Celebrating Mom’s Birthday with a Hot Milk Sponge Cake!
Happy Birthday to my mom today!!! She would kill me if I exposed her age, so I’m going to be respectful and not mention that. 🙂 In our family, our birthday tradition consists of the following: if it’s your birthday you get to choose the cake/dessert you want and where or what you want to eat. This can range from anything like a fancy Seafood and Steak restaurant like Truluck’s or as simple as your favorite home-cooked meal.
The time of year always seems to influence what our birthday desserts and dinners consist of. Since today is June 26, and a few weeks into summer, my mom picked a light dessert with fruit. For her birthday this year, she requested a Hot Milk Sponge Cake. It was one of my grandfather’s favorite desserts, and is probably the easiest cake I’ve ever made in my life. I prepared, baked the cake from scratch, and cleaned up the kitchen in just about 45 minutes! In addition to being super easy to make, this cake is delightfully light, airy, sweet, and a delicious summer dessert. It yields itself to a creative presentation as well. You can top this cake with fresh, seasonal berries and whipped cream, or even serve it with some sweet vanilla ice cream, or even lemon or lime curd.
I would also consider this Hot Milk Sponge Cake pretty healthy. Unlike pound cake (which gets its name from a pound of butter), this cake has only 2 tablespoons of butter and skim milk! The rest of the cake includes typical ingredients such as flour, eggs, and sugar. The sugar is the only “unhealthy” thing about this cake. I guess you could make it with Splenda if you wanted (I’ve never used Splenda, so don’t ask me how it affects the taste.)
Enjoy this wonderful light and delicious summer cake!
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter is melted.
Beat eggs on high for 3 minutes.
Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add flour mixture. Finally add the hot milk and butter, and then vanilla. Beat until combined.
Pour batter into greased and floured baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Garnish with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Hot Milk Sponge Cake Ingredients 1 cup sifted flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup milk 2 Tbsp butter 2 eggs 1 cup suar 1 tsp vanilla
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. 2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts. Keep hot. 4. Beat eggs for 3 minutes on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes. 5. Add sifted ingredients to egg mixture and mix. Then add milk and vanilla and combine. 6. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool in a pan a wire rack.
Yield: one 9 x 9-inch pan Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, 1976 edition.
