Raspberry Custard Cake Recipe From Alice Hart

Ingredients

• Custard
• 2 cups light cream or half-and-half
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
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• Cake
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
• 3 cups raspberries
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup Demerara sugar

Directions

1. Make the custard: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the cream or half-and-half. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream, then drop in the empty pod. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar together in a heatproof mixing bowl.
2. When the cream is almost—but not quite—boiling, remove from the heat and pour slowly into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Boil about 1 minute; the cornstarch will prevent the custard from curdling. Remove from the heat and cover the surface with plastic wrap or a circle of parchment paper so a skin cannot form. Let cool; once cool, remove the vanilla pod.
3. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325º. Butter a 9-inch spring-form cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Crush the raspberries roughly with a fork to release their juice. Stir half the crushed raspberries into the cooled custard and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the 1 cup of butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition; if the mixture starts to look a bit curdled, stir in a spoonful of flour. Sift in the remaining flour with the baking powder. Pour in the milk and gently mix together. Fold in the remaining crushed raspberries until just combined.
5. Pour half the batter into the prepared spring-form pan and make a shallow well in the center with the back of a spoon. Pour the raspberry custard into the well, then cover with the rest of the cake batter. Sprinkle with the Demerara sugar. Bake until golden but still a bit wobbly in the center, about 1 hour.
6. Let the cake cool in the pan, then chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours. Remove from the pan when completely cold (you may need to run a knife around the edge to loosen). Cut into slices and serve.