Hot milk cake is a soft, fluffy and buttery vanilla scented cake made with scalded milk. This old fashioned milk cake has a deliciously rich, moist and tender crumb and is perfect when topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar or your favorite frosting. It’s an easy to make and flavorful cake just like grandma would make.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a simple, but flavorful cake. One way to get light, fluffy and flavorful cakes is by using milk in the batter. My Donut Cake, Oatmeal Cake, Condensed Milk Cake, Lemon Olive Oil Cake, Vanilla Pound Cake and Buttermilk Coffee Cake are just a few of my favorite desserts with milk recipes on the blog. This recipe for hot milk cake recipe is another one I am so excited to share with you.
- It has the perfect rich, fluffy and tender texture. This warm milk cake has the perfect buttery, moist, light and fluffy crumb.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. This old fashioned hot milk vanilla cake is made with simple ingredients that come together quickly and easily making it the perfect cake for any occasion. Think simple ingredients just like grandma would make. Top this simple hot milk bundt cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
Ingredients
This from scratch hot milk sponge cake requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather butter, milk, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
This fluffy sponge cake with warm milk is as easy to make as it is delicious. Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make this sponge cake with hot milk gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure using weight in grams ( ) versus cup for cup.
- Baking Powder: This recipe has not been tested using baking soda. Make sure to double check the baking powder is fresh.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt.
- Milk: This is an essential ingredient for any hot milk sponge cake. I prefer to use a full fat milk for the most flavor and the best texture.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Granulated Sugar: This moist and fluffy milk cake calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this refined sugar free.
- Vanilla Extract: This brings a lovely flavor to the cake. Feel free to use vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla extract.
Variations
- Other Pan Sizes: Bake this hot milk cake in a 9 x 13 pan for 30 - 35 minutes or in (2) 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans for 25 - 35 minutes to make a layer cake.
- Frosting Ideas: This sponge cake with hot milk can be topped with any frosting you like. I suggest topping this warm milk cake with Chocolate Buttercream, Vanilla or Funfetti Buttercream, Mascarpone Frosting with fresh berries, Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting or Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Try adding 1 - 2 tea bags with your favorite flavored tea such as earl grey to the milk and butter to infuse a subtle herbal flavor to the cake. Add a layer of raspberry, blackberry or strawberry jam to the center of a layer cake.
How To Make
Learn how to make hot milk cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Move the middle rack to the next lowest position in your oven. Grease a 10- inch (12 cup capacity bundt pan) with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.
- Add the butter and milk to a sauce pan or small pot. Heat the butter and milk to a simmer over medium heat to melt the butter and to bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the temperature to low to keep the milk warm and to prevent the milk from scalding.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk in the eggs together on medium-high for 2 - 3 minutes. The eggs should lighten and thicken in texture. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the sugar to the egg mixture. Once all the sugar has been added, increased the mixing speed to medium-high for an additional 1 - 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once all the dry ingredients have been added slowly add the warm milk and butter mixture to the cake batter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Finally, mix the vanilla extract.
4. Evenly pour the hot milk vanilla cake batter into the prepared bundt pan or your preferred cake pan. Bake the bundt cake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the milk cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.
5. Invert the bundt cake onto another cooling rack or plate. Cool the cake completely before topping or serving.
How To Serve, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Serve: This vanilla milk cake is perfect when served with a dusting of powdered sugar, freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit or Strawberry Glaze.
- Store: In an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days. For longer storage, I suggest freezing the cake.
- Freeze: Individually wrap each slice of cake or the whole cake in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped slice in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Remove your desired number of pieces of cake to sit out at room temperature or in the fridge until fully thawed and enjoy.
M’s Expert Tips
- Fully heat the milk and butter together. I add both the milk and slices of butter to a saucepan at the beginning of the recipe. Heat the mixture of medium heat until the butter is melted. Then reduce the heat to medium low until the milk and butter mixture is ready to go into the cake.
- Use a non-stick spray to prevent the cake from sticking to the bundt pan. If needed, take a pastry brush or even a clean paper towel and work the spray into all the grooves of the pan. If you are using a regular round or rectangular cake pan, make sure to fully grease the bottom and sides. I also take the extra step of lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in moist and perfectly mixed hot cake.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Add the vanilla extract last. Adding the vanilla before the scaled milk and butter mixture can overpower the vanilla. To be sure the vanilla flavor comes through well, make this the last wet ingredient added to the milk cake batter.
- Cool the cake in the pan for no longer than 10 -15 minutes. If you try to remove the cake before 10 minutes, the cake may still be too hot to remove without falling apart. Removing the cake after 15 minutes may cause the cake to stick to the pan more easily.
- Fully cool the cake before applying powdered sugar, glaze or frosting. This usually takes about 30 - 45 minutes after the cake has been removed from the pan or about an hour after the cake has been removed from the oven.
FAQs
Hot milk cake originated in the early 1900’s. Also known as hot milk sponge, this cake gets its velvety, rich and tender texture and name from melting butter and milk together before mixing them into the cake batter.
Hot milk sponge cake has a rich, buttery and tender fine crumb. This cake has a light and airy, but rich milky taste that pairs beautifully with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
This can happen if the cake batter doesn’t reach the ribbon stage or if the dry ingredients are mixed into the cake batter too roughly or for too long. However, the addition of leavener in the form of baking powder means this hot milk sponge is practically foolproof.
Absolutely! This hot milk sponge can be baked in (2) 8 inch or 9 inch pans or in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Other Bundt Cake Recipes to Try
If you try this Hot Milk Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Hot Milk Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10 inch (12 cup) capacity bundt pan see notes for other pan sizes
- 1 stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer with beaters
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, sliced
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Move the middle rack to the next lowest position in your oven. Grease a 10- inch (12 cup capacity bundt pan) with nonstick spray. Use a pastry brush to work the nonstick spray into all the grooves of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the butter and milk to a sauce pan or small pot. Heat the butter and milk to a simmer over medium heat to melt the butter and to bring the mixture to a simmer. Once the milk starts to simmer, stir well and lower the temperature to low to keep the milk warm.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, sliced, 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk in the eggs together on medium-high for 2 - 3 minutes. The eggs should lighten and thicken in texture. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the sugar to the egg mixture. Once all the sugar has been added, increased the mixing speed to medium-high for an additional 1 - 2 minutes or until the eggs and sugar reach the ribbon stage.4 large eggs, room temperature, 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the eggs and sugar ¼ at a time. Once all the dry ingredients have been added slowly add the warm milk and butter mixture to the cake batter. Go slowly to allow the eggs to temper. Continue to mix the cake batter on low until all the warm milk has been added. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Finally, mix the vanilla extract into the warm milk cake batter on low until the vanilla extract and any stray dry ingredients are incorporated into the cake batter. Evenly pour the hot milk vanilla cake batter into the prepared bundt pan or your preferred cake pan.2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Bake the bundt cake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the milk cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Invert the bundt cake onto another cooling rack or plate. Cool the cake completely before topping or serving. I recommend a dusting of powdered sugar, and serve alongside fresh fruit and whipped cream.
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