Caramel Custard Cake

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

When I went to college in Manila ages ago, I would walk by a bakery shop which sells these treats. I never had enough money to buy them so I will look on in envy and wonder how they tasted. My other thought was how they managed to make the treat which is half caramel custard and half chiffon cake? Do you bake the cake first and top with the custard or make the custard and top with the cake batter and bake to finish the cake? I may have saved enough to try one of two every now and then and I think they were always a joy to eat. My memory of having eaten this treat is a bit vague.

Here at work, they also sell these treats at the cafeteria. I had one last Friday actually and it was kind of fortuitous that the same exact recipe is featured in one of the blogs I do read every now and then, Kusina ni Manang. Her blog is a lot more popular than mine so I look on in every now and then, mostly in admiration because of the volume of traffic of her blog, and also for the wonderful recipes she posts. She posted this recipe just last week and it was from her that I learned that the cake batter floats on top of the custard due to its airiness so both the custard and cake are baked together. That, at least answers one question. Anyway, here is my take on the same recipe with a few changes of my own. For one, I used my old recipe for the flan  but in terms of the chiffon cake, I stuck by the recipe except that I did away with the lemon extract and used vanilla extract in combination with lemon zest instead. I hope you do try this out. It is delicious.

Caramel Custard Cake - Adapted*

Custard and Caramel:

8 egg yolks
1 15oz Alpine evaporated milk
1 14oz Milkmaid condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 cups white sugar

Chiffon Cake:

5 egg separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp vegetable oil
6 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp lemon rind

1. Prepare the caramel by melting the sugar over low heat in a non-stick pan.
    Once golden amber, pour into the prepared pans. For this recipe, I used 3 
    ramekins and one 9-inch round pan.  Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven 
    to 325°F.

2. In a large bowl, prepare the custard by combining the egg yolks, vanilla 
    extract, evaporated and condensed milk, and the lemon zest. Whisk until 
    mixed and smooth. Set aside. 

3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at high 
    speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 

4. In a 4th bowl, sift the dry ingredients for the cake batter. Hollow out the 
    center to make a well. In a small measuring cup, combine all the wet 
    ingredients and whisk until mixed. Pour into the dry ingredients. 

5. Using the same beaters, beat the batter at low speed until the wet 
    ingredients are incorporated into the dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. 
    Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter and mix until just combined. 

6. To assemble the cake, pour the custard mix over a sieve into the 
    ramekins and pans. Fill the ramekins just below the halfway mark. Pour 
    the rest into the 9-inch pan. 

7. Ladle the cake batter over the custard mixture and smoothen the tops. 
    Fill the ramekins until just about 1/4 of an inch from the top. 

8. Bake pans in the preheated oven in a water bath about an inch high the
    sides of the baking pans. Bake the ramekins for 25-30 minutes and the 
    large pan for about 45-50 minutes. 

9. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick and it should come out clean. 
    Cool to room temperature and chill in the fridge if desired.

* Kusina ni Manang: Filipino Custard Cake.