One of my babies is sick today. I had a feeling when I dropped her off at school that this would happen. Don't you hate it when you don't listen to your gut? Anyhoo, she's resting comfortably now while her busy-body mama pecks away on the computer. I answered a few emails, dutifully checked Facebook to see what all of my 800+ closest friends were doing with their valuable time, and decided I would use mine to post about my grandma's amazing Hot Milk Cake that I made on Monday.
Grandma Lu (short for Lucy) was my dad's mom. Everything I learned about kitchen efficiency I learned from her. She was the quintessential grandma; she always had an adventure planned, and always had something delicious waiting in the kitchen when you were hungry.
My sister and I spent summers and holidays in Greensboro, NC with our grandparents when we were little. Grandma Lu and Grandpop were retired, and enjoyed all the things that retired people enjoyed: other people their age, hobbies, traveling, and their grandchildren.
Grandpop's hobbies were restoring old things - clocks and cars mainly, but you could always find something disassembled in his shop that he was tinkering with. Grandma Lu's hobby was anything that happened in the kitchen. She loved to bake, loved to cook and entertain her family, loved to share recipes, and loved to organize. You won't believe this, but Grandma Lu ironed her kitchen towels. True story! She always said they fit better in the drawers. Genius.
Hot Milk Cake was as common in Grandma's kitchen as sliced bread was in anyone else's. Whenever we went to visit, it was there. We had it for breakfast, we had it for dessert. We ate it on road trips, and we almost always took some of it home when it was time to go back to New Mexico.
Hot Milk Cake is my Grandma Lu's legacy to me, my kids, and now, to you.
Grandma Lu sent any recipe she shared on a neatly typed 4x6 index card. Later in life, when we could no longer keep her supplied in typewriter ribbon, she resorted to cutting out recipes that she found in magazines and newspapers that she thought would be good.
In addition to the recipe, you could always count on Grandma to pass along some of her kitchen wisdom on those index cards. On this one, she pointed out that Hot Milk Cake actually came from a neighbor of hers when they lived in New Jersey in 1957. She also wanted to ensure I would never forget whose favorite cake this was. She was not kidding about this. To this day, Hot Milk Cake truly is one of my father's favorites.
Who's hungry?
Here's everything you'll need. A stand mixer is optional, but after 20+ years of recreating Grandma's recipes, I've found it saves a lot of time.
Start by slowly melting together one stick of butter and one cup plus one tablespoon of Half & Half. Grandma Lu made a note on the index card to never, under any circumstances, allow this to boil. I don't know why, and I've never found out, but she wrote this in all caps. Read and heed.
After the milk and butter have had time to get to know each other well, remove from the stove and let it cool a bit. Add three eggs in either a stand mixer or a large bowl, along with 2 cups (less 2 1/2 tablespoons) of sugar.
Beat this together without abandon. Grandma Lu would never have used the expression "without abandon".
Next, add 4 or 5 drops of yellow food coloring. This will make your cake look like sunshine. Blend well. After that, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of double-action baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Now you're ready for some magic.
Lemon and almond flavoring will make your cake taste like sunshine. Grandma's recipe says "1 tsp. lemon and 1 tsp. almond is a good combination; of course, 2 tsp. vanilla can also be used." I've never tried it with vanilla, but you're welcome to. I just stick with the plan.
In goes the lemon and the almond flavoring. That's my baby's hand right there...not the one who's sick today, the other one. She calls herself "The Chef". Translation = Mess Maker.
Now you're ready to slowly add the hot milk mixture to the rest of the ingredients.
After everything is combined, spray the inside of a bundt pan with Baker's Joy. If you're tempted to use another spray and/or butter and flour, don't. You'll just have to trust me on this one.
Pour the cake batter in the pan. Don't worry that it's only half-full.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 375. Check it with a toothpick and bake just a few minutes more if necessary. Grandma's recipe says 43 minutes, but in higher elevations, it doesn't take as long.
When it's done, turn the pan onto a wire rack. Are you ready for more magic?
Ta-da! Let us all take a moment of silence to observe the miracle that is Baker's Joy.
And the miracle of grandmas everywhere. I am a lucky girl to have had two of the very best.
Enjoy.
Here's the entire recipe, if you want to cut and paste:
Hot Milk Cake
1 stick of butter
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. Half & Half
3 eggs
2 cups (less 2 1/2 tbsp.) sugar
4 or 5 drops yellow food coloring
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
1 tsp. almond flavoring
Melt butter and Half & Half together. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar. Add food coloring. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and flavoring. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake for 30 minutes at 375. For a truly divine cake, store in an air-tight container and let it sit for a couple of days. Heaven!
