Grandma's Custard Cake

Total Time: 12 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 12 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 -8 dozen ladyfingers (usually 2 doz. to a package; 3 or 4 packages)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 lemon, juice of (or use orange for orange cake)
• 1/2 fresh lemon rind, of (or orange for orange cake)
• whipped topping
• 1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• maraschino cherry (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 in a double boiler, combine well beaten egg yolks, granulated sugar, milk and cornstarch.
• 2 cook slowly until thick and smooth, stirring constantly.
• 3 mixture will become like thick custard.
• 4 remove from heat, add lemon juice and rind.
• 5 set aside to cool.
• 6 cream butter and confectioner's sugar very well.
• 7 add cooked egg mixture and mix with mixer until incorporated.
• 8 beat egg whites until very stiff.
• 9 fold into egg& sugar mixture very lightly by hand (leave small lumps of whites).
• 10 lightly grease spring form pan, bottom and sides.
• 11 with strips of fingers (round side out), line side of pan (keeping them in the strip& not tearing them apart helps hold them up).
• 12 line pan bottom w/ concentric circles of single layer lady fingers (flat side down), putting fingers end to end.
• 13 break one or two fingers to fill in gaps.
• 14 cover bottom lady fingers with a layer of filling.
• 15 arrange another layer of concentric fingers, and add another layer of filling.
• 16 continue until filling is all used.
• 17 end with a final layer of fingers.
• 18 (usually it will not go to the very top of the side fingers.) try and reserve 4-5 of the best fingers for top garnish.
• 19 place in icebox and chill thoroughly, at least 12 hours or overnight.
• 20 to serve: remove to cake platter when ready to serve.
• 21 bend the tips of the edge lady fingers down and cover top layer of fingers (to the bent-edges of the side fingers) with a layer of whipped cream.
• 22 cut reserved fingers in half, lengthwise, and decorate top of cake with"spokes.
• 23 "add cherries (blot off excess liquid to prevent red color bleeding into the whipped cream).