FOOD NEWS
Magic Pie: The Mind-Blowing Dessert That Creates Its Own Layers
by SÉAMUS GREGAN
Magic pie, called gâteau magique by the French who claimed to have invented it, is a dessert that consists of three distinct layers that are all made from the same batter.
Magic pie doesn't require specialty ingredients for its impressive triple-layering trick. The recipe only calls for milk, sugar, flour, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
In magic pie, the flour isn't meant to provide structure throughout. Instead, the flour, saturated with milk, butter, and egg, sinks to the bottom and forms the pie's outer crust.
While some magic pie recipes differ, they all emphasize incorporating air into the batter. The air bubbles trapped in the eggs will rise to the top, creating a cakey coating.
This process will leave you with a magic pie that has a solid crust, a soft and silky custard in the middle, and a top layer that's burnished brown with a chewy, cakey texture.
The most common flavor of magic pie is coconut with a vanilla custard filling, but you can switch the vanilla for a different flavor or add some cocoa powder or lemon zest.