Hot Milk Cake

On a stained, crumpled paper was written the following:

Hot Milk Cake
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tea. Baking powder
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup hot milk

This paper, with many others, was shoved in the back of my great-grandmother’s kitchen cabinet. This “recipe” was merely a list of ingredients. Like a secret code, I set out to decipher this family treasure. One of my aunts had warned me that Grandma Helen often left out an ingredient (or two) when she gave out her recipes. This did not make me feel any better about tackling this recipe – but why would she leave out something in a recipe she used herself?

This cake had an interesting texture. It was certainly not as tender as a boxed cake mix, but its sturdy texture worked well with the jam. The center did not get too soggy or go off, as often happens with very moist cakes. I recommend this cake with jam in the winter, but you could certainly use fresh fruit and cream in the summer. The cake can absorb some of the liquid from the fruit, without loosing too much of its structure.

I used whole milk with this recipe, since there is no butter included. My only additions were the salt and the vanilla. Next time I may increase the vanilla to a full teaspoon, but a ½ teaspoon worked will with the jam center.

2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups flour

4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°

Using two 9-inch round cake pans, trace circles on to parchment paper, cut out and place in bottom of pan (be sure that the side with ink in facing the bottom). Grease and flour the sides of the pans. Set aside.

Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside.

In standing mixer, beat eggs for three minutes, until pale and fluffy. (They should increase in volume.) Meanwhile, place milk in small saucepan over medium-low heat. You want to scald the milk (heat until a few bubbles come up on the sides). Make sure the milk does not burn while you continue preparing the batter.

To the eggs, slowly add the sugar, beating all the while (total of five minutes). Lower the speed of the mixer. When the milk is warm enough, begin slowly adding a spoonful or two of flour, then some of the warm milk to the egg mixture. Alternate the two ingredients, ending with a small amount of flour.

Divide batter into the prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on racks for ten minutes. Run a butter knife along the sides of the pans, and flip cake out on to racks. Peel back parchment, allow cakes to cool completely.

Place bottom cake layer on plate, spoon jam on top. Top with remaining cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve with whipped cream.