Custard Cake

Since my family moved to Houston, I am always on the look out for good Filipino desserts and pastries from the very few Filipino stores/restaurants that we have here. So far, my hunt is still unsuccessful. There is no Red Ribbon franchise here, and the Pinoy pastries I have tasted from the stores here are below-par with Red Ribbon --- considering that the Red Ribbon pastries/cakes here in North America are not as good as those back home. To satisfy our cravings, hubby and I started to bake Filipino treats for our own consumption. Here's a recipe for custard cake - a chiffon cake topped with leche flan. Really yummy! Thanks again to my sis-in-law for sharing the recipe. She's my go-to person for family-tested recipes, and then I just have to figure out myself how to do it!  Quite a challenge for this dessert, but really worth it. 

For custard topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar for syrup
3 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 can condensed milk
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For chiffon cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil


Prepare the custard topping. On a medium heavy bottom stainless steel pan or saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat to make a syrup. You can just leave the sugar on the pan, without stirring, but shake the pan occasionally to distribute the heat evenly. You may start stirring the syrup when about 3/4 of all the sugar are melted. You may also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water if the syrup is very thick. Pour the syrup on a 8" x 8" square or 9" round baking pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk 3 whole eggs. Add the sugar, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Continue whisking until well blended. Place a strainer over the baking pan and pour in the custard mixture. Set aside.

Prepare the chiffon cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 deg. Celsius). Separate 3 egg yolks from the egg white, and set aside the egg whites. Make sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites, otherwise your meringue will not form peaks.

Batter: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, water, salt, oil, and vanilla. Add the sifted all-purpose flour and baking powder, and mix all together well using a rubber spatula. Make sure you scrape the flour on the sides of the bowl. Set aside the batter.

Meringue: In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer set on high speed until the mixture is foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer to high again and beat until stiff peaks appear, approximately 3 minutes.

Transfer about 1/3 of the meringue to the batter and whisk until well-blended. Add the remaining meringue and fold in gently, in about 5-8 motions only to avoid "over-working" the batter. Slowly transfer the batter on top of the custard mixture, spreading them evenly. Smoothen the top carefully using a spatula.

Place the cake pan inside a bigger pan - a large roasting pan or a 1" deep cookie sheet will do. Fill the bigger pan with hot water, about half if using a deep roasting pan or almost on the brim if using a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the toothpick comes out clean after inserting. Completely cool the cake, about 2 hours or more, before placing it upside down on a serving plate. You may also refrigerate the cake before inverting and serving it.