Soft & Simple Hot Milk Cake
This old-fashioned hot milk cake is a must-share recipe from my grandmother’s recipe book. It’s a soft, but dense cake that reminds me of a cross between vanilla cake and pound cake. It’s topped off with a decadent fudgy frosting. I’ve re-created so many of my grandmother’s recipes (have you tried her apple dumplings?!), but this is definitely one of my family’s favorites! There’s a lot to love about this cake, but it’s that thick, luscious, glossy, fudgy layer of chocolate frosting that really gets me. At first glance, the icing resembles a classic chocolate ganache, but it’s actually quite different. It’s very easy to make on the stove, and the end result is a smooth, glossy frosting that reminds me of fudge once it’s cooled. My grandmother would make this for dessert every Sunday, but it would make a unique birthday cake or snacking cake as well. It’s also a perfect recipe for bakers who struggle with decorating, since the icing just gets poured on. So simple, yet so satisfying!
What You Need
This cake comes together with a few basic ingredients. You’ll need:
Baking powder. I accidentally say baking soda in the video, but it’s baking powder you need.Eggs. For best results, make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you start.Milk. The star of the recipe! I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe and recommend you do the same for best results. An alternative or lower fat milk may result in a cake that’s a little dry.Chocolate. You’ll need some chopped unsweetened baking chocolate for today’s frosting. Many of you have asked if you can use cocoa powder instead of unsweetened chocolate. While I think this could work I’m not sure exactly how much you’d need. Butter. My grandmother’s original recipe used shortening in the frosting, but I prefer butter. You can use whatever you like!
SAM’S TIP: I made today’s cake in a bundt pan, but I use a 13×9 in my video. The recipe includes instructions for baking in either dish. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Hot Milk Cake
SAM’S TIP: Switch to a spatula once you begin combining your wet and dry ingredients to avoid over-mixing your cake. An over-mixed cake will be dry. One of my sisters is known for cutting her slices of this cake extra wide on top and narrowed to practically nothing at the bottom to maximize her frosting to cake ratio. Smart! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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