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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
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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.
My ex made this as a hot milk orange cake. I know he used htated orange peel and used the juice from the orange. Would you know how much juice to use.
Hi Debbie, that sounds delicious! I wouldn’t know without testing it. I won’t have time to test it anytime soon, but I can add it to my list for the future. Sorry about that! Thanks. -Meggan
Awesome recipe.!
I add a 1 teaspoon of cinnamon too.
Made this cake yesterday with cake flour and 1 and 3/4 cups sugar. Took it out after 55 minutes. It’s delicious! This will be a favorite. So glad I found it- thank you!
Hello,
Can this be made with cake flour instead? Would all measurements remain the same?
Hi Tia, I think you should be able to make it with cake flour, but I have never personally made it that way. It could change the texture a little bit, and may cause it to rise more. If I were testing it this way today, I would keep all measurements the same, and plan to keep the bake time the same, but do make sure to check it 5-10 minutes before the full hour. Good luck! -Meggan
Thank you for your response. If I want to add chocolate chips, how much quantity would you suggest?
Hi Tia, I have never done it with chocolate chips either, I’m so sorry about that. I looked back through the comments though, and found this response from a reader: “My mother made this cake. Therefore I make this cake all the time . This is my go to cake Sometime I put in finely chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips. It makes a great layer cake (8or 9 inch pans (30 min). Cupcakes just adjust time (25-30 min) My aunt Made this cake during the war using water instead of milk.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t specify what quantity to use. I would try 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Good luck!
I made this with cake flour. Although the edges were fluffy the center was super hard and had big gaps. Could you suggest if it was under baked or over baked?
Hi Tia, I’m guessing it was over-baked. It sounds like the cake flour substitution didn’t work very well. I’m really sorry about that. It’s always risky to change recipes, I wish I had to a chance to test it before you did but I didn’t have time. I’m sorry about that. It’s a project for another day for sure! Thanks. -Meggan
That’s why I wish recipes use weights not volume. I use cake flour in my recipe of hot milk cake and it comes out fluffy with fine crumb. The difference is that a cup of flour is 125 g if measured properly, not packed. Cake flour is 115 grams. If you use a scale, you will use 250 g no matter what flour you use. If you measure by cup, you need to add around 2 tablespoons cake flour to substitute for each cup flour. 2 cups all purpose flour equal 2 1/4 cups cake flour.
People get different results on a good recipe because they measure a cup of flour by volume and it can be anywhere from 120 g to 150 g depending how packed the flour is when measured. Too little flour, cake sinks, too much, cake is hard and dry.
I just made this cake. What a wonderful addition to my recipe folder. Can do so many variations, or just have it plain. Love it!
Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it Linda! Take care! -Meggan
I’m not able to give the recipe 5 stars because I’m wondering why my cake has black dots on it. I just flipped it out of the Bundt pan and the bottom and sides have many of them. Any suggestions? I followed the recipe as written.
Hi Suzie, I’ve never heard of anyone having this problem. The only thing I can think of is that there was some reside left in the pan before you put in the batter? I’m really not sure, but feel free to send me a picture if you have one. I’m very sorry about that. -Meggan meggan@culinaryhill.com
This was so good! Very easy to make & a big hit. I used a bundt cake pan and had no problems. Made it with no substitutions. Very light and just sweet enough. Family wants it again!
I made the chocolate version with the caramel coconut topping. It was awesome! I made extra of the topping and I am glad I did only because my cake was slightly dry (I think it needed less time with the cocoa powder added to it or more liquid to compensate for that) and the extra sauce on each slice plus a scoop of vanilla bean homemade ice cream just made it divine. By far my favorite way to make chocolate cake though! Can’t wait to try the original with some lemon curd or some berry compote!
My mother made this cake. Therefore I make this cake all the time . This is my go to cake Sometime I put in finely chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips. It makes a great layer cake (8or 9 inch pans (30 min). Cupcakes just adjust time (25-30 min) My aunt Made this cake during the war using water instead of milk. She still did after the war.It tasted good only difference it was a bit heavier. My daughter when she was 6 made her uncle a feared cake each layer a different color red yellow green blue (very bold and bright) using wedding cake pans it tasted great …..if you wore sunglasses or closed your eyes,
Hi Meggan
This came out perfectly, just reduced the sugar to 1.75 cups instead of 2 cups – which was the perfect level of sweetness for us. Quick question – how long can it be stored at room temp in an airtight tin?
Thank you
Hi Reshma, I’m really glad you could change the recipe to suit your taste! That’s awesome. I would say the cake will be good for about 4 days at room temperature. In theory it could be longer, but I just suggest and go by the CDC regulations. You can always freeze part of it if you don’t think you’ll eat it all. That’s what I do with pretty much every cake I make – freeze half. Thank you! Take care. -Meggan