Saturday, May 17, 2014

Poof! Magic Cake!



by Peg Cochran

I found this recipe on the Internet in a number of places.  There were several variations, but the basic ingredients were the same.  I needed something to take to our monthly wine tasting (that sounds so highbrow--it's basically an excuse to get together and drink wine.  I don't think I've learned a thing about vintages and types of grapes, etc.)  We have the choice of bringing an appetizer or a dessert, and the theme was "spring."  Since we're so often late, I opted to make a dessert.

The cake is "magic" because it bakes into three separate layers:  cake on the top and bottom and custard in the middle.  I was pretty skeptical but decided to give it a go.  I also decided to jazz it up a bit.  Since our theme was spring, I added toasted coconut and some lime zest to the top.

It was very easy to make and must have been a hit because when I went to retrieve my serving plate, all the cake was gone.  Of course I'm sure my husband was responsible for quite a few pieces being eaten!

Ingredients
4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups lukewarm milk
Powdered sugar and optional toasted coconut and zest from one lime.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan (I used Pam to spray it)

Place egg whites in a bowl, and, using a mixer, mix until they are stiff but not dry.  In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with the sugar until light and lemon colored.  Add melted butter and vanilla extract and continue beating until mixed.  Add flour a little at a time and beat until fully incorporated.

Add the milk slowly and beat until well mixed.  Fold in beaten egg whites one third at a time (I found that for this recipe whisking them in worked well.)  The batter should look "bubbly" on top.

Pour the batter into your baking dish and bake.  Begin checking at 40 minutes.  My cake took 50 minutes, but it can take up to 70 minutes depending on your oven.  When the cake is no longer really "jiggly" it is done.  It will be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Let cake cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar and the optional coconut and lime zest.  You can get creative and decorate the top with cut strawberries, blueberries or other fruit but the cake is delicious as is.

Cut cake in the pan into "brownie-sized" pieces.  I made mine smaller so that more people could have a bite of the cake since there would be other desserts to enjoy as well.




Four eggs with five yolks!

Lemon colored yolks and sugar

Egg whites:  stiff but not dry Below: egg whites incorporated into batter









Blogger has decided not to let me add any more captions today so... the picture that is second from the bottom shows the egg whites incorporated into the batter.  The final picture shows the finished cake with the three delicious layers!   It really is GOOD!




Have you met Lucille Mazzarella?  If not, you must try my Lucille Series starting with Confession Is Murder and the sequel Unholy Matrimony.  I also write the Gourmet De-Lite series with Gigi Fitzgerald and her Westie Reg!

Come hang out with me on Facebook or visit my web site!  I chat on twitter: @pegcochran and I'd love to hear from you!  Let me know if you try this delicious cake and what you think!






















8 comments:

  1. This cake looks terrific, Peg! Fun idea and a great result.

    Hugs,

    MJ

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  2. Thanks so much for including the final photograph that shows the layers. I love recipes like this that don't seem to make sense but work anyway. I bet it was delish!

    ~Krista

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    1. It was very good but I only got one tiny bite! We took it to the party and by the time I made my way to the room where the food was set up, the cake was all gone! (I tend to talk more than eat I'm afraid at parties!) I will definitely make it again.

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  3. What fun--a mystery cake (the surprise filling). And it does it all on its own. A well trained cake.
    I'm intrigued that using a whisk to incorporate the egg whites didn't deflate them. So often instructions for adding whipped egg whites makes it sound so daunting.

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    1. Libby, I was surprised, too. Normally I fold in egg whites carefully with a spatula but one set of instructions suggested using a whisk and it worked out perfectly for this cake. Not so sure I would do that for any other recipe though.

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    2. I meant to say, aren't double yolks eggs marvelous? It's like a surprise gift when you open them.

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    3. Libby, I once found double yolks in three out of four eggs when I was baking something! It's supposed to be good luck. Hope that's true!

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  4. How fun. Magic cake. Looks delicious. I wonder if it'll work with gluten-free flour? Going to try!

    Daryl/ Avery

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