Phillips - Magic Cakes

One Batter. One Cake. Three Layers.

), these unbelievable cakes are sure to amaze you and captivate the attention of your family and friends.

No sleight of hand here. No tricks or secret ingredients in magic cakes. The thin batter is made from staple ingredients you probably already have on handeggs, butter, sugar, flour, and milk. The results may look intimidating, but you wont find any difficult techniques in the making of these cakes. If you have a strong arm, you can even make them without an electric mixer with just a whisk and a couple of bowls: I opted for the mixer. The magic happens in the oven. While baking, the batter separates into three distinct layers.

The low baking temperature (325F) allows the starch in the flour to bind with the sugar and trap moisture from the milk, then settle to the bottom forming the dense texture of the base layer. The base layer is dense like a rich, thick blonde or chocolate brownie. Clouds of whipped egg whites coated with batter rise to the top to transform into a fluffy cake layer that is a cross between a gnoise and an angel food cake. Finally, the custard layer levitates between the top and bottom layers. Be careful not to overcook a magic cake or this velvety layer will vanish, leaving you with only two layers. The key is to bake it just until it jiggles slightly in the center. Unlike other baked goods, you cant use a toothpick to test for doneness: its all about the jiggle in a magic cake.

You can finish off your magic cakes simply with confectioners sugar sprinkled on top. To gild the lily, add fruit, icings, and sauces (see for an array of toppings).

BEHIND THE SCENES

In this section, youll find details on ingredientshow they work and best practices for handling themand simple equipment: the baking pans, whisks, and mixers that will make all your cakes magical.

Youll notice that all of the recipes call for ingredients to be at room temperature or warmed. Bringing ingredients to lukewarm or room temperature may seem like an unnecessary step, but it does make a difference in baking: egg whites will whip higher, egg yolks and butter will trap air better, but cold milk added to a creamed butter mixture will firm the fat, hindering emulsion.

But allowing ingredients to sit on the counter to come to room temperature can take a while, keeping you from your magic cakes! Follow the tips below for each ingredient to shave a few minutes off the prep time.

EGGS: Eggs are a crucial ingredient in cakes in general and have a dual role in magic cakes. Egg yolks help moisten the bottom layer and thicken the custard layer. The eggs and sugar are beaten together for several minutes to incorporate sugar crystals into the mixture. This creates air bubbles in the batter. The air bubbles expand during baking, lifting the batter, which causes the cake to rise.

I was curious about how the magic cake batter would fare with the egg yolk mixture whisked by hand versus with an electric mixer, so I performed a side-by-side test with two identical cakes, whisking the egg yolks and sugar for 2 minutes by hand for one cake (I got my upper body workout!) and beating the second one with an electric hand mixer for 2 minutes. Both mixtures became light in color, although the second mixture was lighter (closer to lemon colored). Although both mixtures turned out acceptable cakes, the one beaten with the mixer had a taller sponge cake and slightly less dense bottom layer. Your takeaway is this: it is important to beat the eggs yolks and sugar together at least 2 minutes in these recipes, preferably with a mixer. Set a timer to make things easy. I didnt even attempt to whisk the egg whites by hand. Unless you have some serious arm muscles and for the best overall cake results, go electric.

The egg whites form the structure of the sponge cake layer. When egg whites are beaten into a foam that forms stiff peaks, tiny air bubbles are trapped and the egg whites multiply in volume up to eight times. For maximum volume, start with room-temperature eggs. Separate the yolk from the white carefully. One tiny drop of egg yolk or fat in the whites can deflate them or prevent them from whipping altogether. Avoid using plastic bowls for beating the egg whites; they tend to trap fat. Acid, such as cream of tartar, vinegar, or lemon juice, is used to help stabilize and increase the volume of the egg whites. I prefer cream of tartar over vinegar or lemon juice, especially when using large amounts of egg whites in recipes, because of the extra liquid they add to the foam. Cream of tartar also does a better job of preventing the egg whites from overbeating. The typical ratio of cream of tartar is teaspoon per egg white.

It takes at least 30 minutes for refrigerated eggs sitting on the counter to reach room temperature. Its like watching paint dry. If you separate them first, then let them come to room temperature, you can shave off a few minutes. But the quickest way to bring them to room temperature is to place the whole eggs in a small, deep bowl and pour warm, not hot, water over them and let them stand for 5 minutes. All eggs used in magic cakes are grade A large.

BUTTER: Most every pastry textbook will tell you that unsalted butter is best in cakes and desserts so you can control the amount of salt by adding your own. While this is true, I have found after testing and retesting more than forty magic cakes that salted butter contains just the right amount of salt for my taste without having to add another ingredient. I even love salted butter in the peanut butter cake. If you prefer less salt or have unsalted butter on hand, then it is perfectly fine to use what you have and adjust accordingly. Again, one of the beautiful things about magic cakes is that you can make them from what you already have in your pantry and refrigerator.