"Magic Cake" Is the Classic French Dessert You Need to Make Right Now (2024)

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This classic French dessert separates into three delicious layers.

Mark Beahm

Mark is the head baker at Hjem Kensington, a Danish café in London. He has been developing recipes for home bakers for the last two years.

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Updated May 06, 2024

What Is Magic Cake?

While I’ve been seeing magic cake all over social media, it originates from Southwestern France where it is known as gâteau magique. With a thin batter similar to that of crepes, clafoutis, or far Breton, its origins are not that surprising.

In fact, it struck me that if you dappled the batter with some cherries or fresh berries before baking, it’d be deliciously similar to a clafoutis, a staple of the southwestern region of Limousin.

"Magic Cake" Is the Classic French Dessert You Need to Make Right Now (4)

Essential Tips for Achieving Layers

The low oven temperature delays when the cake’s structure sets. As the batter slowly warms in the oven, the starch sinks to the bottom, and air bubbles from the egg whites rise to the top.This results in a dense layer on the bottom, a custardy center, and an airy cake on top.

Magic cake is slightly more forgiving than you might imagine, but I do have some tips for attaining clearly defined layers.

The order of operations is important for achieving the distinct layers in this cake. If any yolk gets into the egg whites, they won't whip properly. I like to whip the egg whites first so I don't have to wash the beaters in between steps. The egg whites are added to the batter at the end so they don't deflate and prevent the sponge cake layer from forming.
Add the milk and butter slowly to avoid lumps. I start by adding a splash at a time, mixing it in completely before adding the next splash. Once I get through about half of the milk mixture, I know it's safe to add the rest all at once without the batter clumping.
Don’t over-mix when adding the egg whites. There should still be a layer of foam floating on the top of the batter, which will bake into the spongey top layer of the cake.
Cool the cake completely before slicing to give the custard a chance to set. I like this cake fridge cold, so once it's close to room temperature, I chill it for about an hour before slicing it. This also allows for cleaner slices.

"Magic Cake" Is the Classic French Dessert You Need to Make Right Now (5)

Easy Recipe Variations

The mix of textures already makes this cake interesting. But with a simple vanilla base, it’s easy to change up the flavors. Here are some of my favorite flavor variations for magic cake:

Chocolate: Whisk 1/3 cup of cocoa powder into the warm milk and butter until dissolved and no lumps remain. Reduce the flour to 1/2 cup. For a more complex chocolate flavor, add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
Nutella: Mix 1/3 cup Nutella in the egg yolk mixture before adding the flour.
Zest: Stir in the zest from 1 lemon or 1 orange.
Coffee: Dissolve some instant espresso powder in the warm milk and butter mixture. Use 2 to 3 teaspoons, depending on how strong you’d like the coffee flavor.

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Magic Cake (Gâteau Magique)

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Chill Time90 mins

Total Time2 hrs 40 mins

Servings9 servings

Yield1 (8x8-inch) cake

Ingredients

2 cups (480ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced into tablespoon-sized pieces
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg(optional)
See Also
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3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the pan with a layer of parchment paper covering the bottom and up 2 sides with a slight overhang. Lightly grease the parchment paper.
Heat the milk and butter:
In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter on low heat just until the butter melts. Don’t let the milk come to a boil or simmer. It should be warm but not scalding hot, 105 to 115°F. Set aside.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites:
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. When you lift the beaters out of the bowl, the whipped egg whites should stand up at a point and hold that point.
Start the batter:
In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and nutmeg (if using) on high speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed until combined. It may seem like there is too much flour, but the batter will soon be thinned out.
Add the warm milk and egg whites:
Continue mixing on low speed, or switch to a whisk, and pour in the warm milk and butter a splash at a time. Once you've incorporated about half of the milk mixture, you can pour in the rest, and whisk to combine. The batter will be thin and smooth, like crepe batter.
Add the beaten egg whites and use the whisk to gently mix until there are no large lumps of egg whites. Don’t overmix—there should still be a layer of foam on top of the batter.
Bake:
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is golden brown, the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center has a slight jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes.
Cool and serve:
Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack until it’s cool enough to go in the fridge, about 30 minutes. Let the cake chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. You can skip chilling and serve the cake at room temperature, though it won’t slice as neatly.
Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, then slice it into squares. If desired, serve with fresh fruit and, for extra indulgence, a dollop of whipped cream.
Store leftover magic cake, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Magic cake does not freeze well. The freezing and thawing process will affect the texture of the custard layer.
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