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Hot Milk Cake is a classic, old-fashioned dessert that's as simple as it is delicious. Made with warm milk and pantry staples, this easy cake boasts a rich, fluffy texture reminiscent of pound cake.
My Great-Grandma's Hot Milk Cake
Along with saltine toffee, Texas sheet cake, and banana cake, this hot milk cake recipe was passed down from my great-grandma, the beloved baker in my family. When I think of her, I fondly think of lace doilies, crystal figurines, and tins of baked goods! She always had a treat (or ten) waiting to share with her family, her neighbors, and friends.
But back to Hot Milk Cake! This cherished recipe uses really simple ingredients, yet delivers a cake that is moist, buttery, and perfectly sweet without being too sweet. Perfect for a birthday, hosting a holiday gathering, or as my great-grandma would say, just to celebrate another day on earth!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Ingredients & Substitutions
Hot Milk Cake uses REALLY basic baking staples: eggs, butter, milk, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. However, I've successfully made this recipe both gluten-free and dairy-free and want to share those modifications in case you need them. My great-grandma would want everyone to enjoy her treats!
- Gluten-Free Hot Milk Cake: Use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-Free Option: It may sound like an oxymoron to make a non-dairy hot milk cake, but I have done it successfully. Use unflavored, unsweetened almond or soy milk in place of the milk, along with your favorite non-dairy stick butter. Because non-dairy butter is typically hard to find unsalted, omit the added salt from the cake batter.
How to Make Hot Milk Cake
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sift dry ingredients. Sifting the flour with baking powder and salt will help keep this cake light and fluffy.
- Beat eggs until thick, then add sugar and vanilla. Beating the eggs until thick and bubbly will give this simple cake structure and rise. Once the eggs are thickened, add in the sugar and vanilla and mix again.
- Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Use a gentle hand when folding the flour mixture with the egg mixture. This will ensure you don't overwork the cake, which can result in a dense, tough cake.
- Warm the milk with the butter. Warm the milk and butter together over low heat until the milk is just slightly bubbling and the butter has fully melted.
- Slowly add the warmed milk into the cake batter. To prevent the hot milk mixture from cooking the eggs in the batter, slowly drizzle the mixture into the batter while the mixer is running or while you are whisking the batter together.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the batter to a buttered 9x13 cake pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry or with just a few small crumbs.
- Cool before dusting with powdered sugar. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for 10 minutes, then invert it out onto a baking rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar (or frost if desired).
Kristen's Key Tips
While this recipe is super simple, there are a few pointers I want to share to help you achieve perfect results.
- Let the eggs come to room temperature. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before baking the cake to allow them to fully come to room temperature before baking this cake, as this helps the cake batter combine more cohesively.
- Use any milk you have on hand. While whole milk will yield a richer batter, this recipe works using any fat percentage of milk you have on hand. In fact, it even works with unflavored, non-dairy milk.
- Yes, you need to warm the milk! The hot milk and butter give the cake a distinctive fine-grained texture.
- No frosting needed! Hot Milk Cake is rich and buttery enough; it needs nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar. But feel free to jazz it up with your favorite frosting or serve with homemade whipped cream, berries, or a drizzle of hot fudge or caramel. I love it with a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream.
- Make a trifle. Layer cooled cubed cake with vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and berries for a stunning (and delicious) dessert.
- Not serving a crowd? This cake recipe turns out delicious when cut in half. Simply cut the ingredients in half and bake for 5 minutes less in an 8×8 cake pan.
Storage Instructions
- At Room Temperature/Refrigerate: Store any leftover cooled cake covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Cool the cake fully, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil, or place it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
More Simple Homemade Dessert Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
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Hot Milk Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more greasing the pan
- 1 cup whole milk
- powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fresh berries, for serving
Instructions
- Take 4 large eggs out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before baking the cake to allow them to fully come to room temperature.
- When ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Generously grease a 9×13 cake pan with butter and set aside.
- Over a medium mixing bowl, sift the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon table salt together. Whisk together to ensure that everything is evenly combined.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until thick and bubbly.
- Gradually add 2 cups granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed for another 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and blend until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine and fully moisten the flour. Set this mixture aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 cup whole milk. Heat over low heat until the butter has melted, whisking often. Once the butter has fully melted, remove the pan from the heat.
- While whisking, or with the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle the milk and butter into the cake batter, mixing until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream and berries.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally shared in 2023 and updated in 2025.
This is the first time I made Hot Milk Cake. My husband requested this cake for his birthday. He said his family made it often and it is his favorite. Your recipe came to my email just in time. Everyone loved it!!! This recipe is a keeper. I plan to make it again very soon.
Hi Joan! Happy belated birthday to your husband. I am thrilled that my recipe fit his request and that everyone enjoyed it so much. Thanks for sharing 🙂