July 25, 2025 • 6 mins
There’s no other way to say it – this cake is magical! The way the simple batter settles into layers of custard and sponge seems impossible and yet it works, and the tamarillos are all tart and jammy and YUM.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 90g butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups milk, lukewarm
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Generous 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 ½ cups scooped and chopped tamarillos (about XX)
- Icing sugar for dusting cake
- Whipped cream or yoghurt to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 190 C. Grease and line a 20x20cm cake tin with baking paper.
- Put a saucepan on with milk and butter and heat to lukewarm – this will melt the butter.
- Separate eggs into two mixing bowls.
- Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and light. Add in flour and mix until combined. Slowly add warm milk, beating until everything is well mixed together.
- Beat the egg whites until the stiff peak stage. Fold this into the batter gently, a third at a time until completely combined. The batter is very thin at this stage, but don’t worry.
- Pour batter into the baking dish and scatter over chopped tamarillo. They will sink into the cake as it bakes.
- Bake for approx. 50-60 minutes or until the top is browned and cake doesn’t wobble.
- Cool and dust with icing sugar.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast from.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
News Talks be how cook Nicky works has gone above
and beyond. This week a Tamarillo custard cake. The moment
I saw those words, Nikki, I just I could steal
my I felt a physical reaction in my stomach, saliva
glands go from zero cat. You know you.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Didn't immediately think bank loan that she would have had
to take out.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
A little bit early in the season.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
So they are still a little bit pricey, but they're
worth it, aren't they?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well for retreat, Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I
think I think we bought four when six okay, wow, yeah, wow,
It's been a good year. Yeah right.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
And look, so I wasn't this week going to do
a tamorill oad chutney because they're just we're not lot
of these at the moment. But this custard cake, this
is that miracle chocolate custard cake that you mix it
all up to get there and then yes, you know,
those layers kind of separate, And I love that in
cooking where you're making the recipe and every time I
(01:15):
make this, and I've made it so many times, I'll
think I don't think this is gonna work, but.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Then it does.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And so you get this cake which is sort of
custard on the bottom and slight cakiness on the top,
which is great, and it's really I've made this with
raspberries when they're in season, with rhubarb when they're in season,
and tamarillo, I think has got to be my favorite,
because tamari los as. You know, if you don't love
the sort of a stringent tartness of them, once you
warm them through or book them, they take on something different,
(01:43):
don't they. Oh, I love the flavor. All right, Look
here we go. I've made this in a tin that's
about twenty by twenty. It's a sort of square caked
and so something approximating that line it well with baking paper.
Oven goes on one night ninety and it's an odd
sort of a cake. So first of all, we heat
some milk, which is one and a half cups of milk,
(02:03):
and we.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Just want to heat that just sort of lukewarm.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
With the butter in it, which is ninety grams of butter.
The butter will just melt as that and melt into
that milk and then separate the eggs into two mixing bowls,
and I'm using three large eggs here. Beat the egg
yolks with two thirds of a cup of sugar until
really pale and light, and add into those a sort
of generous half cup of flour.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Just mean somebody too pedantic about it? But err on
the slightly more than half a cup than the less.
Mix that in with your sugar and your egg yolks.
Slowly add in the warm milk.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
At that stage.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It probably won't curdle the eggs because it's only kind
of warm the milk. But you know, beating everything until
it's really nicely mixed together, and then whip up your
egg whites until they're quite stiff, and then fold these
into the batter. And look, I know sometimes when people
try this recipe they go, well, it's quite hard to
fold that in because what you're folding into is quite
(03:00):
a thin.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Batter, and so it always feels a little bit weird.
But that's fine.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But do it a third at a time until they
really fold it in and the batter is quite thin.
But don't don't fear about that. Pour that batter into
your baby to scatter over some chopped tamarillo.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
I've used about.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
One and a one to one and a half cups
of scooped and chopped tamarillo. I can't really tell you
how many that is because tamara very so much in size.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
But you know, I mean, and they.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Want a little sort of bite sized chunks. They'll sort
of sink as the cake bakes and sort of end
up in the custard layer. Bake it for about fifty
to sixty minutes, and the top will be quite browned
and should be sort of quite puffy, a little bit
like a cake, and you sort of want to bring
it up when that cake, when that cake layer on
top is sort of not really wabbling, let it cool.
(03:48):
You can, you can eat it hot, but I really
think let it cool till it's sort of warm, even
from the fridge is really nice.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Jack good, how kind of sort of a kind of
fudgy quality. How would you not really fudgy?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
No, the bottom is literally like custard.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
At the top it's like a very aerie sort of
a sponge. It's I mean, in the old days they
call this cake the impossible cake, I think because it
feels as though this is not really gonna work. And
I he hesitate to really call it a cake because
it's more.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Like a yeah, like a custard.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
It's like a dessert or something, or like a pudding.
It's like a pudding.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well look, or it's a breakfast.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I mean, as you can imagine something tart with custard,
big doll of a cream on this.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh, it's so good. It's really really delicious.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
The tamorillos are quite juicy in it, but don't let
that put you off. It's just it's really good. I
recommend that all of our listeners make this today and
send us in photos, et cetera.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, okay, or maybe if we have to a couple
of weeks and then we can no, you know, just
just if the price is a barrier right now, well they.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Are, and that's the thing, but you don't hunt around.
And as I say, this is a real treat, and
you know, you could put least tamorillos in it a few, Yeah,
for sure could get away with street Oh yeah, because.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
They're they're a big flavor. They're a big flavor.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
That sounds amazing. Okay, Yeah, I think this could definitely
be an option in our house this weekend. Thank you
very much for that. By the way, our text here
just conject. Can you please tell Niki we made her
spice Moroccan lampires and they were just incredible, So there
you go.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Oh great, Yeah, well, you know that would normally fill
me with joy other than the fact that two days
ago I did judge those.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Pie awards that we talked to.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and there were five thousand entrants.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I reckon.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I gave it a good, good try to try for
a lot of them. I was so full afterwards, thought
I never want to see another.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Pile another pie. Yeah, it's going to be a pie
for a few years.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
I'm one of those baconde pies.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Funny how that happens. Yeah, hey, thank you so much.
We will make sure that recipe for the Nikki's Tamarillo
custard cake is up on the News Talks he'd be website.
There's the best place to go for everything from our
show News Talks. He'd be dot co, dot nz Ford
slash Jack.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Listen live to News Talks at b from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast from.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
News Talks be how cook Nicky works has gone above
and beyond. This week a Tamarillo custard cake. The moment
I saw those words, Nikki, I just I could steal
my I felt a physical reaction in my stomach, saliva
glands go from zero cat. You know you.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Didn't immediately think bank loan that she would have had
to take out.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
A little bit early in the season.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
So they are still a little bit pricey, but they're
worth it, aren't they?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well for retreat, Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I
think I think we bought four when six okay, wow, yeah, wow,
It's been a good year. Yeah right.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
And look, so I wasn't this week going to do
a tamorill oad chutney because they're just we're not lot
of these at the moment. But this custard cake, this
is that miracle chocolate custard cake that you mix it
all up to get there and then yes, you know,
those layers kind of separate, And I love that in
cooking where you're making the recipe and every time I
(01:15):
make this, and I've made it so many times, I'll
think I don't think this is gonna work, but.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Then it does.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And so you get this cake which is sort of
custard on the bottom and slight cakiness on the top,
which is great, and it's really I've made this with
raspberries when they're in season, with rhubarb when they're in season,
and tamarillo, I think has got to be my favorite,
because tamari los as. You know, if you don't love
the sort of a stringent tartness of them, once you
warm them through or book them, they take on something different,
(01:43):
don't they. Oh, I love the flavor. All right, Look
here we go. I've made this in a tin that's
about twenty by twenty. It's a sort of square caked
and so something approximating that line it well with baking paper.
Oven goes on one night ninety and it's an odd
sort of a cake. So first of all, we heat
some milk, which is one and a half cups of milk,
(02:03):
and we.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Just want to heat that just sort of lukewarm.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
With the butter in it, which is ninety grams of butter.
The butter will just melt as that and melt into
that milk and then separate the eggs into two mixing bowls,
and I'm using three large eggs here. Beat the egg
yolks with two thirds of a cup of sugar until
really pale and light, and add into those a sort
of generous half cup of flour.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Just mean somebody too pedantic about it? But err on
the slightly more than half a cup than the less.
Mix that in with your sugar and your egg yolks.
Slowly add in the warm milk.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
At that stage.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It probably won't curdle the eggs because it's only kind
of warm the milk. But you know, beating everything until
it's really nicely mixed together, and then whip up your
egg whites until they're quite stiff, and then fold these
into the batter. And look, I know sometimes when people
try this recipe they go, well, it's quite hard to
fold that in because what you're folding into is quite
(03:00):
a thin.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Batter, and so it always feels a little bit weird.
But that's fine.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But do it a third at a time until they
really fold it in and the batter is quite thin.
But don't don't fear about that. Pour that batter into
your baby to scatter over some chopped tamarillo.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
I've used about.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
One and a one to one and a half cups
of scooped and chopped tamarillo. I can't really tell you
how many that is because tamara very so much in size.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
But you know, I mean, and they.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Want a little sort of bite sized chunks. They'll sort
of sink as the cake bakes and sort of end
up in the custard layer. Bake it for about fifty
to sixty minutes, and the top will be quite browned
and should be sort of quite puffy, a little bit
like a cake, and you sort of want to bring
it up when that cake, when that cake layer on
top is sort of not really wabbling, let it cool.
(03:48):
You can, you can eat it hot, but I really
think let it cool till it's sort of warm, even
from the fridge is really nice.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Jack good, how kind of sort of a kind of
fudgy quality. How would you not really fudgy?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
No, the bottom is literally like custard.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
At the top it's like a very aerie sort of
a sponge. It's I mean, in the old days they
call this cake the impossible cake, I think because it
feels as though this is not really gonna work. And
I he hesitate to really call it a cake because
it's more.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Like a yeah, like a custard.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
It's like a dessert or something, or like a pudding.
It's like a pudding.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well look, or it's a breakfast.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I mean, as you can imagine something tart with custard,
big doll of a cream on this.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh, it's so good. It's really really delicious.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
The tamorillos are quite juicy in it, but don't let
that put you off. It's just it's really good. I
recommend that all of our listeners make this today and
send us in photos, et cetera.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, okay, or maybe if we have to a couple
of weeks and then we can no, you know, just
just if the price is a barrier right now, well they.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Are, and that's the thing, but you don't hunt around.
And as I say, this is a real treat, and
you know, you could put least tamorillos in it a few, Yeah,
for sure could get away with street Oh yeah, because.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
They're they're a big flavor. They're a big flavor.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
That sounds amazing. Okay, Yeah, I think this could definitely
be an option in our house this weekend. Thank you
very much for that. By the way, our text here
just conject. Can you please tell Niki we made her
spice Moroccan lampires and they were just incredible, So there
you go.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Oh great, Yeah, well, you know that would normally fill
me with joy other than the fact that two days
ago I did judge those.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Pie awards that we talked to.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and there were five thousand entrants.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I reckon.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I gave it a good, good try to try for
a lot of them. I was so full afterwards, thought
I never want to see another.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Pile another pie. Yeah, it's going to be a pie
for a few years.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
I'm one of those baconde pies.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Funny how that happens. Yeah, hey, thank you so much.
We will make sure that recipe for the Nikki's Tamarillo
custard cake is up on the News Talks he'd be website.
There's the best place to go for everything from our
show News Talks. He'd be dot co, dot nz Ford
slash Jack.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Listen live to News Talks at b from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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