Basque Cake

1 To Make the pastry cream Filling: In a sauce pan, combine the milk and 1/3 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

2 Mix 1/2 cup of hot milk into egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour.

3 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Combine and sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside

4 Cream 1 1/8 cup sugar and 3 eggs until light and fluffy. Fold in the sifted flour mixture in three increments, being careful not to overmix.

5 Put half of the dough into the greased pan. Spread the dough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Place pastry cream to within 3/4 inch of the edge. Add the second half of the cake dough, making sure to enclose all of the filling.

6 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.