EZ-breezy Red Velvet Custard Cake

This cake can be included in “much-loved desserts” — I always get the sweetest compliments everytime I bring this cake to a party.  And I’m making this again for my family’s thanksgiving dinner…it is velvety rich and really a sweet way to end the important meal of the year.

We approached this cake differently back home.   We make it with chiffon-type cake, a bit of a challenge for inexperienced bakers and with more attention given to folding beaten egg whites to cake batter and ensure volume doesn’t get deflated.

And no frosting needed — it’s a breeze to make.  Use any boxed cake mix of your choice.   But I just love the color of red and Duncan Hines just made it even easier by filling our store shelves with boxes of red velvet cake mixes.    Experiment with different mixes and flavors — devil’s food cake mix and leftover brewed coffee, pumpkin cake mix with eggnog, butter cake mix with mango or peach nectar, etc.

Start preparing the caramel syrup using a small saucepan.   Melt sugar until it turns into golden brown syrup.  Stand back and slowly add water, and this causes sugar to crystallize and turn into a solid mass.  Keep cooking until mixture returns to liquid state.  Add light corn syrup and cook until it resembles a thick syrup, not runny, not too thick.  You will need to coat the bottom of well-greased bundt pan with this syrup, so it is important that syrup is just thick enough to slide while tilting the bundt pan.

Next is the flan base — if you choose using all egg yolks, the flan is a bit dense.  I find adding some whole eggs producing a much lighter flan.   Just simply whisk all ingredients until well-blended.  In this recipe, the goal is not to have a baked flan with a really smooth texture.

Then comes the part we wouldn’t really be so concerned with — prepare cake following instructions at the back of the box, easy and overmixing is least of your worry here.    Slowly spoon the cake batter to flan base and set the bundt pan in baine marie (bundt pan sitting on top of a larger pan filled with hot water).   Normal test for doneness using toothpick — if it comes out clean, it is done.

It is easy, it is breezy.  Now after some hours of cooling, unmold the cake (don’t forget to say a prayer to some Gods and Goddesses) and behold…Red Velvet Custard Cake.

Here’s the recipe:

EZ-BREEZY RED VELVET CUSTARD CAKE

Caramel Syrup:  1 cup sugar, caramelized    3/4 cup water    1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Custard or Flan:
3 large eggs  2 egg yolks   1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tall can evaporated milk   splash of flavoring (lemon, vanilla, buco pandan, mango, etc)

Cake:    1 box Red Velvet cake mix   water, oil and eggs as directed on back of the cake mix box

Prepare cake pan (bundt pan is used in this recipe);  spray bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Caramel Syrup:  Caramelize sugar (sugar melts and turns into golden brown syrup) in a small saucepan over medium high heat.   Slowly add water and continue boiling until mixture turns to liquid again.  Add corn syrup and continue cooking until thick and syrupy.   Pour into prepared pan, tilting pan to evenly coat the bottom and 1 inch up sides.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Prepare custard/flan:  Whisk all flan ingredients until smooth.  Slowly  pour the custard into the bundt pan.

Prepare cake according to instructions in the box and slowly spoon over custard layer.   Bake for 70 or 75 minutes  in baine marie (cake pan placed in a larger pan filled with hot water).   Cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  Unmold cake over a serving platter and enjoy!

Read more at Celebr-eat-y By Sarah Lee