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Hot Milk Cake

Hot milk cake, an old-fashioned treat, is fine-grained, moist, high-rising, and wonderfully tasty. It can be enjoyed as is, in all its buttery glory; or paired with the icing of your choice — or fudge topping or thick caramel sauce, as shown here. This recipe comes to us courtesy of Chef Zeb Stevenson, of Atlanta's Watershed on Peachtree restaurant, which is served at the restaurant with caramel sauce and sea salt.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cake

Servings:

Author: Kingarthurflour.com

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan that's at least 2" deep.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until they're light and fluffy, about 2 minutes at medium-high speed using an electric or stand mixer. Slowly beat in the canola oil.
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then add to the egg mixture in the bowl. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat again, to fully incorporate any sticky bits.
In a saucepan set over medium heat, bring the butter and milk just to a boil. Add the vanilla. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir the mixture until the butter is completely melted. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the cake batter, mixing until everything is well combined. Scrape the bowl, and mix briefly, just until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top feels set. Remove the cake from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.
Serve in squares, as is. Or top with icing or sauce. If you use caramel sauce, a sprinkle of flaked sea salt is a wonderful addition.
This recipe comes to us courtesy of Chef Zeb Stevenson, of Atlanta's Watershed on Peachtree restaurant, which is served at the restaurant with caramel sauce and sea salt.
CARAMEL SAUCE
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold water
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla; or 1/4 teaspoon butter-rum or butterscotch flavor; or 1 tablespoon rum
To make the caramel sauce: Place the sugar, salt, and water in a deep, heavy-bottom saucepan; it should be at least 2-quart capacity, as the syrup will bubble up during preparation. Stir to combine, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to help it along, until the mixture starts to bubble.
When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and watch carefully. The syrup will begin to turn golden around the edges. Shake the pan in a swirling motion to keep the syrup moving, and to prevent the edges from burning before the center colors. Stir the edges in towards the center occasionally.
After a couple of minutes, the syrup will begin to darken. If it looks like it's getting dry/crystallized on top, stir until it's syrupy again. As soon as it's a rich amber color, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter; the whole cooking process, start to finish, will probably take no more than 5 to 10 minutes, so don't walk away.
Once the butter has been absorbed, stir in the cream. Stir until smooth; don't worry, it'll seem lumpy at first, but will smooth out. Add the vanilla or flavor of your choice; butter-rum is tasty. Or stir in a tablespoon of rum.
When the sauce is smooth, let it sit in the pan for a couple of minutes before pouring it into a glass or ceramic container to cool. Cool to room temperature, and store in the refrigerator. Reheat briefly before serving.