Lemon Custard Cake

While surfing the net I find so many delicious looking recipes to try.  They don't all turn out like the pictures I am finding.  So I am having to go back through some of my old posts and make comments about this or that recipe. The  Mennonite Girls Can Cook (blog) usually has good recipes that are tried and true and their pictures are pretty good too. Here is one I found appealing because anything with custard paired with lemon cake is a winner in my book.

This week end Andy and I are going to Cincinnati to see Glenda and Joe again.  They are not doing too well and we hope to cheer them up and play some cards.  I am taking a coconut all white poke cake, for one thing. I have lots of ideas and have been cooking quite a bit, but things do get eaten quickly around here...so, I am sure there will be other goodies to make before Friday.  I am taking Glenda a puzzle and some magazines too. We need to escape for a while.  We are having the guest apartment redone with hardwood floors and its bathroom refurbished as well as other things.  I also had a guy here today to look at my beloved kitchen floor for a bit of care.  I am having a time with 'workers' and companies  they are all definitely getting on my last nerve. They don't seem to care if they get a job or not and I, on the other hand, don't care to give it to them.

So here is what caught my eye this evening. It cheers me up.
Lemon Magic Custard Cake

With photos of 'magic cakes' showing up all over the blogs and pinterest lately...I decided to try a lemon version over here.  What's so magic about it?  You pour in one batter and once it is baked you have distinct layers...a custard beneath a cake.  Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and top with a dollop of whipped cream and some blueberries.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (lukewarm)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• icing sugar, whipped cream, berries (optional toppings)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Grease 8" square pan or a 9" pie plate (or spring form pan*).
3. Separate the eggs. 
4. Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice until stiff. (The lemon juice stabilizes and adds volume to the egg whites.) Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. 
6. Add the melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice, and beat until combined.
7. Slowly add flour, mixing well.
8. Add the milk slowly and combine thoroughly.
9. Gently fold in the egg whites, 1/3 of them at a time. Make sure there are no lumps.
10. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. This is a very runny batter.
11. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden.It should still be slightly jiggly in the center.
12. Cool completely before serving. 
13. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve with berries and whipped cream, if desired.

*Unless your spring form pan has a very tight seal, the batter may leak through into the oven at the start of the baking period.   Though the spring form pan makes it easy to serve the cake...you might want to consider that! (from Judy)