This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through those links (at no extra cost to you).
If you’re looking for the fluffy, perfect vanilla cake your grandma (and mine) used to make, this Hot Milk Cake recipe is definitely the one. Made with scalded milk, this lovely, old-fashioned cake is soft, sweet, and absolutely foolproof.
Dressed up in a million different ways or eaten as-is, one bite of Hot Milk Cake will take you back to your childhood. For that reason, this time-tested family recipe is the near and dear to my heart. And of course, it makes a fabulous birthday cake, too!
Maurice Sendak said it best in his book “In the Night Kitchen:” milk in the batter, milk in the batter, we bake cake and nothing’s the matter! He’s right. When there’s Hot Milk Cake, very little can go wrong.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Milk: This recipe uses a technique called scalding which heats the milk, thus the name Hot Milk Cake. Do not substitute buttermilk.
Step-by-step instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup tube pan or Bundt cake pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in milk and vanilla and continue to heat until small bubbles form around the outside of the pan and the mixture is very hot but not boiling. Reduce heat to low.
- Meanwhile, in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Once the egg and sugar mixture has tripled in volume, slowly add the hot milk mixture, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing after each addition until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, checking at 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean, with a few crumbs attached, but do not over-bake.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving plate to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This cake makes 12 delicious slices of Hot Milk Cake (or more or less depending on how you slice it).
- Storage: Store extra cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool Hot Milk Cake to room temperature, then wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
- Cinnamon: Add a dash of cinnamon for extra spice and warmth.
- Almond Hot Milk Cake: Add almond extract in place of the vanilla and top with slivered almonds.
- Chocolate Hot Milk Cake: Add ¼ cup of your best cocoa powder to the dry ingredients in step 1, and scald chocolate milk for an ethereal chocolate cake that’s just as easy to make.
- Hot Milk Cake with fruit: This cake makes an excellent peach, plum, or Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Arrange fruit on the bottom of the cake pan, pour batter over, then bake as directed. Invert before serving.
Caramel Coconut Topping for Hot Milk Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ cups butter
- ½ cup evaporated milk (or half and half)
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- ¾ cup chopped nuts
Directions:
- Bring butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar.
- Remove from heat and stir in coconut and chopped nuts.
- Spread mixture on the warm cake and place under the broiler until golden, watching the topping closely.
Recipe FAQs
One of the first sightings of Hot Milk Cake was in 1911, but it continued to grow in popularity due to it’s simplicity. It really became a well-known recipe during the Great Depression, where modest food had to stretch to feed hungry families, and every last drop of food was used and saved. Grandmothers and mothers had to make do with what they had, and often the last of the day’s milk was used to make this simple cake for special occasions.
While I haven’t personally tested this, readers have successfully made this cake with as little as half the amount of sugar. That can be helpful if you’re looking to cut back on your sugar intake, or you’re planning to serve it with my caramel coconut topping.
This is the kind of cake that I could easily nibble all afternoon until there was nothing left, but if you have patience and intend to serve this for dessert, try a dollop of whipped cream, some fresh berries, or a scoop of ice cream. Readers also love chocolate sauce on top.
More fabulous cakes to try
Cake Recipes
Danish Layer Cake (Dansk Lagekage)
Chocolate Recipes
Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake
Cake Recipes
Vanilla Cheesecake
Cake Recipes
Pig Pickin Cake
Join Us
Hot Milk Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup milk (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup tube pan or Bundt cake pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in milk and vanilla and continue to heat until small bubbles form around the outside of the pan and the mixture is very hot but not boiling. Reduce heat to very low.
- Meanwhile, in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Once the egg and sugar mixture has tripled in volume, slowly add the hot milk mixture, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing after each addition until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, checking at 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean, with a few crumbs attached, but do not over-bake.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving plate to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Milk: This recipe uses a technique called scalding which heats the milk, thus the name Hot Milk Cake. Do not substitute buttermilk.
- Yield: This cake makes 12 delicious slices of Hot Milk Cake (or more or less depending on how you slice it).
- Storage: Store extra cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool Hot Milk Cake to room temperature, then wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
Wonderful cake. Tastes buttery, yet it has a light and spongy texture. Loooove it. Thanks for this delicious cake.
We love this cake! I just got one out of the oven for our family’s annual fourth of July celebration. We top ours with homemade strawberry freezer jam and whipped cream! I’m so glad I found this recipe!
I’m making right now, and am hoping it doesn’t spill over. I don’t know the size of my bunt pan but it seems like a lot of batter for it and I don’t know how much this cake rises…I put a baking tray underneath just in case
Please report back, Melissa! I feel like bundt pans are pretty much all once sized (I once tried to find a “bigger” one and could all find ones that were all the same no matter where I looked. But I’m glad you put a baking tray underneath just in case. Good insurance! I hope it works for you. I feel like you’ll have no problems. Crossing fingers!
Dear Meggan thanks for your prompt response
Dear, Meggan if I use electric oven for this recipe, will it affect the texture of the cake ?
also,if I separate the eggs and whip in the egg white will the result be good ?
Hello Louisa! I am sure an electric oven would be fine. I can’t see why not. You mean electric as opposed to gas, right? I am not sure about separating the eggs and whipping the whites. Sounds like more work to me! You could try it, I’d love to hear how it goes! Thanks.
My 13 year old and I have just made this. I have coeliac disease so substituted my favourite gluten free flour. And we made cheese recently from our raw milk, so had heaps of whey. So used that instead of milk. It was YUM! And for my daughter to comment that she couldn’t tell it was gluten free means it really was good 🙂 We have a new favourite cake. Thanks!
I have made Hot Milk Sponge cakes for years, as I grew up eating it. I am 75 years young,! Sometimes I bake it in a 9×13, with parchment paper, when cooked, remove from pan, let cool. I slice it in half horizontally then fill it with Cornstarch Pudding (another oldie recipe) put sliced bananas on top of the pudding, add top layer of cake, dust with Confectioners sugar. Refrigerate. Yummy. Now to go make one😋
Hi Meggan can I add maple extract instead of vanilla extract?
Hey Yazmin, yes of course! Whatever you want, maple sounds delicious. 🙂
It is unbelievable that I found this post today. I was talking to a friend yesterday about looking for my Hot Milk Sponge cake recipe as i “needed” to make one! Now I can stop looking and stzrt baking. I always add a. Chocolate fudge frosting
Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe is a winner. Thank you so much for this absolutely simple and delicious cake.I made it 2 days ago. We had a Hi Tea party at home and I wanted to bake something that perfectly goes with tea/coffee. all I heard there was cake , cake and cake !!! Lol 😀 and my Scottish bakery fan Father in law is very choosy about cakes but he loved it. I’m definitely going to make it again. Two thumbs up !!!
Hi Javaria, thank you so much for the wonderful comment! I’m so happy it worked out and everybody liked it. Makes my day. 🙂 Have a great weekend and thanks again, I appreciate you!