Magic Custard Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make custard thicker? ›

Using a Thickening Agent

For 1 cup (240 mL) of custard, use 2 tablespoons (17 g) of flour mixed with 4 tablespoons (59 mL) of cold water. Add the mixture into your custard ingredients as they cook on the stove. Use cornstarch as an alternative to flour. Cornstarch, like flour, requires cold water as a mixing agent.

If the custard is undercooked it might never set, while if you add the eggs without tempering them or while the mixture is too hot, you might end up with scrambled eggs. If you find yourself with a runny custard, you do have options. One way to combat a custard that will not set is to reboil it.

Place plastic wrap directly onto the custard in the bowl to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool in the fridge to thicken slightly, about 1 hour.

Place pie plate in a large shallow baking dish, and fill with boiling water to come halfway up side of pie plate. Place in oven and bake until custard is set, about 1 hour.

The custard is ready when you can draw a clean line through it on the back of a spoon, using your finger. Strain into a clean jug and serve hot or cold.

Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken – this should take about 1 – 2 minutes depending on the heat of your stove and size of your saucepan.

Your best bet would be to mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of sugar with some of the beverage and add it to the warm pudding. Heat it to a bubble and stir until it thickens.

However if the proteins are overcooked, either by using a temperature that is too high or just cooking for too long, then the proteins will come together so tightly that they will start to squeeze out water and this causes the weeping in an egg custard (or the scientific term for this is syneresis).

There are some cooking purists that say that to make proper custard you shouldn't need any flour or cornflour to aid thickening, you should let the egg yolks do all the work.

Don't be afraid of increasing the heat if it's not thickening. I once spent half an hour waiting for it to do nothing. You should only need 2-3 minutes for pouring custard, 4-5 minutes for thick custard at the right heat. BUT, if the custard cooks too quickly it will clump and be lumpy.

Does custard thicken when it cools? ›

The custard will thicken though as it cools, so if you want a cold custard then please do look at the custard recipe in Nigella's Boozy British Trifle as this makes are relatively thick custard once it is chilled. For a thick, hot custard you need to add cornflour (cornstarch) as a thickener.

Coat your spatula with the custard and run your finger through it. If the line you made stays, the custard is done. Custards should be thick, glossy and smooth.

The most common mistake people make with custards is that they tend to overcook them. Custards need to come out of the oven just before they're completely cooked because they will continue baking even after you take them out of the oven.

The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.

Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.

Whole eggs, as opposed to just egg yolks, will also give you a firmer texture. If you are really concerned, you could add a teaspoon of flour to the ingredients to help firm up the custard's texture.

Cornflour. If you're a purist you wouldn't use cornflour, but this is about making a tricky recipe easy. The cornflour helps with thickening and binds the eggs and milk to prevent curdling.