Vanilla Custard Cake
This Vanilla Custard Cake takes richness to a whole other level. I’ve made this with raspberries today but whatever berry is in season where you are will be equally amazing.
Lets talk fats and crumb for a second. Generally the fats in bakes are the butter, shortenings, oils etc. The fat content in milk isn’t generally considered as important as it would be if you were say, making a cheese sauce.
I beg to differ. The fats in dairy can add another level of richness and moisture to baking. A full fat milk as opposed to a skim will also give you a better crumb in cakes and better texture in cookies. Take this a step further as I do in my recipe for THE Chocolate Cake. I use half and half as my dairy rather than milk. Is that why it’s the moistest cake on the planet? I’m not a chemist but…it helps.
So what if we take this concept and punch it up some more? Say, use a custard as our “dairy” in a bake? Well, I’m here to tell you, you will end up with a moist, tender cake that is so rich it doesn’t even need frosting.
So, can you use an instant custard? You could, I suppose. But we’re talking about egg yolks and heavy cream here. If you want all that rich goodness to make it into your cake, make the custard yourself. I’m gonna tell you how.
Ingredients
the custard
the cake
the custard
In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended, about 1minute. Pour in the milk and cream and whisk it really well for about 30 seconds. Place over a medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes should do it. Don’t let the heat get to high or you’ll end up with very sweet scrambled eggs.
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and whisk until blended. Scrape it into a small bowl (you should have about 1-1/4 cups) and leave it to cool until it’s room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold, 2–3 hours or up to 2 days. I usually make the custard the evening before, then just pull it out of the fridge in the morning when I bake. If you need to cool it fast, set the bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice and water and stir until cold.
the cake
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch square cake tin or a 10-inch round spring form tin, then either dust with flour or line the bottom with a piece of parchment. Have the cold custard ready to the side. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on a medium speed until smooth. Increase the speed to medium-high, add the sugar and beat until fluffy and lighter in color, about 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding the vanilla with the final egg.
On a low speed, add half the flour mixture and mix just until blended, then add half of the custard and mix just until blended (you’ll use the rest later). Add the remaining flour mixture and again mix just until blended.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin, spread evenly, and smooth the top. Scatter the berries over the mixture, drizzle the remaining custard on top and finish with the sliced almonds. That custard layer on top will add an extra layer of gooeyness when it bakes. Bake the cake 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. It should be a nice golden color (yellower than a regular yellow cake!).
Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before you try to pop it out so it doesn’t fall apart. I recommend a spring form pan for this reason. You don’t have to worry about destroying your beautiful bakes trying to get them out of the pan. As I said, I used raspberries here but I can’t wait to try this again with strawberries. You can sever warm, as I did with afternoon tea, or chill it and put a dollop of whipped cream on top.
