Chocolate Magic Cake

 Dinner was McDonalds courtesy of Charlie but dessert was a cake I made earlier. It is another one of those who divide into layers as they bake. 

Chocolate Magic Cake

This Chocolate Magic Cake is an incredible easy cake to make. One simple thin  batter, bake it and you end up with a 3 layer chocolate magic cake.

Prep Time 20 mins Cook Time 1 hr Chilling Time 4 hrs Total Time 5 hrs 20 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

• 8-inch Square Cake Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• 6-Inch Stainless Steel Whisk

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs at room temperature and separated
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¾ cup sugar
• 8 tablespoon butter unsalted and melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 6½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 cups milk warmed up to about 95°F
• 1 teaspoon vinegar regular white vinegar

Instructions

• Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  Mix the yolks with water and sugar: Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the bowl of a mixer. Add a tbsp of water and the sugar. Beat this at high speed until are eggs are light and pale in color.
  Drizzle in melted butter, vanilla and add salt: Add melted butter, vanilla extract and salt to the yolk mixture and continue beating until butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is light.
  Stir in the dry ingredients: Add the flour and cocoa powder to the bowl and mix thoroughly, scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  Add milk: Add the milk a bit at a time and mix. The milk should be warm so not to cool the butter. Make sure the milk has been mixed in thoroughly. The mixture should be pretty wet, so don't get scared.
  
• Whisk the egg whites: If using a handheld mixer, clean the beaters and pour the egg whites in a large clean bowl. If using a stand mixer, wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and make sure you dry them out. Add egg whites to mixing bowl and the vinegar and mix until egg whites are stiff.
  Add the egg whites to cake batter: Add a bit of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and gently mix using a whisk. Next you're going to reverse and add a bit of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites. This way it will be easier to mix everything together. Repeat until everything is mixed together and the mixture should be quite thin. Make sure to leave a distinct layer of fluffy egg white lumps at the top of the batter, so do not overmix.
  Bake, chill and serve: Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish and bake for roughly 60 minutes or until done. The cake will still jiggle in the middle when you take it out, so that's normal. Let it cool completely, chill for about 4 hours letting the cake set, then cut into squares and serve.
  Notes

1. Please note video above is for magic cake.
2. Use the right size pan. In my pictures above you'll notice I used a long pan, but it's 9x6-inches, or most commonly used for this cake is an 8x8-inch pan that is at least 2 inches in height. A 9x13-inch pan won't work, there simply won't be enough batter for it, and it won't form into 3 layers.
3. Stir the egg whites into the batter, don't fold or mix them in. Stir them gently but not until they're fully mixed into the batter. You want to make sure there are still some white bits floating around, this is what's going to create that top cake layer.
4. It's hard to tell when magic cake is done, so look for signs. I've baked it in 3 different ovens, and the time differed on all 3. You want to make sure the sides are set, the center still jiggles a bit and the top is brown. You cannot use a toothpick as with a traditional cake to test fo doneness.
5. Don't slice into it right away. Allow the chocolate magic cake to come to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours before actually cutting into it, especially if you want to get nice slices. I have cut into it without refrigerating it, it's still as delicious, it just won't look as pretty.
6. This cake is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
7. This is one of those cakes that's better served fresh, after it's been chilled, however if you must freeze it, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.