Hot Milk Cake

Posted 2024-12-01 08:49:08

This is a recipe to take you back several decades to the early 1900s - not that any of us remember those days, but perhaps this cake was part of your childhood in the later 1900s. If that's the case, this should bring back some fond memories. If not, then you're in for a treat - a decades old treat!

A spatula lifting a piece of hot milk cake from a cake pan.

What is Hot Milk Cake?

Simply said, hot milk cake is a cake that uses scalded milk in the batter. The result is a very tender cake that is between a sponge cake and a pound cake. It’s soft, delicious and when topped with this brown sugar icing, it’s … well, it’s quite something! I made this cake for my partner, Annie, who still dreams of her childhood birthdays when this was the cake she would request from her mother. Me, I always requested a chocolate cake so this cake is not nostalgic to me. So, why am I talking about it when I could just pass the words over to Annie? Good question – that is exactly what I am going to do. Here’s Annie on why she loves Hot Milk Cake…

Ingredients on a wooden table - flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, baking powder, vanilla extract.

This is Annie…

This has never ever happened before. Meredith is letting me write her article on Hot Milk Cake. This is Annie writing, hoping to be invited back for another article someday. Hot Milk Cake takes me right back to my childhood, soaring at the speed of light down the nostalgia tunnel to a very special cake my mom made often for me. It was our nana’s recipe. As my birthday approached every year, my mom asked me which cake I would like for my birthday celebration. Without skipping a beat, I always asked for this Hot Milk Cake with a brown sugar ‘icing’. In Quebec, where I grew up, the sugar icing was just like sucre à la crème.

Beaters resting above whipped eggs and sugar in a stainless steel bowl.

A Hand-written Recipe

I have been asking Meredith for years to try and replicate this recipe. I have hand-written notes from my mom of the ingredients that went into this magical cake. There were no instructions to go along with the ingredients. So, Meredith painstakingly tried to replicate what I remembered… and eventually, she nailed it. I had to endure the taste tests until we reached perfection. All the ingredients are the same. Meredith’s method of preparation delivered an exact replica. The only ingredient left out were the nickels wrapped in wax paper, sprinkled in the cake mix. The luck bestowed on those who found a nickel was immeasurable.

Cake batter being poured into a cake pan.

Just a Sliver?

I am sure some of you can remember this cake from your childhood. I can guarantee that if you serve it to a child today, they will request it again and again. And the adults will ask for ‘just a sliver’ and come back for more. I really hope you enjoy this cake and the memories it might evoke.

A measuring cup of icing sugar held over a saucepan of brown sugar caramel with a whisk sticking out of it.

Brown Sugar Icing

This is Meredith again… The brown sugar icing that goes on top of this tender cake is interesting. It is not smooth like buttercream, but a little crunchy with crystals of sugar still noticeable between your teeth. It requires bringing the brown sugar, milk and white sugar to about 235˚F (soft ball stage) and then letting it cool. Beat in a little butter and a lot of powdered sugar until you get the flavor and consistency you want.

Not A Pretty Cake

There’s no hiding the fact that this cake is not pretty (but don’t tell Annie I said that!). The icing will be brown. Period. Spread it on and keep it in the kitchen. Or, if you’re feeling creative, dust a little (more) powdered sugar on top and perhaps some candles (a lot of candles!). Then, cut it into squares, dim the lights and serve. Once your guests taste this, there will be far fewer visual judges than there were before! Like Annie said… people will ask for just a sliver, but they’ll be back for more!

Looking down on hot milk cake, iced with brown sugar icing.

Hot Milk Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

Prep Time: 20 m
Cook Time: 35 m
Total Time: 55 m
Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

4 eggs room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour 280g
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
½ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes

Brown Sugar Icing:

2 cups brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ to 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F and grease a 9” x 13” baking pan.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the eggs for about five minutes, until they are thick and light in color. Add the sugar to the eggs gradually, continuing to beat with each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
In a second bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the eggs and mix in on low speed until you can no longer see any streaks of white.
Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan and scald the milk – this means, bring the mixture to a temperature where the butter has melted and you start to see little bubbles around the side of the pan. If you have an instant read thermometer, you are looking for 170˚F. Remove the milk and butter from the heat and gradually add it to the cake batter, beating it in gently. Do not overmix.
Transfer the batter to the greased baking pan and send it to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
To make the brown sugar icing: Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and milk in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil until it reaches soft ball stage (235˚F). (If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, you can tell you’ve reached the right temperature by dropping a drop of the mixture into a glass of ice water. If the brown sugar forms a little ball that you can squish between your fingers, you’ve reached soft ball stage.) Whisk in the butter and vanilla let the mixture cool. Beat in the powdered sugar until the icing reaches the consistency you like for spreading on top.
Ice the cake with the brown sugar icing and serve. Store leftovers well covered, at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

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