Hot Milk Cake is also a great birthday cake. One taste will transport you back to your childhood, whether it’s dressed up in a million different ways or eaten plain. As a result, this tried-and-true family recipe is close and dear to my heart. A butter sponge cake from American cuisine, hot milk cake is a butter sponge cake, and it can be baked in a tube pan or as a sheet cake or layer cake. The fine-grained texture of the cake is akin to pound cake, thanks to the hot milk and butter.
The scalded milk that makes up the liquid component of the dough gives the hot milk cake its characteristic flavor. It differs from classic sponge cakes such as angel food cake in that it uses baking powder instead of solely egg whites as a leavening agent, allowing it to be baked with butter like a Victoria sponge. Instead of whipping the yolks and whites separately, the eggs are beaten together.
How to Make Hot Milk Cake?
Hot Milk Cake was first seen in 1911, yet it has continued to increase in popularity due to its simplicity. During the Great Depression, when modest food had to stretch to feed starving families, and every last drop of food was used and preserved, it became a well-known dish.
If you’re seeking to cut back on your sugar intake or plan to serve it with coconut topping, which I describe below, readers have successfully created this cake with as little as half the amount of sugar. The answer to making this dish lighter, in my opinion, is to beat the egg mixture for almost 10 minutes.
I also use cake flour when I have it, and it makes a tremendous difference in the flavor and texture! Even after modifying the leavening components, several cooks have reported that their cakes fall when using buttermilk instead of ordinary milk. I wouldn’t recommend using buttermilk as a substitute until I’ve had a chance to try out other versions of this cake.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of butter
- 1 gallon of milk (see notes)
- Four eggs, room temperature, two tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar (granulated)
- 2 cups flour (all-purpose)
- Two tablespoons of powdered baking soda
- One teaspoon of kosher salt
- An optional sprinkling of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. A 12-cup tube pan or Bundt cake pan should be greased and floured.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat until tiny bubbles develop around the outside of the pan, and the mixture is boiling but not boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to a low setting.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing basin.
- Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg and sugar combination when it has quadrupled in volume, mixing on low speed until fully integrated. In two batches, add the dry ingredients, mixing after each addition until barely combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, checking for doneness 5 minutes before the end of the baking time. Do not overbake; a toothpick put into the center of the cake should come out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving platter to finish cooling. If desired, dust with powdered sugar.
Should we Make the Cake with Boiled Milk?
Milk must be scalded for baking because it contains glutathione, a tripeptide that softens dough, destroyed by scalding. Because boiling milk can kill yeast, cook eggs, and melt butter, it’s best to avoid it unless you’re working with a recipe that specifically asks for it, like my beloved Hot Milk Sponge Cake. Cakes tend to crumble when made with cold milk. Room-Temperature Milk: Using room-temperature milk speeds up the emulsification process, traps air bubbles, and causes the cake to rise.
It is recommended that you mix the batter with room temperature milk simultaneously. If the word seems familiar, it’s probably because it’s the name of a famous baking powder brand. Women used to retain clabbered milk as a natural leavening agent for baked items back in the day. Clabber, like buttermilk, is acidic, so it reacts with baking soda to make fluffy cakes and short pieces of bread.
Is it Possible to Make a Cake with Cold Milk?
Cold milk is a flaky layer’s secret in cookies and biscuits, but it’s a no-no in cakes. Cakes tend to crumble when made with cold milk. Room-Temperature Milk: Using room-temperature milk speeds up the emulsification process, traps air bubbles, and causes the cake to rise. If it came from the fridge, it should be at room temperature. If a recipe calls for room temperature butter, the eggs, milk, yogurt, and other ingredients should be at room temperature.
The same goes for melted butter in recipes; your melted butter should not be hot!)Yes, you can use unboiled milk in your cakes. When using this ingredient in your cake, keep a few things in mind. The flavor of your cake may be influenced by unboiled milk. Add a small quantity at a time until you’re satisfied with the flavor.
When it Comes to Baking, How Hot Should the Milk Be?
Bring the milk to a near-simmering temperature, about 185 degrees F, or until it begins to steam. Always use lukewarm water to activate. Yeast is a live organism killed by high temperatures of roughly 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When rehydrating active dry yeast, this is very important to remember. You should microwave the milk for roughly 5-7 minutes, bringing the milk to the ideal temperature for the yeast to thrive. It’s a good idea to stir the milk now and then to make sure it’s heated evenly.
When I stick a clean finger in the milk and feel too hot after a few seconds, I know the milk is too hot. It’s the correct temperature if it’s just comfortable, and a thermometer can be used to double-check. Then I add butter from the fridge and cube it into little cubes.
Is it Possible to Use Milk for Water in a Cake?
The most boring of liquids is called for in most cake mixes: water. Use a dairy product rather than water. By substituting milk for water, your cake will taste instantly handmade, while using buttermilk will make it rich and creamy. You can substitute milk for the water, but keep in mind that the cake’s fat content will be somewhat altered. The cake will be less light, but the additional fat will make it moister. Sour or fermented raw milk is excellent for baking and gardening because it contains beneficial bacteria.
You can’t use store-bought pasteurized milk, but the good news is that raw milk may be found even if you don’t have a milk cow. Butter and sugar are creamed together in most cakes, and butter can hold air, which it does throughout the creaming process. The trapped air expands during baking, resulting in a light and fluffy cake.
Conclusion
An old-fashioned delight, hot milk cake is fine-grained, moist, high-rising, and delicious. It can be eaten plain or with your favorite icing, fudge topping, or thick caramel sauce. Chef Zeb Stevenson of Atlanta sent us this recipe, and we’re glad to say that he used our signature unbleached all-purpose flour in this delectable cake.
