Condensed Milk Cake – This quick, tender, and insanely easy cake is always a crowd favorite. Best of all, it requires minimal ingredients and preparation! 🙌
Condensed milk sweetens this basic cake to perfection. It’s not overly sweet, making it easy to dig into after a savory meal. However, it’s amazing on its own as an afternoon snack with tea or coffee.
Cake made with condensed milk is also remarkably easy. A few pantry staples are all it takes to whip up one of the tastiest cakes you’ve ever made.
Content…What Does it Taste Like? |
What Does Condensed Milk Cake Taste Like?
Making a cake with condensed milk creates a dessert similar to pound cake but lighter and moister. (How is that possible?!) It’s simple and ideal for pairing with fruit and homemade whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar. 😋 The condensed milk intensifies the delicious flavor so you can have your milk and eat it, too.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – Rich butter keeps the cake moist and flavorful.
- Sugar – You won’t need much sugar in this cake recipe since the condensed milk is already quite sweet.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk is this show’s star, boosting the delightful cake’s rich and moist flavor.
- Eggs bind the batter and give us that classic cake texture we all love.
- Flavors – Lime juice, lime zest, vanilla extract, and grated nutmeg add subtle yet refreshing flavor notes that are irresistible.
- Flour – Add some baking powder to your all-purpose flour in this recipe for a light, fluffy cake.
How to Make Condensed Milk Cake
- Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease a 10-inch cake or bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar on high in a stand mixture until fluffy and looking white, about 3 minutes. Then, add the condensed milk and mix on high for another minute. (A hand mixer will also work.) (Photo 1)
- Assemble – Add eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, and then add the zest, lime juice, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as you go. (Photos 2-4)
- Pour the cake batter into the greased pan. Tap it on your work surface to eliminate air bubbles. (Photo 5)
- Bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (45–50 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack. (Photo 6)
- Serve – Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream and strawberries.
Recipe Variations
- Keep it simple. The lime juice and zest, along with the nutmeg, give this cake a Caribbean vibe. But you can leave them out for a simpler vanilla cake taste.
- Frost it! Chocolate, vanilla, cream cheese, or fruity frostings all taste amazing.
- Make it matcha. Sift in a tablespoon of matcha powder with the flour for a cake with a gorgeous light green color and classic matcha flavor. 💚
Tips and Tricks
- Measure your flour the right way. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge instead of scooping it directly from the bag. That prevents over-packing, which leads to too much flour and a dry cake. Another way to measure is with a kitchen scale.
- Cream butter and sugar well until fluffy. This step is crucial for incorporating air for a good rise and tender crumb.
- Please don’t overmix the batter. After adding the flour, mix just until combined because overmixing can cause the cake to be dense and tough. 🙅🏿♀️
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
Condensed milk cake tastes even better the next day. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate it for up to a week. To freeze the cake, tightly wrap individual slices or the whole cake in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe container or a resealable freezer bag.
The cake freezes well for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw slices at room temperature for about 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. For a quick option, you can also warm slices in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
What Goes With Condensed Milk Cake
Serve condensed milk cake with an indulgent hot drink like a chai tea latte, a specialty coffee, or ginger tea. It also loves being paired with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. 👌
More Elegant Cake Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pN1zdFcu” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:36:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Condensed Milk Cake” description=”Condensed Milk Cake -Quick, Tender and easy Cake that will impress at the dinner table or a party without you slaving in the kitchen.”]
This blog post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Condensed Milk Cake
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (284g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (9-10g) baking powder
- 1 14-ounce can (396g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lime juice
- 1 teaspoon (203g) grated nutmeg optional optional
- 2-3 tablespoons (12g) lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until fluffy and starts looking white, about 3 minutes. Add the condensed milk and beat for another minute.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, and then add the zest, lime juice, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
- Stir until everything is thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as you mix.
- Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Tap it on your work surface to eliminate air bubbles.
- Bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (45–50 minutes). Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
- Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and serve it with whipped cream and strawberries.
Tips & Notes:
- Measure your flour the right way. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge instead of scooping it directly from the bag. That prevents over-packing, which leads to too much flour and a dry cake. Another way to measure is with a kitchen scale.
- Cream butter and sugar well until fluffy. This step is crucial for incorporating air for a good rise and tender crumb.
- Please don’t overmix the batter. After adding the flour, mix just until combined because overmixing can cause the cake to be dense and tough.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Barb Duff says
Easy, not too sweet. No icing necessary. Used a springform pan for 45 minutes at 350oF. Used lemon and nutmeg.
Imma says
I love easy :)! Thanks for stopping by, Barb!
Stacy says
I’ve made this really like it and the nutmeg in it. I wonder if it would be good as a poke cake? With a can of condensed milk and sweeted condensed milk combined.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Stacy!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the condensed milk cake with the touch of nutmeg! Turning it into a poke cake with a mixture of condensed milk and sweetened condensed milk sounds like a deliciously decadent idea.
Poke cakes are known for their moistness, and the combination of condensed milk and sweetened condensed milk would likely soak into the cake, making it even more rich and flavorful. Just make sure to poke enough holes in the cake to allow the milk mixture to seep in evenly.
If you’re going for this variation, I’d recommend refrigerating the cake for a few hours after pouring the milk mixture over it, to allow the flavors to meld and the cake to absorb the liquid.
I say go for it! And I’d love to hear how it turns out if you decide to give it a try. Happy baking! ️✨
Lawoura says
I loved this recipe very much
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback Lawoura:)!
Lisa Smith says
How do you store the cake? I just baked it now, but it’s for a party tomorrow. I don’t want it to be dry!
Imma says
You can store it covered on a cake plate, then add the toppings when you’re ready to serve.
Lani says
Hi. Thanks for sharing this recipe. One question, can I substitute butter with margarine? Thank you.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Lani. I haven’t tried that for this recipe, but I don’t see why you can’t. But there’ll be a difference with the texture and, of course, that buttery flavor.
Anne Olson says
Imma,
YUM! Moist and tender and easy!
I am looking for a recipes to make a dent in my Costco stash of sweetened condensed milk.
This is cake is absolutely delicious! I served it with some slightly sweetened macerated strawberries on top and slightly sweetened whipped cream mixed with a bit of sour cream.
t was an impressive and unique company make-ahead dessert.
Thank you ever so much!
Immaculate Bites says
Thanks for sharing, Anne! I’m happy that you enjoyed this.
Yashoda says
This was one of the easiest and the yummiest condensed milk cake recipe to make. Every time I made this it came out delicious and the aroma of lemon zest was soulful. The children loved it 🙂
Immaculate Bites says
Yay! Thank you, Yashoda. So happy your kids loved it. Try making Lemon Almond Yogurt Cake for them next time 🙂
Simon M says
Good recipe but do you really mean 2-3 Tablespoons of Lime zest? Sounds like far too much so used zest of one Lime. You don’t mention salt. Next time I’ll try caster sugar to see whether the texture is different. another test will be using 200g plain flour and 50g cornflour.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Simon! Yes, you may alter and feel free to share with me again how it turns out. 🙂
Stephanie says
Thank you for the amazing recipe! It is a tried and true favorite now. The texture and crumb to this cake is melt in your mouth and the use of condensed milk separates it from the rest of the basic cake recipes found online.
Immaculate Bites says
Wow! Thank you for this, Stephanie. I’m happy that you loved this 🙂
Jim B says
What happens if I skip the lime zest and lime juice?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Jim. Adding lime zest and juice somehow adds a nice zing to this milk cake. But feel free to leave it out.