A fudgey base. Soft custard center. Topped with fluffy sponge. Made with one simple batter. Magic Three Layer Custard Cake: It’s like, well ….MAGIC!
If you love vanilla sponge cakes and custard, you are going to be as obsessed with this cake as I am. It looks like it’s been carefully layered with three different components. But it’s not! You just pour one simple batter into a cake tin, pop in the oven, and this is how it comes out!!
There is no special ingredient nor any tricky technique. The batter is made pretty much like a traditional vanilla sponge cake, it is just much thinner. It’s the consistency of crepe batter. Almost like a thick pouring cream.
The magic happens in the oven. It is baked at a lower temperature than usual – 325F/160C. And when it comes out, the top layer is a sponge, the middle is custard and the bottom is almost like a fudge.
I was dubious the first time I made it, and even when I turned the cake out because you can’t see the layers on the edges. But then when I cut into it, I gasped with astonishment! I mean, look at how perfect the layers are!!
This recipe is the Magic Cake from Jo Cooks. I’ve been reading Jo Cooks for a long time, but it wasn’t until recently that I got to know Jo herself. Though actually, her real name is Ioana – a Romanian name, a beautiful one at that, and one of the first things I nagged her about was why she doesn’t go by her real name!
Jo and I have very similar tastes. We both love food that is absolutely scrumptious, we never compromise on flavour to follow trends or hacks (or diet versions!), we aren’t into the “cool food” scene and there are less salads on our blogs than there probably should be (though she has a lot more than me!!).
What I didn’t realise is that she is probably the reason the world discovered “Magic Cake“. She was very quick to make the point that it was not an original recipe. Perhaps she wasn’t the pioneer of it, but a search on Pinterest clearly shows that she is the reason that the world discovered it.
So I’m adding myself to the long line of people who have tried and been astonished by the miracle of this cake. 🙂
One simple batter.
A three layered custard cake.
It really is….like magic! 🙂
– Nagi
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Magic Three Layer Custard Cake (From One Batter)
Ingredients
- 4 eggs , yolks and whites separated (at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar (ordinary or caster sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 stick (4oz / 125g / 1/2 cup) unsalted butter , melted
- 3/4 cup (4oz / 115g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 cups (500 ml / 1 pint) milk (lukewarm) (full fat or low fat but not zero fat)
To Serve (optional)
- Icing sugar (powdered sugar), for dusting
- Fresh strawberries
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F/160C (standard oven / fan forced or convection)
- Butter a 8" x 8" / 20cm x 20cm square cake tin (Note 4).
- Beat egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until it turns pale yellow - about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla extract and butter and beat until well incorporated - about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the flour and beat until just combined.
- Pour the milk in slowly while beating, and beat until well combined (or if using a hand held mixer, add 1/4 milk at a time, beating in between).
- Use a spatula to fold in the egg whites in the batter, one third at a time, until just incorporated. You don't want to knock the air out of the egg whites. Don't worry if there are a few egg white lumps in the batter. The batter should be very thin, almost like a thick pouring cream.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.
Baking Directions
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the cake does not "jiggle" when you gently shake the tin - around 40 to 50 minutes. Check the cake at 30 minutes - if the top is already golden brown but the cake is not yet set (i.e. it jiggles), cover loosely with foil and return to the oven, 10 minutes at a time, until set.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.(Note 3) Cool completely before serving.
To Serve
- Cut into squares - I cut it into 12 in the photo, but 9 is more realistic serving size portions.
- Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
- Serve with a side of whipped cream and strawberries, if using.
Recipe Notes:
a) The cake is ready when the top is golden brown and the cake doesn't "jiggle" when you gently shake the pan. If it jiggles, there is still raw batter inside.
b) I found that 4 of the 5 times I made it, the top became golden brown before the cake was set.
c) So to get the bake time right, check it first at 30 minutes. If the top is golden brown, cover loosely with foil and return to the oven until the cake is set. Check every 10 minutes - any longer, and you'll risk the cake overcooking. 3. Tor get the cake out of the tin, just turn it out like a normal cake. The custard is set, it is not like super soft jelly. What I do is place a cutting board on top of the tin, flip it upside down (it slips right out) then place a cooling rack on top then flip it again (so you end up with the right side up on the cooling rack). 4. I myself have not tried this in a glass pan but readers have - if you scroll through the comments, you will find feedback from a reader on 3 February 2017 confirming this! 5. Nutrition assuming 1 cake is cut into 9 pieces. Note that I cut the cake into 16 pieces for the photo but that is far too small!
SaveSaveNutrition Information:
THIS RECIPES LOOKS LIKE IT CAME FROM BAKERY!!! QUESTION-HOW CAN I MAKE IT CHOCOLATE ?
HI Kathy! Check out Jo Cooks 🙂 She has a chocolate one of this!
I followed the recipe and instriuctions to the tee but the cake fell. It wasn’t jiggly when I removed it from the oven. Still tasted good but not nearly as thick as the pics shown.
Hi Veronica! How long was it in the oven for? Was it cooked in the centre? If the cake collapsed then it sounds like it was not cooked in the centre. 🙂
can half and half be used
Sorry Kristy I don’t recommend that. For this one, please use the specified ingredients. N x
Great recipe! Made it two times, but the second time I made the custard eggnog flavoured. Great taste and perfect for the holiday season to come!
Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed it Kitty!
Dying to try this!! May I reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried that and would worry about how that affects this recipe 🙁
I tried this the other night and I only got 2 layers. However, I was able to taste the difference in the textures of the layers. It just didn’t look as pretty. Do you think I may have under baked it?
Hi Jeanny! I’ve been doing some testing and finding that when the oven runs weak this happens. Do you know if your oven is a bit weak? 🙂 N xx
I have gluten free flour mixes with and without xanthum gum. Thoughts on using a Gluten free flour with this recipe? Would it still work?
Sorry Kirsten, I haven’t tried it 🙂
Would I be able to use stevia instead of sugar for this recipe?
First time I followed the recipe to the letter. Very impressed but being diabetic was concerned abt sugar content so second time around I used sugar substitute (candarel) and vegetable oil instead of butter because i dont really eat butter. The substitutes did not take anything away from flavour or texture. The whole family love this. Its their new favourite cake. Thanks
WOW! That’s amazing to hear Andy, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
I don’t think so Joanna, sorry!
I was super excited about this recipe! But my magic cake was a total disaster – I was baking it for almost 70 minutes (after 40mins I covered it up with a foil and turned the fan on, because it was starting to turn golden and was still super jiggly). The surface broke, the cake rose at first but then collapsed. No layers were visible but a sad layer ? I weighed all the ingredients and precisely followed the steps from the recipe. I have no idea what went wrong ?
Oh dear Kate 🙁 It sounds to me like your oven is very weak, is that right? Do things usually take longer to cook than what the recipe says? That would explain the rise then collapse 🙁
Hi there – will this work with a larger cake tin? I only have a 10″ one! Thanks
Hi Sarah, sorry, I don’t recommend that 🙁
Why did I end up with just 2 layers?
I wish I had read these comments before adding the egg whites. I am not a very experienced baker and only beat them for about a minute, but should have been more like 3 minutes. I only had almond extract, so used that instead. It took closer to 55 mins in a glass pan. It’s also not as brown on top as the picture, but it did rise some, and smells yummy. My husband will eat it. He eats anything I make– lol lol 🙂
Oh dear Leslie 🙁 Yes it does take a few minutes to make egg whites stiff. N x
Hi
Just read through the recipe. Where does the stick of butter go in? Am I missing something? Thanks!
Hi Adam! it’s in Step 5 🙂
Oh never mind! It goes in with the vanilla!
Going to try this recipe as soon as possible!
??
I feel like mine tastes very eggy. Did I do something wrong? Or is it supposed to taste that way?
Hi Nicole – custard is definitely a big eggy 🙂 My friend who hates eggs isn’t a fan of custard.
Made this tonight and it was just yummy. I’m going to make it for my son and daughter-in-law tomorrow as a surprise as they’ve been working so many hours. I have a convection oven and the bacon came out golden brown, just right. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this Theresa! THANK YOU for letting me know! N x
Don’t know how this ended up under this recipe but this was for a bacon-wrapped pork loin recipe.
Oh! BA HA HA!!!! Completely different recipe!
I was wondering if anyone has tried to make this chocolate? And if so – how?
Hi! If you Google “Jo Cooks Chocolate Magic Cake”, she has a great one!
Ill be making this today and hopefully it comes out as beautiful as yours did. Ill post a picture later on when it is done.
I look forward to seeing it Elizabeth!!! N x
I only got two layers on mine the creme part and the sponge. I didn’t seem to have a fudge like base. Did I over cook it? It’s it supposed to be slightly wobbly still.
Hi Heather – hmm, another reader had this problem today too. How strange, I can’t imagine getting that result, I will look more into it. The custard and sponge are the best parts though!! N x
I only got the top 2 layers, no “fudgy” bottom layer. Any thoughts as to what I may have done wrong?
Hi Maria – that’s odd! So you only had custard and it wasn’t fudge-like at the bottom at all?? I can’t imagine what caused that because if anything, the base is in contact with the pan so it should definitely become firmer than custard. How strange!
This recipe looked so easy!
I just put it in the oven – and I just read that the milk was supposed to be lukewarm! Uh oh…
What do you think will happen to the cake as a result of my using colder than lukewarm milk?!
I can’t believe I missed this little piece of info!
Hi Sheri! Did it work ok??