Hot Milk Sponge Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray two (9-inch) round cake pans with vegetable oil spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cover the eggs (still in their shell) with hot tap water.  Allow eggs to sit for at least five minutes to warm them up.  NOTE: It is important that the eggs be warm to the touch when they are whipped with the sugar. This gives an extra lightness to the cake.  See Lagniappe below.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the milk and heat until the mixture is steaming.  See Lagniappe tips below.  Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, crack the warm whole eggs.  Using an electric mixer, whip the eggs until frothy.  Gradually add the sugar and whip on high speed until the batter is light and thick.  This takes a good ten minutes.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).  Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the egg batter, stopping once to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.  Add the scalded milk and butter mixture.  Mix on low speed until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing on low just until the vanilla is incorporated into the batter.  Divide the batter equally into each prepared cake pan. The batter will be quite thin so do not be alarmed.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch.  Remove from oven and place the cake layers on a wire cooling rack.  Sprinkle each layer very lightly with granulated sugar.  Leave the cake layers in the pan to cool for thirty minutes.

When cool, carefully run a paring knife around the edge of the each cake layer, using an up and down motion, to avoid tearing the sides of the cake.  Turn the layers out onto a wire cooling rack.  Cool completing before serving

Serving: Cake is great served as is, but also can be used with your fresh berries.

Lagniappe:

Having the eggs warm and whipping them to the proper consistency are the keys to making this cake successfully.  While whipping the eggs, feel the bottom of the bowl to make sure that it does not feel cold.  If it does, then the eggs are not warm enough.  Place the mixing bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled with about 3 inches of hot tap water.  Stir them until they are warm to the touch.

The eggs are properly whipped when they get light and thick, resembling softly whipped cream.  Lift the whip from the bowl and the batter should slowly flow from the whip in a ribbon that slowly incorporates back into the batter.