Vanilla Bean Magic Cake
A cake that magically separates into three parts.
Servings 9 slices
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs separated and room temp
- ¾ cup sugar, scant (140 grams)
- ½ tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 8 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (salted okay too) (120 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus a pinch, reduce to only a pinch if using salted butter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted (105 grams)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk at room temperature (17 oz/476 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Grease a 9x2 inch round cake pan. Line with a round of parchment paper and grease again.
- With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, water and vanilla bean paste for about a minute, then whisk in the melted butter and salt. Fold in the flour. Pour in the milk little by little, whisking until fully blended.
- Also, make sure the milk is warm room temperature. That is, don't use it straight out of the refrigerator without bringing it down to room temperature in the microwave or over the stove.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks just start to form -- not so much that they are dry. Stir them into the batter with a balloon whisk or just a whisk if you don't have a fat balloon. The whites should incorporate fairly easily and make the batter frothy. Don't overbeat the whites even if you have lumps here and there. If you do have patches of white, smooth them with a knife after you pour into the pan.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan, set pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. When the cake comes out of the oven it should still be wobbly. Let cool at room temperature for an hour, then chill thoroughly (at least 2 hours) before serving.
- Garnish with whipped cream and berries before serving.
