Condensed Milk Cake

My friend Patricia Scarpin, who is Brasilian, is a prolific cake maker. Her cakes are simple and appealing. Whenever I am looking for a cake to make for tea, I always go to her blog – Technicolor Kitchen. Not only does she make cakes but many other sweet treats and a lot of them using condensed milk.

This Condensed Milk Cake is so easy to make – mix everything together at once and bake it for 20 minutes. The cake is not as sweet as most cakes, so if you are looking for something that is a lot less sweet, this is perfect. You won’t think so given that you are using an entire can of condensed milk but the only “sugar” or sweetener is from the milk, there is no added sugar. However, if you have a really sweet tooth, you can always drizzle the baked cake with an icing glaze or citrus syrup. The texture is spongy and the crumb firm.

I’ve made some slight adaptations to the original recipe.

 

Special equipment: an 8 or 9-inch springform or bundt pan with a removable base.

INGREDIENTS

 

  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • 1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk
  • 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla essence
  • Zest of 1 large orange (optional)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tablespoon baking powder

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously butter the baking pan and set aside.
  3. Add the eggs, milk, butter, essence and zest (if using) to a large bowl and whisk to break up the eggs and dissolve the thick condensed milk; mix well.
  4. Mix together the flour and baking powder and add to the milk mixture. Mix everything together until you have a smooth batter, ensure there are no lumps.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester inserted, comes out clean.
  6. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan before unmolding or removing it.

 

NOTES

  • As a rule, whenever I am using a springform pan or any type of pan with a removable base, I always provide additional support by placing the pan on sheet pan, just in case there is any leakage or dripping of the batter.
  • Lime or lemon zest can work in place of orange zest.
  • I used vanilla essence but if you have lemon essence that can work too.
  • If using a glaze, drizzle when the cake has cooled; however, if using a syrup, drizzle while the cake is hot and cooling in the pan.