Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Before you start

Hot milk cake is a plain, home-style cake that sits between a sponge and a butter cake. The lift comes mainly from eggs and sugar beaten until thick and pale, backed up by baking powder, and the hot milk with melted butter is added last. The warm liquid loosens the batter so it bakes into a fine, moist crumb with a thin, sugary crust.

It is one of the more forgiving cakes to make because it needs no creaming and no room-temperature butter. The only real risk is the final mix: pouring hot liquid into a whipped batter can knock out the air, so temper it with a scoop of batter first and fold gently.

Ingredients

• 250 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 4 large eggs — room temperature
• 400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 240 ml (1 cup) whole milk
• 140 g (10 tbsp) unsalted butter — cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar — for dusting, optional

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack in the center. Grease and flour the pan, or line it with parchment with an overhang on the long sides.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then sift them once to remove lumps.
3. Beat the eggs on medium-high for 1 minute, then gradually add the sugar. Keep beating for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale and falls from the whisk in a ribbon that sits on the surface for a few seconds. Beat in the vanilla.
4. While the eggs whip, heat the milk and butter in the saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the milk is steaming with small bubbles at the edge. Do not let it boil over. Take it off the heat.
5. Sift the flour mixture over the eggs in two additions and fold it in gently with the spatula, or mix on the lowest speed for a few seconds, until no dry pockets remain.
6. Stir about a cupful of batter into the hot milk to temper it. Pour this back into the batter and fold or mix on low just until smooth. The batter will be thin; that is correct.
7. Pour into the pan and tap it once on the counter to release large bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden, springy in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for about 1 hour. Dust with powdered sugar, or top it with fruit and whipped cream, and cut into squares.

Tips for success

• The ribbon stage is the heart of this cake. Underwhipped eggs give a flat, dense cake no matter how fresh the baking powder is.
• Keep the milk hot until you need it. If it cools completely, the butter can firm into flecks that sink to the bottom.
• Use a light-colored metal pan. Glass and dark pans brown the edges before the center sets.

Substitutions

Whole milk

2% milk works with a slightly less rich crumb. Avoid skim, which gives a drier, more rubbery texture.

9 x 13 pan

Bake in a greased and floured 25 cm (10 in) tube pan for 40 to 50 minutes. The cake is taller and lighter, more like a classic sponge.

Vanilla extract

Use the finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange plus 1 tsp vanilla for a fresher, citrus-scented cake.

Variations

Broiled coconut topping

Melt 60 g butter with 100 g brown sugar and 3 tbsp milk, stir in 80 g sweetened shredded coconut, spread over the warm cake and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until bubbling and golden.

Strawberry shortcake squares

Split cooled squares, fill with sliced sugared strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream, and serve right away.

Troubleshooting

Cake is flat with a dense, wet layer at the bottom

The eggs were not whipped long enough or the hot milk was poured in too fast and deflated them. Beat to a thick ribbon and temper the milk with some batter first.

Center sank after baking

It was underbaked or the oven door was opened early. Bake until the center springs back and a toothpick is clean, and wait at least 25 minutes before checking.

Pockets of flour in the crumb

The flour was dumped in all at once. Sift it in two additions and fold from the bottom of the bowl so nothing stays trapped.

Storage

Cover the plain cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze wrapped squares for up to 2 months. Refrigerate any pieces topped with whipped cream or fresh fruit and eat them within a day.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw batter, which contains raw egg and raw flour. Contains wheat, egg and milk.