Magic Custard Cake

Do you remember the magic chocolate custard cake I made last fall? This time, I made the plain version, from the White on Rice Couple. It deflated a bit more after coming out of the oven, but it was delicious nonetheless! I think it would be better dusted with powdered sugar or served with fruit, so I’ll keep that in mind next time (assuming I don’t make the chocolate version instead). This was a big hit!

Note that the temperature of the ingredients is important here, because adding something that is too hot could cook the eggs, and too cold could solidify the margarine.

½ cup unsalted butter or margarine
2 cups lactose-free milk
4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
4 drops white vinegar
1 ¼ cups (150 g.) confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 cup (115 g.) flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
extra confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Lightly butter or grease an 8"x8" baking dish.

Melt the margarine and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.

Whip the egg whites and vinegar to stiff peaks. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.

Mix in the flour until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.

Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in. (At this point, the batter always seems impossibly liquid and you’ll think the recipe will fail, but keep going!)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the cake is barely jiggly in the center. If the top browns too quick before the minimum of 45 minutes, then cover the cake with aluminum foil and cook for remainder of time needed.

Allow cake to completely cool before cutting, then dust with confectioner's sugar. For faster cooling you can place the cake in the fridge. Even after fully cooled, it will still be slightly jiggly.