H for Hot Milk Sponge Cake - Day 8

The Hot Milk Sponge cake is popular in the USA. I wasn’t able to find any clear history regarding its origin. Usually, sponge cakes are made by separating the eggs – and beating the yolks and whites separately. The texture thus achieved is different. In a Hot Milk Sponge cake however, the eggs are not separated and it gets it distinct taste from the hot milk added to the cake.

This cake is light, has a fine crumb to it and is moist. It makes for the perfect tea-time cake. It needs no icing, and is tasty on its own, Initially I was planning on making a chocolate buttercream but when I had a taste of the cake I felt it was good on its own.

H for HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE:

You will need:

Makes: One 8-inch cake

Recipe adapted from here

2 Eggs

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1cup All-purpose flour plus 2 tbsp

1 tsp Baking powder

¼ tsp Salt

1 cup Milk plus 2 tbsp

5 tbsp Unsalted Butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8-inch baking pan. You can use a smaller cake pan to achieve a taller cake layer.

In the bowl of stand mixer, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, another 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add it to the batter on low speed until just combined.

In a small pan, heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Add this to the batter slowly and beat until combined.

Now I must share this, when I first came to the US and started to bake cakes following recipes here, almost every single recipe had salt in it. I felt that very strange, salt in a sweet recipe, but I began to understand that salt actually cuts the sharp sweetness and makes the end product taste better. This recipe doesn’t call for salt but I feel it needs it and have added it. I tried it the first time as is and could immediately tell what was missing…salt! Its amazing how a tiny amount can make a big difference in taste.

Pour into prepared pan and bake fore 30 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Once done, remove cake from pan and cool on a rack completely, before slicing. This is my bake for the Letter H for BM #75. 

BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: 

A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA

B for BASBOUSA - EGYPT
C for CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS - FRANCE
D for DAMPER BREAD - AUSTRALIA
E for EMPANADAS - MEXICO
F for FLAN MEXICANO - MEXICO
G for GRISSINI BREADSTICKS - ITALY

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75

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