Magic Cake isn’t just magical because it tastes fantastic. It does, but there’s more to it than that! Instead, the magic of the Magic Cake comes from a baking trick: from a single simple batter, this cake transforms into a three-layer decadent dessert: a fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth base, a thick and creamy middle layer, and the fluffy and rich cake top. This is the kind of treat you’d expect to see greeting you from behind a glass pane at a bakery, and yet you can make it in your own kitchen. If that’s not magical all on its own, what is?
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 cups milk, warmed to about 95 degrees F
- 1 teaspoon regular white vinegar
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 2 –Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 3 –To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg yolks.
Step 4 –Add the water and the sugar to the egg yolks and beat at high speed until the eggs are light and pale in color.
Step 5 –Add in the melted butter, the vanilla, and the salt and beat until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is light.
Step 6 –Add the flour and the cocoa powder to the bowl and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 7 –Add the milk a little at a time, stirring between each addition. The milk needs to be warm so the butter does not cool. Keep adding milk until all of it is mixed in thoroughly. The mixture will be very wet.
Step 8 –In a large clean bowl, add the egg whites and the vinegar.
Step 9 –Using a clean hand mixer or other mixing tool, whip the egg whites mixture until stiff.
Step 10 –Add a small portion of the stiffened egg white mixture to the chocolate mixture and gently mix using a whisk.
Step 11 –Add a small portion of the chocolate mixture to the stiffened egg white mixture and mix together, being careful so as not to knock the air out of the egg whites.
Step 12 –Keep repeating this process of mixing the chocolate mixture and the egg white mixture into each other a little at a time until everything is mixed together and the mixture is quite thin but leaving a distinct layer of fluffy egg white lumps at the top of the batter.
Step 13 –Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Step 14 –Bake until cooked through, about 60 minutes. The cake should still jiggle in the middle.
Step 15 –Let the cake cool completely.
Step 16 –Chill the cake for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Step 17 –Slice and serve.