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:
Could you verify that 2 cups of milk is correct? Another party videos your receipe but using only 1 cup of milk.
Hi Ruby, yes 2 cups as per the recipe. N x
Just made it, followed the recipe. It didn’t rise like the photo, sadly.
Hi! If I made this for a birthday, could it withstand the weight of candles/hold up a topper banner attached to two skewers? Or is it too soft/pudding-y?
Hi RCM, it should hold up ok! N x
Hello, 2 questions please:
1. Can this cake be made ahead and if so, how far and how do I store it?
2. If I want to make a bigger size, do I risk the cake being soggy in the middle even if I increase baking time?
can you put this cake in a 13×9 pan?
I’m wanting to make a number 7 cake, I have a pan that’s roughly 9-1/2 by 15 that makes the shape but would it work with this recipe or should I make normal cake and cut it into strips for the number?
This ‘cake’ is also known as crusless milktart in South Africa. Slight difference in ingredients- but turns out exactly the same – as I was putting it together I realized this and laughed out loud
Hi Nagi,
I was wondering if the magic 3 layer custard cake would work with gluten free flour? Has this been tried by anyone? I am going to attempt it out of curiousity as my husband cannot have wheat or gluten. I would appreciate any feedback! Nice to meet you 🙂
Hi there
I have made it with gluten free flour
Came out perfect
Second time I also used free from spread and it still came out good
😋😋
My husband is also gf. I would like to know if you do try it and does work out what flour you used. Ty
I haven’t tried Christina, but I imagine it will affect the texture. N x
I used this recipe for my cooking class and everyone absolutely loved it! Thank you very much!
This was delicious but it didn’t rise in the centre. Is this normal?
Thank you x
I love the sound of this recipe. Do you think it is sufficiently cooked to be able to serve it to someone who is pregnant?
Thanks!
Hi Jac, yes the eggs in this are fine to eat as they are cooked. N x
Baked for 46 minutes and came out delicious. The custard layer was thicker and the fudge layer was thinner. Dusted cocoa powder on the top. It is an eggier-tasting custard. Now sure where to store it (counter or fridge?)
Made it for the first time yesterday, and it worked out perfectly. I baked it for about 45-50 minutes but may reduce the time next time (and also use 20g less sugar) in order to get a slightly bigger middle layer of soft custard. Many thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made this for the first time today and it was gone within minutes! I also made it in a glass dish and I just greased it well and had no problems. I’m a huge fan of your recipes – thank you Nagi!
Perfect Beth!! N x
Everything was looking good until I added the milk, I made sure it was lukewarm but ended up with a cottage cheese and milk looking mix 🙁
well I’ve made it and i took it out of the oven after about 45 mins. It’s now quite cool but very, very wobbly. I’m going to pop it back in and bake it a bit more. what could go wrong?
I made this cake last night, and while it wasn’t bad, I could use some tips to improve it. I followed the directions exactly, except I used a glass pan. The top sponge layer was very thin, the custard layer was okay, but not as thick as the pictures, and the bottom layer was less fudgy and more eggy rubber. I baked it at 300F to account for the glass pan and it baked in just about 50 minutes, but I think it still overcooked? Please advise! Also, has anyone tried adding cinnamon to it?
Hi Gina, I haven’t actually tried in a glass pan so can’t confirm whether this caused the problem or not sorry! N x
I made this with my kids, who enjoyed the idea of this magic cake. We followed the recipe exactly but found the base didn’t fudge up and instead we had a lovely thick custard layer and nice sponge on top. We probably didn’t bake it long enough and we used a silicon square pan. I’ll definitely use a metal or glass pan next time. Still, this magic cake did taste delicious, not too sweet at all.
I am making this cake right now! I followed the directions to the “t” except I used a glass pan instead of a tin one. So far its been in the oven for over an hour. I cannot get it to set and it is jiggly everytime I check on it. I have added tinfoil to the top but eventually removed it so that I can get a better bake happening. Fingers crossed it eventually sets!
How’d it turn out?