Condensed Milk Cake. If pound cake and sponge cake had a baby, this would be it! Only 6 ingredients! Soft, yet firm with a springy texture and a beautifully rich vanilla flavour. Perfect as a snack cake or as the base for strawberry shortcake, Victoria sandwich cake, and especially trifles.
Condensed Milk Cake.
Originally published Feb 2021.
My path to this simple but delicious cake was definitely not a straight line. In fact it took several attempts to perfect my version of this recipe.
It all began with what I often call the “Costco effect”. That’s when you buy more of an ingredient than you really need, then go in search of ways to use the surplus.
That was just the case, when doing a post Christmas cupboard cleaning I discovered several cans of sweetened condensed milk. What to do with them?
Condensed Milk Cake.
There are, of course, many cookies & treats already on this site using this ingredient. From Moose Farts to No Bake Strawberry Chiffon Squares and even Turtle Fudge, there are no shortage of ideas to be found.
However, this time I wanted to try it in a cake batter. I felt the concentration of rich milky flavour would lend itself well to a simple vanilla cake.
Condensed Milk Cake.
Plenty of inspiration for a condensed milk cake.
It turns out this was not an original idea. As soon as I searched it online, lots of recipes popped up but they all seemed to be pretty much the same.
They all used the same 5 ingredients; flour, baking powder, eggs, butter and a can of sweetened condensed milk. I thought it was odd that there was no vanilla extract in the recipe but I went ahead and made it as it was written.
The cake turned out just fine but I thought it could be a little lighter in texture and a little less dark on the outside. I also missed the addition of vanilla extract.
I always say vanilla extract is to baking what salt is to cooking. It’s very much missed when not present.
6 common ingredients are all that’s needed.
The next attempt included the vanilla and bumped up the baking powder as well as increasing the butter just a little. I also reduced the oven temperature a little.
This time I took the cake out too early and there was a little uncooked portion at the centre top of the cake. Back to the drawing board!
Just add ingredients and mix
Third time’s the charm? Nope.
The third attempt seemed to be on track, but when I tested it it needed a few more minutes in the oven. I set the timer for 5 more minutes and went back to my desk upstairs.
The trouble there was that I was alone in the house and forgot the timer! I normally use 2 timers, one on the stove and one on my phone, just to be safe. However I forgot the phone timer and did not hear the kitchen timer at all from upstairs.
Condensed milk cake ready for the oven.
Enter my son, Noah, who, when returning home shouted up the stairs, “There’s a timer going off in the kitchen!!” I will spare you the content of my colourful exclamations of frustration as I descended the stairs!
It turns out the timer had been going off for 20 minutes, meaning I actually over baked the cake, almost to the point of burning it. Yes, even experienced bakers like me can have the occasional disaster.
Undeterred, I immediately set out to try it again and, well, apparently the 4th time is now the charm. This time I got it just right.
Condensed milk cake just out of the oven.
A very versatile condensed milk cake.
As soon as I stuck my fork into it, I immediately saw the possibilities for this recipe. we served it with berries and whipped cream for a delicious dessert at short notice.
In fact, the cake is perfect just on its own as a snack cake. The firm texture means that pieces can be handheld and eaten on their own. Great for adding to packed lunches or even picnic baskets!
I also immediately thought that it would be a good base for strawberry shortcake or any fruit shortcake really. Cut it in 2 layers and add your favourite jam in the middle for an outstanding Victoria Sandwich Cake too.
Baked to perfection.
The firm springy texture seems ideal too for all sorts of trifles. (See short video in the recipe below.) The cake seems just made for absorbing fruit juices, syrups, or sherry.
I can’t wait to try that. I’ve never met a trifle I didn’t love!
This really is a must-try recipe. It’s so quick, easy, versatile and delicious, you’re sure to find yourself coming back to it again and again.
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Condensed Milk Cake. Just stir and bake!
Condensed Milk Cake. If pound cake and sponge cake had a baby, this would be it! Only 6 ingredients! Soft, yet firm with a springy texture and a beautifully rich vanilla flavour. Perfect as a snack cake or as the base for strawberry shortcake, Victoria sponge cake and especially trifles.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup butter (Melted but not hot; warm is ok.)
- 4 eggs
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease an 8 inch cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. (A 9 inch pan will work but the cake will not be as high and the baking time could be 35-40 minutes. Let the toothpick test be your guide.)
- Add the flour and baking powder to a bowl and mix together well.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix for just a couple of minutes until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the centre springs back when touched and a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. This recipe took the full 45 minutes in my oven but test it at 40 minutes.
- Turn out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Dust the surface with a little icing sugar before serving.
- Delicious with fresh berries and cream.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 115mgSodium 163mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 6g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Shirley
Monday 26th of June 2023
Amazing that the eggs do not have to be well beaten. But, does it really need 4 eggs? Expensive these days, but less butter, maybe offsets. Thanks for recipe!
Debbie Florio
Saturday 23rd of October 2021
I was looking to get rid of sweetened condensed milk on the verge of expiring, so I looked for cake recipes using it. Like you, I also think a cake needs vanilla, so I chose this recipe.
I baked mine for the 45 minutes, and the toothpick came out a little sticky, but the center of my cake sprang back, and the color was a beautiful golden brown, so I took it out and I later discovered it was perfectly done
I was really blown away, the cake was delicious as is, but I agree the texture lends itself to so many possibilities. It actually reminds me of a Genoise with out all the work. Next time I’m going to try what I do will then my Genoise, sprinkle it with Kirsch and frost in an Italian meringue
Thanks for the recipe, it’s always a treat when things come out better than expected
Alison
Friday 26th of February 2021
I notice in the photo of the ingredients above that the butter appears to be melted. But it doesn't say anywhere else on the page that it should be melted. Does the recipe need to be updated? I made this and it's good, but there are greasy spots and small holes where the little bits of butter were. :-(