Vanilla Custard Magic Cake Recipe | Queen Fine Foods (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.

While it is still hot, add the gelatin from Step 1 and mix it in quickly to dissolve it. Using a strainer and a spatula, strain Step 8 well into a bowl. Place the bowl from Step 9 in a bowlful of ice water and use the spatula to stir the mixture. It will gradually thicken.

Depending on the recipe and inspiration and purpose, custard will in consistency from a thin pouring sauce for cakes, pies and rice pudding to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs and donuts or make crème brûlée (baked custard) or crème anglaise.

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.

For a thick, hot custard you need to add cornflour (cornstarch) as a thickener. The custard needs to come up to boiling point to thicken and to loose the taste of the uncooked starch, but the cornflour stabilizes the egg yolks so that they can tolerate higher temperatures without scrambling.

The first option is to mix two tablespoons of flour with four tablespoons of cold water for every cup of custard you've made. Mix the flour into the water well, then whisk it into your custard mixture as it cooks on the stove. You can follow the same steps with cornstarch instead of flour if you prefer as well.

The key to thickening it is to add in more powder (as a paste or you will get lumps) stir well and re-heat.

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.

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.

How do I know if my custard will set? ›

When you gently shake the vessel you're baking the custard in (whether it's a ramekin for something like pot de crème or a springform pan for something like a cheesecake), the custard should appear totally set on the edges, but ripple gently when you shake it in the center.

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.

The key to thickening it is to add in more powder (as a paste or you will get lumps) stir well and re-heat.

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.

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.