Browned Butter Gâteau Magique

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (Melt and brown; cool slightly before using.)
• 2 cup whole milk (At room temperature.)
• 4 large eggs (At room temperature; separate the eggs.)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (Packed.)
• 0.75 cup all-purpose flour (Small beads of flour may remain in the batter.)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.25 tsp fine salt
• powdered sugar (For dusting and serving.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang for lifting the cooled cake out.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty and toasted. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

3. 3

   Warm the milk gently until it is lukewarm, not hot. Keep the milk and browned butter at room temperature or only slightly warm so they do not cook the eggs.

4. 4

   Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a clean bowl and the yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar to the yolks and whisk until the mixture is pale and smooth.

5. 5

   Whisk the cooled browned butter into the yolk mixture. Add the vanilla and salt, then whisk until combined.

6. 6

   Add the flour and whisk until no large dry streaks remain. Small beads or lumps of flour in the batter are acceptable.

7. 7

   Gradually whisk in the room-temperature milk until the batter is thin and smooth.

8. 8

   Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft, drooping peaks. Do not beat them to stiff peaks.

9. 9

   Fold the whipped egg whites gently into the batter in two or three additions. The whites will remain visibly lumpy and will not fully incorporate; this is expected.

10. 10

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1½ hours, until the top is puffed and golden and the cake has only a slight wobble in the center.

11. 11

    Cool the cake completely in the pan. Refrigerate leftovers for up to about one day, if desired, but bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.

12. 12

    Lift the cake out using the parchment overhang, dust the top with powdered sugar, and slice gently to reveal the three layers.

Notes

The source states 40 minutes of active time plus cooling and about 1½ hours of cooking. Eggs and milk must be at room temperature; a cool batter may fail to separate and produce an underrisen cake. Small beads of flour and incompletely incorporated egg whites are expected. The exact ingredient quantities and pan specification were not visible in the provided page excerpt and have been reconstructed with low confidence.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• French
• baked
• custard
• vegetarian
• make-ahead