Scalded Milk Cake -- The One We—Both—Would Do Again

I got married on Saturday.

I don't know how to write about it fully yet because it happened five days ago and I'm still inside it, the way you're inside a dream in the moment you wake up and it takes a few seconds for the dream to release its hold and reveal itself as the thing that just happened rather than the thing currently happening. June 10th, 2017, at St. Brigid's Church on East Broadway in South Boston, Massachusetts: I married Sean Donovan. (Technically: he married me too. It was bilateral.)

The dress was right. Father Murphy was right. The music was right. My father cried — exactly as Maureen predicted, not publicly, but visibly, the way Sean Sr. cries when he thinks no one is watching — as he walked me down the aisle. Liam walked me down too, which had not been the plan, but when I got to the back of the church and Sean Sr. reached out his arm and I took it, Liam appeared on my other side and took my other arm and Sean Sr. looked at him and nodded and we walked in three, which was not in any wedding planning document and was the most perfect thing that happened in a day full of perfect things.

The reception: dancing, which I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. The DJ playing "Shipping Up to Boston," which produced the correct response. Patrick's toast, which was both embarrassing and perfect and which I will decline to reproduce here because some things belong to the room in which they were said. The moment at the end of the night when Sean D. and I sat down for five minutes alone and he said, "How's it going so far?" and I said, "Pretty good. How's it going for you?" and he said, "I'd do it again," and I said, "Good, because it's permanent."

We flew to Portugal the next day for the honeymoon. But I'll tell you about that next week. For now: I got married. On June 10th, in the church where I was baptized, to the man with the big open laugh who proposed on the Jumbotron and burns the first pancake every time. I got married. That's the whole entry. Everything else is footnotes.

Sean said he’d do it again, and I believe him — but just in case we ever need to practice, I’ve been making this scalded milk cake all week, the kind of tender, quietly extraordinary thing that doesn’t announce itself and yet somehow tastes like the best day you’ve ever had. It’s the cake I want in the kitchen when life is too full for words. It’s also, not coincidentally, the kind of thing you could eat for breakfast in Portugal and feel absolutely no guilt about.

Scalded Milk Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• For the frosting:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of fine salt

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Scald the milk. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until the butter melts and the milk begins to steam — do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Keep warm.
4. Beat the eggs and sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the eggs and granulated sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, thick, and has nearly tripled in volume. This step is the secret to the cake’s light, tender crumb — don’t rush it.
5. Fold in the flour. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
6. Add the warm milk. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the warm milk mixture and mix until just combined and smooth. The batter will be thin — this is correct.
7. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the layers out and cool completely before frosting.
8. Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, the vanilla, and the salt, then beat on high for 2 minutes until light and spreadable. Add the remaining tablespoon of cream if needed for consistency.
9. Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 498 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 71g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg