Vanilla cake with custard baked into it, studded with bursting blueberries.
The custard layer especially is something else!
Its melt-in-your-mouth creamy but set enough to cut into neat slices.
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So I made it.
And the reality turned out even better than I imagined!
It goes like this.
Take a vanilla sponge base, perfumed with a subtle whisper of lemon.
Smear a serious layer of custard on top.
And I mean serious as in equal in volume to the cake; we want lots.
Finally, stud said custard generously with plump, juicy blueberries.
Now bake that puppy!
But the moment you eat it, the custard melts and floods your mouth with lush, creamy richness.
And it is rich, but not overly so.
Its also definitely not too sweet with only 1/3 cup (60g) sugar in the whole custard layer.
Custard layer The custard is a creme patissiere, a key in of French custard.
Its the same custard used in the famousFlan Patisseier, a giant French custard tart!
Blueberries I suppose cake and custard alone would have been enough already to make a great cake.
But I couldnt resist adding blueberries.
Its partially for visuals love those explosions of purple dotted through the cake.
Custard layer
Heres what you need for the custard layer:
Milk full fat dairy just.
Low fat will work but you will lack that rich mouthfeel.
Ive never tried non-cow milk, either.
Eggyolks Ive pictured 4 eggs because thats what youll probably need for the yolks called for in this recipe.
Egg yolks give custard the silkiness, yellow colour, as well as thickening power.
In this cake it also sets the custard so it doesnt run everywhere when you cut a slice.
Vanilla bean paste I use the paste because I like the little vanilla seed specks in my custard.
Substitutewith vanilla extract (no specks, but thats cool).
Sugar caster sugar / superfine sugar with finer granules is better as it dissolves more easily.
However, regular / granulated sugar will be fine too.
Cornflour / cornstarch This thickens the custard along with the eggs.
Similarly it also set the custard so its sliceable.
Butter This enriches the custard.
You know butter is never an unwelcome guest, and this recipe is no exception!
It adds moisture to your batter without thinning it out like, say, milk.
Which means you dont need to use as much flour.
And less flour means a more moist cake!
Acidity in yogurt also reacts with and activates baking soda.
However this is not applicable to this recipe as we are using baking powder rather than baking soda.
Oil Another cake moisture-improvement trick.
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While butter adds flavour, oil will gives you a moister result than butter.
Sugar As above, superfine / caster sugar is preferred but regular / granulated will work fine.
Lemon zest Combined with the yogurt, the zest gives the sponge layer a hint of freshness.
This distinguishes the cake component from the vanilla custard so the dessert is not so one-dimensional in flavour.
This was a late addition and I really liked what it brought to the cake!
venture to give artificial essence a miss because it tastes, well, artificial.
Blueberries Fresh or frozen.
If using frozen, dont thaw else it will bleed terribly when you mix it through the custard!
Flour Just plain / all-purpose flour.
Baking powder The rising agent in this cake.
Baking powder gives it a much more even rise.
Egg Just one egg is all you need.
Salt Just a pinch.
Its good baking practice to add a little salt as it brings out the other flavours.
Remember, its a rustic cake, so relax.
We arent seeking perfect layers and placement of blueberries here!
Custard
Custard is so much more straightforward than most people realise.
Heat the milkwith vanilla and half the sugar, just until it is steaming.
Watch to ensure it doesnt boil over it can happen in a blink of an eye!
Then whisk in the cornflour until you’re able to no longer see white.
Its easier to do it in this order to avoid a storm of cornflour erupting in your face.
Just trust me on this.
1/2 cup hot milk While still whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of hot milk.
Once incorporated, pour in the remaining hot milk while whisking continuously.
(The exact time depends on how hot your milk was, residual heat in saucepan etc.)
See photo in step 5 below.
And if it starts to look lumpy as it is thickening, dont fret, it does that sometimes!
Just keep whisking and it will smooth out.
The appearance of a lazy bubble is the signal that tells you when the custard is cooked enough.
In our case, 30 secs whisking is right.
Enrich with butter With the pot off the stove, whisk in the cold butter cubes until fully incorporated.
Pour custardinto the same bowl you used to whisk the egg yolks, to save dirtying a new bowl.
Coverwith cling wrap pressed against the custard surface to avoid a skin forming.
Set aside on the countertop while you prepare the cake batter.
Making ahead The custard can be made the day before and refrigerated after it fully cools.
In fact, the flavour of the custard improves overnight.
It will solidify into a rubbery mass but dont stress.
Whisk wet Place all the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
Thats the yogurt, sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and lemon zest.
Add dry Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt), and whisk until smooth.
Pourinto a lined 8/20cm springform pan.
This method creates a straight, even line where the cake meets the custard.
Not a bad thing, mind you.
Half blueberries Scatter over half the blueberries.
Mix blueberries with custard Then mix the remaining blueberries with the remaining custard.
Topthe cake with this blueberry and custard mixture.
Smooththe surface, pressing in the blueberries as best you’ve got the option to.
Bakefor 45 minutes at 180C/350F (160C fan).
You dont have to do this step.
To this end, there should be no browning on the surface of the custard.
Do not skip or shortcut the refrigeration time!
Overnight, and minimum 12 hours, is a safe bet!
Some might even say a better one because you get big dollops of creamy custard.
Voila!Heres your (rustic, fabulous) masterpiece!
Dont toss the trimmings, eat as you go.
Think blueberry fruit leathers (in scrappy, mini form.)
Serving, storing
I topped the cake with extra blueberries for photograph purposes only.
You really dont need to for serving, theres plenty going on in the cake as it is.
As for serving, cut like a cake and serve like cake.
The one thing I will really encourage though is to eat it at room temperature instead of fridge-cold.
Chilled custard is nice.
But room temperature custard is better.
Its creamier and tastier.
Same goes for cake.
So take the cake out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to serving, preferably 1 hour.
If you’ve got the option to, slice fridge-cold then let the slices come to room temperature.
Id love to know if you try this cake.
And if you do, tell me if where you sit on blueberry burstage!
Did you take the extra step to encourage burstage?
I will update the video after I make the cake again!
