“All technique stuff goes out the window,” said culinary director Wes Martin, referring to the perplexing, yet “magical” Browned Butter Gâteau Magique, a three-layer custardy cake we first had in France. It’s a cake riddled with mistakes—mistakes that right themselves in the oven.

A glance at the ingredient list would make any seasoned baker question what exactly constitutes this cake as “magic.” When it comes to gâteau magique, it’s not what you’re using, it’s how.

What are the three layers of gâteau magique?

As if by magic, the lumpy, loose mixture transforms into a three-layer cake. The bottom layer is firm, thanks to the egg white-sugar-flour mixture. The middle is deliciously light and creamy, taking on a consistency similar to pudding. And the top layer, thinner than the rest and more exposed to the heat, browns beautifully in the oven, adding textural contrast as well as a slight toastiness to the overall bite.

What Puts the Magic in Gâteau Magique?

Air. Since this cake doesn’t have the usual leavening agents like baking powder and soda to give it height, it relies on the air that’s quickly whipped into the separated portions of the eggs, starting with a mixture of yolks and brown sugar. After five minutes, your egg-sugar mixture will be ribbony and nearly double its original size.

With sufficient air incorporated, we “ruin” everything by adding in the brown butter, milk and vanilla, creating what Chris Kimball says is “essentially a milkshake.” Flour is gradually added to the mix, then the batter is transferred to a large bowl.

How do you brown butter?

There is only one thing you need to do to brown butter: stay put. Stepping away, even just for a few moments, can mean the difference between brown and burnt in no time.

Most butter is around 20% water. By browning it, you’re essentially cooking off the water, allowing the milk solids to deepen both in color and flavor, leaving you with butter that’s darker-hued and nuttier in taste and smell.

As the water evaporates, you’ll start to see a thick foam on top that obscures the solids underneath, making it difficult for you to determine when the butter has browned enough. Give the pan a swirl off heat so the solids brown evenly and you can more clearly see the color change underneath the foam. When in doubt, use your nose: The smell of burning butter is undeniable.

If you find your butter is still solid in places yet starting to brown, consider taking the pan off the burner for a few seconds. The pan won’t cool down too quickly, but time off of direct heat allows the butter to cool off without losing momentum.

How do You Get Stiff Peaks?

To make the base of this recipe, egg yolks and sugar are beaten together, but beating eggs doesn’t stop there. With a freshly cleaned bowl attached to the mixer, egg whites are beaten alone and at a high speed until they’ve been “overwhipped” into stiff peaks. Figuring this out is simple: your egg whites will have nearly quadrupled in size, turned from pale yellow and translucent to pearly white and completely opaque and thickened substantially. Then comes the real test. Using your whisk attachment, scoop up a small amount of your egg whites. Gently flip it upside down. Did everything stay in place? You’ve reached the stiff peak stage.

The egg whites are gently folded into the batter until small lumps remain, then it’s all poured into a prepared baking dish.

The cake is baked in a 325 F oven for 45 to 50 minutes until it has significantly puffed up and taken on a deep golden brown color. Let cool for two hours, then lightly run a knife around the edge to loosen it.

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Sydney Manning

Sydney Manning is the Managing Digital Editor at Milk Street. She holds a BS in Marketing Communication from Emerson College, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. For the past five years at Milk Street, Sydney has worked as a social media editor, blogger, podcaster, project manager and book marketer. In her free time she enjoys cooking with friends, reading and antiquing. She lives in South Carolina with her family.