This simple Hot Milk Cake recipe is one of those vintage recipes that no matter which century you make it in, it will always be a hit! This cake calls for ingredients anyone would have on-hand and is great plain, with powdered sugar, alongside fresh fruit or in this case with caramel drizzled all over it.

Hot Milk Cake Recipe. This easy to make, vintage sponge cake can be made in a variety of ways. Shown in a bundt cake form glazed with caramel and speckled with pomegranate arils.

My Polish grandmom called this a Hot Milk and Butter Cake, and I guess it's because you simultaneously heat up the milk and butter before you add it in to the batter. She served it plain and once I remember her making a white frosting for it and sprinkling it with coconut for an Easter cake. Food memories are the best!

This scrumptious Hot Milk Cake recipe can be whipped up pretty quick. The browning of the outside of the cake is delicious and to me the best part actually (and it goes so good with caramel).

I have made a couple of tweaks to the recipe over the years, adding more sugar (since back when this cake was first being made...sugar was rationed), and I add some heavy cream to make it richer (since over the decades fat content in milk has gone down).

Table of Contents

Ingredients Hot Milk Cake

eggs
sugar
butter
whole milk
heavy cream
vanilla extract
flour
baking powder & salt

Hot Milk Cake Recipe. Shown as a bundt cake glazed with caramel up close.

Variations

This is a simple cake with simple ingredients which is why it works in my opinion. As far as variations go, I'd say that would be how you garnish it.
Drizzle with caramel as I have done here, or chocolate or add some fruit or fresh whipped cream (or both). Dust with powdered sugar as my grandmother often did. She would also sometimes frost with chocolate frosting which was yummy!
You can also make this as a sheet cake or even as a layer cake.

Tips

Don't skip warming the milk, butter and cream that's part of what make this cake what it is.
This cake will hold up well for a few days.
This is a nice and tender sponge cake with a bit of crumb. That's what you are looking for.
Change up how you decorate this Hot Milk Cake or garnish it with the holiday or season.

Who wants a slice??

Slice of Hot Milk Cake glazed with caramel speckled with pomegranate arils.

You can make this cake ahead of time and it will keep well in an airtight container. You can freeze it as well. Just don't top it (if you even choose to top it) with caramel sauce, powdered sugar or frosting in advance, add whichever you enjoy shortly before you plan on devouring it, errr I mean...eat it!

My kids and husband LOVE this cake! It's one dessert the whole family enjoys! Love when that happens! Enjoy! XO Colleen

Originally published February, 2017. Updated April, 2025.

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Colleen Kennedy is the author of 3 cookbooks and has appeared on QVC and other shows inspiring home cooks of all levels. She has a popular TikTok channel @ColleensCooking with hundreds of short recipe videos. Colleen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, she started the food blog, Soufflé Bombay in 2009. Read more about her here.