1950s Hot Milk Sponge Cake
Baking this vintage treat is incredibly easy. The whole family will love our hot milk sponge cake recipe.
Old-fashioned cake recipes are some of the best because they use simple ingredients and always turn out great. This 1950s Hot Milk Sponge Cake is a light cake recipe that has a lovely texture and flavor. It's sturdy enough to carry the frosting. If you prefer something lighter, simply top it with whipped cream and fruit. This simple cake recipe from scratch is no more work than mixing up a cake mix, yet much more delicious.
This popular vintage recipe was especially famous in the 1950s when Betty Crocker released a version of the already-popular technique. Our hot milk cake is easy to make and fantastic for newbies. Unlike other sponge cake recipes, this hot milk sponge cake does not require you to separate the eggs before beating them.
Yields8 slices
Preparation Time10 min
Cooking Time30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Optional: Fresh fruit or powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line with a round of parchment paper.
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Measure flour, baking powder, and salt into a sifter or sieve and sift together. Heat milk in microwave for 20-25 seconds. Drop the butter into the milk to melt it.
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With an electric mixer on high, beath eggs 3 minutes until thick and lemon-colored. With machine running, gradually add sugar, then stir in the dry ingredients, mixing just until all dry particles are incorporated. Stir in hot milk-butter mixture and add vanilla until well blended.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes until cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted in the center. Remove pan to a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely.
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Serve garnished with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Hot Milk Cake History
What is hot milk cake?
Hot milk cake gets its name and distinct flavor from the addition of scalded milk into the traditional batter. It differs from other well-known sponge cake recipes because it contains eggs that are beaten whole (instead of whipping yolks and whites separately) and uses baking powder as leavening.
Where did it originate?
Hot milk cake has been popular for centuries at this point. Recipes for this unique recipe can be found in cookbooks from the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century. These cookbooks are often written by well-to-do upper and middle-class women who are were writing for a lower-class, inexperienced audience. Hot milk cake offered an easy way to make a sponge cake for inexperienced home cooks. It was later made famous in many homes after it appeared as a Betty Crocker recipe.
Source: Bygone Food and Recipes