Everywhere I’ve looked for the past week, all I’ve seen is magic cake. As such, it’s to be expected that I would eventually cave and look up exactly how to make magic cake. Because, well… it’s kind of hard to resist a dessert that proclaims itself to be magical. My brain goes straight to Hogwarts when that happens, and even if there’s absolutely nothing Harry Potter-like about this particular dessert… basically I’m just a 10-year-old at heart, is what I’m saying.
Though the instructions and ingredients for magic cake vary slightly from recipe to recipe, the basic idea is pretty much always the same: Combine egg yolks, sugar, and a little bit of water in a bowl and whisk them together; add a liquid lipid (butter or oil, typically) and whisk again; add flour and whisk; add salt and vanilla and/or some other kind of flavoring and whisk; add milk and whisk; whisk some egg whites until fluffy and then fold them in; then bake the whole thing at a low temperature (usually around 300 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit) for about an hour. Voila! Three-layer cake from just one batch of batter and one single, solitary pan.
Since there are so many different ways to make it, I’ve rounded up a couple of the most notable ones below. Whether you’re a vanilla cake kind of person or someone with an adventurous palate, odds are that at least one of these recipes will appeal to you. Because who doesn’t like dessert?
1. Vanilla Magic Cake
Originally posted to YouTube in November 2015, this video from Emojoie Cuisine is the one that’s been taking the internet by storm recently. I’m not really sure I’d call it the OG magic cake recipe, as it’s actually been around for several years; however, it seems to be the one leading the charge across the internet as a whole right now, so it’s only natural that it should lead the charge here, too.
2. Magic Chocolate Custard Cake
Honestly, I’m more of a pie person than a cake one — but when I do have cake, it’s usually chocolate. Chocolate cake will always best vanilla or lemon cake in my book. And hey, the good news is that when it comes to magic cake, this chocolate version by Recipe30 is just as easy to make as a vanilla one: All it requires is swapping the vanilla extract for cocoa powder.
3. Pumpkin Magic Cake
I mean… it’s pumpkin spice season. Obviously, a pumpkin magic cake is a necessary inclusion here. This one uses regular boxed cake as its base; however, the addition of a homemade pumpkin pie layer makes Joanna Cismaru's take on it perfect for fall. Call me basic, but I will never tire of pumpkin-flavored things.
4. Three Berry Magic Cake
To make this one by YouTuber Tasty Recipes, start with your basic vanilla magic cake recipe; then, once you’ve poured the batter in the pan, toss some berries on top. They’ll sink to the bottom while the cake bakes, making your fudge and custard layers filled with berry goodness. Yum.
5. Easy Nutella Magic Cake
This recipe from Fabulous Cooking involves mixing some Nutella into the batter — although I wonder if you might be able to make it as a swirl cake, too. It might be worth experimenting with adding warm dollops of Nutella after that batter has been poured into the pan, then swirling it with a knife; the result might be interesting.
6. Matcha Magic Cake
If you’re not baking with matcha, you’re missing out. Tedo's Kitchen Okinawa can help you out with that.
Image: Recipe30/YouTube
