Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour - 2 cake pans (8 or 9 " / round or square are fine).

Rose's Hot Milk Cake (also called sponge cake). Good with bittersweet chocolate icing (with or without vanilla pudding in cut layers), butter cream icing, or a base for strawberry shortcake (ice with whipped cream and berries). Rose also used to ice half the cake in butter cream and half in bittersweet chocolate icing. It is also good just plain with no icing, with ice cream or Jae's variation of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top before baking.

Cream together - 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract plus a pinch of salt.

Warm together - 1/4 pound butter and 1 cup milk (skim is fine) just until butter is melted.

Mix in a separate bowl - 2 cups un-sifted flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Add the flour mix then the milk mix to the egg mix in 3 alternating batches. Start with flour and end with milk.

Do NOT over beat (just enough to combine) and be quick. The baking powder activates quickly.

Pour into the 2 pans. Rap pan sharply on the counter to remove major air bubbles. Place in oven immediately.

Bake 1 hour or until golden brown and/or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. May need to rotate pans half way through cooking if your oven temperature is not staple.

Turn out of pan immediately and cool completely on cake rack before icing.

If desired cut each cake layer in half horizontally using dental floss. It may help to cut the corners on the starting side first with a serrated knife. This anchors the floss and prevents smashing the corners in.

UPDATE 6/15/03
Aunt Rene's variety

BOWL ONE
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
1 Cup milk

heat milk and butter together
until butter is melted on low 
heat or in microwave.  
Set aside.

BOWL TWO
4 eggs
2 Cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream eggs until fluffy.
Add sugar and cream well.
Add vanilla.
Set aside.

BOWL THREE
2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix flour and salt.
Set aside.

TEE TINY BOWL FOUR
2 teaspoons baking powder


Gradually add flour mixture 
into egg mixture, 
THEN add baking powder.
Add milk mixture last thing.

Batter will be thin.

Bake at 350 degrees F 
50 minutes in a lasagna pan
60 minutes in a bundt pan

TOPPING

1 stick butter - soft
1.5 Tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 Cup sugar

Mix in small bowl about
10 minutes before cake will
be done.

Remove cake and spread topping
on hot cake - spread well and 
return to oven for 7 minutes.

Remove and cover immediately 
with tin foil.