Hot Milk Cake Recipe

Hot Milk Cake is a popular and old-fashioned cake! It is delicious, with tender crumbs and great flavor from the butter and vanilla extract. It will melt in your mouth and is perfect as a birthday cake, Victoria Cake, or Trifle.

You will enjoy this fluffy and moist vanilla hot milk cake; even if this is the first time you bake a cake. You will love how easy it is to make an almost failproof recipe.

Frost it with buttercream frosting or with Fluffy Ermine Frosting, although it tastes amazing plain. If you wonder how hot milk cake tastes, then let me tell you that it’s between pound cake and moist vanilla cake.

If you love baking, try my Red Velvet Cake, my all-time popular Orange Cake, and Marble Pound Cake.

❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE HOT MILK CAKE

• Moist Texture: Hot milk cake has an incredibly moist and tender texture, thanks to the addition of warm milk in the batter. The cake stays super moist for up to three days.
• Great with Coffee or Tea: Its light sweetness makes it a great companion for a cup of coffee or tea.
• Traditional and Timeless: This milk cake has a classic, old-fashioned charm.
• Simplicity: Hot milk sponge cake is super easy, and a fail-proof recipe.
• Minimal Cleanup: With a few steps and fewer dishes to wash, hot milk cake is a hassle-free baking experience.

📝 INGREDIENTS

More details on the ingredients are in the recipe card below.

• All-purpose flour – I have used all-purpose flour since the baking powder, the eggs, and the hot milk, work together to create tender and light crumbs. You don’t have to use self-rising flour or cake flour.

• Cornstarch – I am adding cornstarch to this cake recipe to help the crumbs stay tender longer and avoid beating the eggs for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a hand mixer. If you are using cake flour, omit the cornstarch from the recipe and replace it with two tablespoons of cake flour.

• Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter in my recipes to control how much salt I add to my batter. If you can’t get your hand on unsalted butter, use salted and omit the salt from the recipe.

• Oil – Use unflavored cooking oil, like sunflower oil, corn oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil since its flavor may take over. Oil is essential. It also aids in keeping the cake moist for a longer time.

• Milk – Since this is a hot milk cake recipe, we will need milk, and I have used full-fat milk. It adds richness to this cake.

🥄 HOW TO MAKE HOT MILK CAKE

I know that many hot milk cake recipes ask you to beat the eggs for 6 to 10 minutes until they double in volume, but we will save time and get a better result using the steps below:

Step 1

Preheat the oven, and Line an 8×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

Beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sugar and whisk until it dissolves.

Add the vanilla extract and the oil and whisk for a few seconds until combined

Step 3

Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix gently using a whisk.

Step 4

In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter, heat the mixture until it comes to a simmer.

Step 5

Pour the hot milk and butter mixture over the batter and mix gently.

Step 6

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 7

Let the cake cool for 5 to 9 minutes in the pan before inverting it on a cooling rack.

👩🏽‍🍳 PRO TIPS

• Preheat the oven for 30 minutes. A cold oven will result in a sinking cake.
• Use ingredients that are at room temperature; help it to bake evenly.
• To make hot milk cake, you can use low-fat milk but avoid skim milk.
• Use high-quality butter to have an amazing buttery flavor.
• You can use an 8-inch round pan. If you double the recipe, you can bake two 8-inch cakes perfect for layering a birthday cake.
• You can use lactose-free milk instead of regular milk or almond milk, but ensure it doesn’t burn when you heat it. I have to mention that the texture of the Warm Milk Sponge Cake will be a little different when using almond milk.

📋 VARIATIONS

• Use half milk and half heavy cream for a richer flavor and texture.
• Use orange extract instead of vanilla to give a citrusy flavor.
• Sprinkle some toasted nuts over the batter before baking it.
• To make chocolate hot milk cake: Add two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and one EXTRA tablespoon of butter.

👪 SERVING SIZE

This cake makes 15 to 17 slices.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

🍽️ HOW TO SERVE HOT MILK CAKE

1. You can dust the cake with the confectioner’s sugar before serving.
2. Frost the cake with buttercream frosting.
3. Serve it as a tea cake with some fruit salad on the side.
4. You can also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream.

🌡️ STORING

• Place the milk cake in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag, removing as much air as possible.
• Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and then with foil and refrigerate for up to 8 days.
• You can freeze the cake slices by wrapping them with plastic wrap and placing them in an airtight container. Freeze for up to six months.
• To thaw the frozen cake, place it in the fridge while wrapped overnight, or simply on the kitchen counter for an hour.

📣 MORE CAKE RECIPES

⭐PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW

If you have tried this hot milk cake recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!