightly

2. Egg Yolk Base

1. Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale and creamy

2. Mix in melted butter and water

3. Add flour and salt; mix until smooth

4. Slowly whisk in warm milk and vanilla

   • Batter will be very thin — this is correct!

3. Egg Whites

1. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form

2. Gently fold into batter in 3 additions

   • Leave visible white streaks — don’t overmix

4. Bake the Magic

• Pour batter into pan

• Bake 50–60 minutes until:

  • top is lightly golden

  • center jiggles slightly but isn’t liquid

If browning too fast, loosely tent with foil.

5. Chill & Serve

• Cool completely at room temperature

• Refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is best)

• Dust with powdered sugar before slicing

🍽 Tips for Perfect Layers

• Eggs must be room temperature

• Milk should be warm, not hot

• Fold egg whites gently — streaks create the layers

• Chill fully before cutting for clean slices

Flavor Variations

• Lemon Magic Cake: add 1 tbsp lemon zest

• Chocolate: replace ¼ cup flour with cocoa powder

• Coconut: swap milk for canned coconut milk

• Espresso: dissolve 1 tsp instant coffee in milk

If you want, I can:

• Convert this to metric only

• Make a gluten-free version

• Explain why the layers form

• Help troubleshoot if yours didn’t separate perfectly ✨