Hot Milk Yellow Cake

A super moist and buttery cake for almost any occasion.

1 hour

Serves: 10-12

Medium

This cake is a bit of a challenge but it is so worth it for the end result that is buttery but light with a punch of vanilla flavor. It goes perfectly with Grandma's Fudge Icing.

Hot Milk Yellow Cake is not a cake a remembered when I first looked at the recipe card. The name wasn’t really familiar and the ingredients looks like most yellow cakes. But having the first slice I sure was treated to a great memory of having this cake at some point growing up. What really makes it special is the technique of using warm milk in the batter. It’s definitely one of the most moist cakes I’ve ever had and has a good amount of vanilla to really give it a taste and texture that stands on its own. That being said, it pairs wonderfully with Grandama’s Fudge Icing.

This cake is not one I would choose to make as your first cake as it is a bit trickier than some. The heated milk and melted butter being added to the batter is really the only challenge here and if you do that with care, you’ll be fine. And the effort will certainly be worth it. You just want to make sure that the milk is very warm / slightly hot and the butter is melted but that you add it slowly to the batter so that you don’t cook the eggs. Go steady and slow and the end result will be great.

Grandma’s recipe called for this cake to be baked as a sheet cake in a 13″x9″ tray, which would be great. I wanted to try my hand at doing a layered cake with it so instead I baked it in two, 9-inch round cake pans. If using a 13″x9″ tray you just need to treat pan with baker’s spray or butter and flour. If using round cake pans, you’ll want to also add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan so that it’s easy to release the cake after baking. Cake pans will also cook a bit faster so be sure to check them a little earlier towards the end of the bake.

Definitely give this recipe a try. I usually don’t go crazy over cake – it’s not my favorite thing – but this one might change my mind. The end result was sure worth the effort and I can’t wait to make it again. If you do give it a try, let me know what you think in the comments and share a picture of it with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes).

Steps:

Preheat Oven to 350º
Mix Dry Ingredients & Set Aside
In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder until evenly distributed. Set aside.
Beat Eggs and Sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) add the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium high until light and fluffy. This should take about 4-5 minutes. You'll noticed the volume increases and the mixture becomes very pale.
Heat Milk and Butter
While the eggs are going, you can get warming the milk and butter. In a medium saucepan, add the milk and butter and warm over low heat. You want the mixture to be warm enough to melt the butter but not so hot that it begins to bubble. If you start to see it getting close to boiling, just lower the heat. If you don't have a stand mixer and are using a hand mixer to beat the eggs, just do this step once the eggs are done.
Add Dry Ingredients
Once the eggs have been properly beaten and the milk and butter is being warmed, add the dry ingredients mixture (the flour and baking powder) to the eggs in two batches. Add the first half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and again mix on low until all the flour is incorporated and you don't see any dry clumps.
Add Vanilla and Pour Into Batter
Next, remove the milk and butter from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Then, with the mixer running on medium low, slowly pour the hot milk and butter into the batter so that all ingredients are combined. Be careful that the milk isn't so hot that it cooks the eggs. If you think that it might be - just take extra care to slowly add the hot mixture so that it tempers the batter.
Batter Done - Prep Pans
Once the milk has all been added. Set aside and prep your baking pan(s). Use one 13"x9" pan or two 9" circle pans for a round layer cake. Spray the pan(s) with baking spray or a thin layer of butter sprinkled well with flour. If you're using two round pans, make sure that each pans has close to the same amount.
Bake Cakes for 30-35 minutes.
Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. They are done once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After baking, allow them to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. If using a 13"x9" pan, you can just leave the cake in it. If making a round layer cake, after the five minutes cooling, tip the cakes out on the wire rack to cool completely out of the pans. Allow cake to come to room temperature before frosting - at least one hour.
Frost and Serve
Once the cake is room temperature, frost and decorate as desired. This cake is best the day it's made, but will keep in the fridge for up to four days.