Crazy for Hot Milk Cake & Caramel Frosting

Our family has discovered Hot Milk Cake and boy oh boy, has it become a cake of choice around here!  Apparently, it has a LONG history of being an old-fashioned favorite.  So glad we've discovered this classic!

Every year, for birthdays, our kids rummage through cookbooks and choose a cake they'd like me to bake for them.  When my girlie's birthday rolled around in April she picked a beautiful fondant draped cake from my Miette cookbook.  The first few lines describing the cake were something to the effect of, "This cake is VERY challenging..."

Oh great!  Well, I tried.  Baked the cake, but it never received the fondant drape because the kids basically inhaled it right out of the oven.  I guess they liked it, but I was faced with baking another one for her birthday.

Instead of doing the "challenging" Miette repeat, I went on an online search and quickly came across Taste of Home's Hot Milk Cake recipe.  I should have known Taste of Home would showcase a tried-and-true homemade favorite and their recipe was much easier than Miette's.

This week, my oldest had another Hot Milk Cake craving so he whipped up this one topped with Penuche Frosting, a.k.a. Caramel Frosting.

Hot Milk Cake w/Caramel Frosting
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
10 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions

In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored.  Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth.

In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted.  Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined.

Pour into a greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Make frosting (as follows) and frost cake.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring mixture to a boil and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add heavy cream and return to a boil.   Remove pan from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until frosting is creamy and smooth.  Spread frosting over cooled cake.

This cake disappears quickly!