Here is a recipe for a deliciously moist old fashioned cake. I came across this recipe a couple of years ago and I am sure glad I did. With a couple of tweaks, it has been one of my favorite go to quick cakes since. It is super moist and stays that way for several days covered at room temperature. It is sturdy enough to hold up to a frosting, but I think it’s perfect with a dusting of confectionery sugar or with some berries and fresh whipped cream!
It is made by first beating the eggs, then adding the dry ingredients and lastly adding in a hot milk and butter mixture. It comes together quickly and is a great quick dessert. I love cakes that aren’t complicated and it’s even better if you don’t have to make a filling or frosting to go with it. I have also used this as a base to create other flavored cakes and will be sharing one of those creations in the near future including this delicious Moist Lemon Bundt Cake!!
Old Fashioned Hot Milk Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk I use whole milk, but 2% would work
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9x13 pan
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside
- In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thickened and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and beat in.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until smooth.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted. Gradually add to batter; beating just until combined. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve with a dusting of confectionery sugar or with some berries and whipped cream
Notes
I have also had success baking this in a bundt pan. Adapted from Taste of Home
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It’s like it was meant to be! I had exactly 1.25 cups of milk that I needed to use up when I found your recipe. I made it today, with slight modifications. I turned the butter into BROWNED butter (so much better than regular!) and use maple extract instead of vanilla. Thanks!
I love browned butter- great idea!
Great cake. Made it today…delicious
Oh yeah, and how big of a cake will i end up with?
It makes a 9 x 13 cake
Very late here, but SO happy to have found this delicious easy bake!
We have a birthday and I would love to use it as an excuse Tomane this recipe again have you ever tried it in cupcakes?
I haven’t made cupcakes out of this but I know others have successfully made cupcakes out of the lemon bundt cake- which is based on this recipe and very similar.
Oops- just noticed your note that this recipe is adapted from Taste of Home. Nevertheless, a terrific share. Thanks a bunch!
No problem- I was glad I found it on there- I get a lot of great recipes from them 🙂
Found the *exact* same recipe on Taste of Home website – my guess is that you shared it with them or they helped themselves to it. Either way, I’ve made this cake and it is really as easy and versatile as everyone says. A super easy sponge cake for sure. Offering my own divination: try adding 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to the flour mix. Lovely sturdy and no-fuss cake.
I Made two of these cakes and they both turned out so wonderful, light and fuffly….we loved them. Thanks for sharing your awesome reciept
Thank you, This is a great recipe- Was glad to find it myself!
Hi Amy I made the cake last night, I must have done something wrong, in the oven they looked amazing, light and fluffy and a great shape. as they cooled they felt like bricks and the texture was so dense and rock hard! The only thing I can think of was the flour, I whisked it in with the electric beaters, should I have folded it in as it did not give instructions, everyone else here seemed to have been successful, I would like to try again. Regards Jean Taylor
This is a very light fluffy cake, so something went wrong somewhere. I honestly use my stand mixer for this cake and just mix in the dry ingredients on low until combined. Once you add the hot milk mixture, the batter should have been thin and very pourable. I hope this helps.
Made this cake today and very well loved! Very soft and yummy, definitely make it again.
So glad you liked it. Thank you!
I’m a bit late to the party I think, so hopefully you will still take questions, but are you at high altitude? If not, how can I adjust for it?
Thanks!
I am not high altitude. I really am not sure how to adjust for that since I haven’t had any experience with it. Sorry I can’t be more help.
I used your recipe for a pineapple upside down cake. The entire family thought it was a work of wonder!! So versatile. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I have made it into pineapple upside down cake before too- it really lends itself to that!! So glad you liked it 🙂
Made this cake for christmas. This cake was a hit. Made brown sugar frosting with it. Making it again but with buttercream frosting. Thank you for the recipe….
Glad it was a hit and brown sugar frosting with it sounds great!
Hi, I have my cake in the oven. I have a doubt about the butter. 10 tablespoons is equivalent to what ? would it be 250 grs ? say 1tablespoon =25 grs ? it takes a lot of butter ? It looks delicious !!!!!!
I don’t bake in grams much. I just looked at my stick of butter and 1 stick is 113 grams and 1 stick is 8 Tablespoons. So that would be 14.125 grams per Tablespoon. So with my math I get it should be 141.25 grams. I hope it still turned out for you.
Such a good recipe! I halved the sugar (I don’t like things too sweet) and cooked it in a bundt pan and it turned out amazingly fluffy and moist. The texture is great–I topped the cake with some marmalade and might add cardamom next time I make it. Thank you!
I’m glad it turned out good for you and even with half the sugar. Will have to try cutting the sugar sometime myself 🙂
Can this be modified to be made in bundt pan? Also, any benefit/disadvantages you see to doing a turbinado or pure cane sugar vs the traditional white granulated sugar?
Yes it can be made in a bundt pan- I used this recipe to make my lemon bundt cake and it works great! You have to grease and flour the pan well and watch the baking time, although i don’t think it changes much. I actually only use the unrefined pure cane sugar, not white granulated, and it works fine. I have never used turbinado sugar though. Hope this helps 🙂
Thank you! This is super helpful!
One more question… Couple I split one batch across two loaf pans (or double the recipe and split across 3 loaf pans?) if so, which quantity split is more recommended and any alterations you suggest to bake time?
I have never baked this in anything but a 9×13 or bundt pan so I am not sure. If I were going to attempt it, I would probably try to split a single recipe into 2 or 3 pans depending on how thick you want the layers. I just wouldn’t overfill the pans and would really watch the time since I am not sure how long it would take. I’m sorry I can’t be more help but let me know if you give it a try and how it works out.
Worked beautifully! Spread 1 batch over 3 loaf pans. Very little adjustment to cook time. Such a resilient recipe! Thank you!
Thank you for letting me know- I am really glad it worked out. This is really a great simple cake!!
Amy !!! Its sureshot one if the best cakes I’ve ever baked !
Came out perfect ! Sooo fluffy sooo soooo yummy ! Mom loved it too.
Thanks for such a gorgeous recipe
I am so glad you liked it! I have loved this recipe ever since I discovered it too. Thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂
Hey, my cake is in the oven.
Just one small doubt, is the batter a bit runny ??
Yes – when you pour the hot milk in it makes the batter very thin and “runny” but should cook up fine 🙂
I just made this cake, and it is FANTASTIC!!! I used almond extract instead of vanilla, for something different (I’ve been doing mainly vanilla and chocolate cakes, lately).
This recipe is a keeper!!!
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it! That’s a great idea to use almond extract.
Hello, may I ask which type of sugar should I use? Granulated or powder? I am going to be converting these to grams so I hope I don’t mess anything:) Also thanks for this lovely recipe.
I use granulated sugar for baking this cake and I dust the top with powdered sugar. I hope this clears things up and I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Thanks for quick reply, I will try it as soon as I have some free time.
just made this and it’s absolutely fantastic!
definitely a crowd pleaser, everyone is already going for seconds. I topped mine with just a bit of confectioners sugar and it’s so delicious, very moist and sweet but not overwhelming.
There aren’t a lot of recipes I like to repeat but I definitely plan on making this again in the future.
I am so glad you liked it! I just love the simplicity of this cake and it is delicious 🙂
oh that looks wonderful!
Thank you!- We love this cake- It’s great right out of the oven and stays moist for several days!