Recipe Index

Ingredients

• whole milk (2 cups), warm
• sugar (3/4 cup)
• butter (1/2 cup), melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing
• 4½ oz plain (type 00) flour (1 cup)
• 4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch fine salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 8 in square baking dish and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Warm the milk until lukewarm and set aside.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cold water for 3-4 minutes until pale and thick.
4. Whisk in the melted butter, then sift in the flour and salt and whisk until smooth.
5. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and vanilla. The batter will be very thin; that is correct.
6. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the lemon juice to firm peaks, then fold them into the batter in three additions, leaving some small white lumps floating on top rather than mixing them away.
7. Pour the batter into the dish and bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden and the cake wobbles only slightly in the centre when shaken gently.
8. Cool completely in the dish, then chill for at least 2 hours so the layers set: a crust on top, custard in the middle and a dense base below.
9. Cut into squares, dust generously with powdered sugar, and serve cold or at room temperature.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 80 min · Total: 110 min

Nutrition not computed — no serving count in the source recipe (per-serving values cannot be derived without one).