Old-Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake was one of my mum’s favourite cakes to make. She used to make one every Sunday for Sunday tea.
Baking with Be-Ro for Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day)
Old-Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake was one of my mum’s favourite cakes to make. She used to make one every Sunday for Sunday tea, and decorate it with walnuts, which added a delightful nuttiness to the cake, and which goes so well with chocolate.
Originally taken from the Be-Ro Home Recipes Cookbook, this cake is always a winner for afternoon tea and is delicious if enjoyed with a glass of cold milk, as well as a cuppa.
It’s a well-behaved cake when packed for a picnic, and if you don’t have evaporated milk, use full fat fresh milk instead. You can decorate this cake with walnut halves as my mum used to, or as I have today with Cadbury’s “Chocolate Buttons”.
When raspberries are in season, I often add them to the sandwich filling and to the top for decoration. There’s something about fresh raspberries and chocolate that goes so well together, like my recipe for Double Chocolate and Summer Berries Truffle Slice.
Although I have many other delicious chocolate cake recipes on Lavender and Lovage, this is probably my favourite, as the milk adds a wonderful creamy taste, without taking away from the cocoa flavour.
There’s something very comforting about a chocolate cake, and they always make a fabulous addition to any birthday party tea as well as the Sunday afternoon teatime table. However, I’m sharing this recipe today, as I think this will be the perfect cake to serve for Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day) this coming Sunday the 14th March.
My recipe for Old-Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake is shared at the end of this post, and I have also added some other delectable recipes that would be perfect for your mum’s this Sunday!
Do let me know if you make this, and if you all enjoyed it as much as we do, now and when I was growing up. Sadly my mum is no longer around, but she is always with me in mind and spirit, and I will be baking this cake this Mother’s Day in memory of her. Karen
More Recipes for Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day)
- Queen Cakes for Mothering Sunday
- Apple Rose Tarts for Mother’s Day
- Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes Recipe
- Little Chocolate & Violet Fancies
Queen Cakes for Mothering Sunday 
Apple Rose Tarts for Mother’s Day 
Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes 
Chocolate and Violet Fancies
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Romantic “Chocolate Box” Chocolate Cakes
- The Famous Drinking Chocolate Cake Recipe
- “Kladdkaka” Swedish Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Creme Egg & Malteser Chocolate Tiffin Bundt Cake
Chocolate Box Cakes 
The Famous Drinking Chocolate Cake 
“Kladdkaka” Swedish Chocolate Fudge Cake 
Creme Egg Chocolate Drizzle Cake
Pin me for Later Baking
Recipe for Old-Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Milk Chocolate Cake was one of my mum's favourite cakes to make. She used to make one every Sunday for Sunday tea.
Originally taken from the Be-Ro Home Recipes Cookbook, this cake is always a winner for afternoon teas and is delicious if enjoyed with a glass of cold milk.
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 7 ounces (200g) self raising flour
- 7 ounces (200g) caster sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces (50g) cocoa powder
- 4 ounces (115g) soft margarine or 4 ounces (115g) softened butter
- 2 eggs, beaten with
- 5 tablespoons evaporated milk
- 5 additional tablespoons evaporated milk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk Chocolate Icing:
- 3 ounces (80g) butter
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 8 ounces (225g) sieved icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons hot evaporated milk or 3 tablespoons hot full-fat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To Decorate:
- Chocolate, buttons
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Raspberries
Instructions
1. CAKE: Sieve the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa together. Rub in the margarine or butter. Stir the beaten eggs and evaporated milk into the mixture, then add the additional evaporated milk with the vanilla extract.
2. Beat well until light and fluffy and well mixed.
3. Grease and line a 6″ or 7″ round tin – not loose-bottomed as the mixture may run out.
4. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until well risen.
5. Allow to cool slightly before turning the cake out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing and decorating the cake.
6. ICING: Melt the butter and blend in the cocoa powder, sieved icing sugar, hot milk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and thick. Allow to settle for about 5 minutes before icing the cake.
7. ASSEMBLING THE CAKE: When the cake is completely cold, cut the cake in half and sandwich the two halves together with half of the icing.
8. Spread some of the remaining icing on the top, reserving some to be piped on in rosettes around the top of the cake. Pipe 12 rosettes on the top of the cake and one in the middle.
9. Decorate each rosette with a nut, chocolate button or fresh raspberry.
10. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days, or freeze the cake before icing. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
It's a very well-behaved cake when packed for a picnic too. If you don’t have evaporated milk, use full fat fresh milk instead.
You can decorate this cake with walnut or pecan halves, OR Cadbury’s “Chocolate Buttons” are also a good finishing touch, and which are always popular.
When raspberries are in season, I often add them to the sandwich filling and to the top for decoration.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Slices Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 706Total Fat 38gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 109mgSodium 574mgCarbohydrates 84gFiber 3gSugar 59gProtein 9g
Adding this to Cook Blog Share Week 11
Kathleen Richuso says
Hello,
I want to make your recipe for The Milk Chocolate Cake for Mother’s Day, but I don’t know if I ever saw Extra Evaporated Milk in our grocery store in NC, USA.
Is it a more concentrated evaporated milk and if I can’t find it can I make it or substitute something else?
Thanks You.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Kathleen,
There’s a note in the recipe, at the end, to say if you cannot source evaporated milk, then to use whole (full fat) milk.
Carnation Evaporated milk I have seen in the USA however, so I think you can get it.
Karen
Joanne Bayly says
Yes, I’ve never seen it in Canada. Thanks for the clarification.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Not a problem! I have seen Carnation milk in Canada – in hotels – with the coffee making stuff, little capsules, maybe it is marketed differently in the supermarkets?
Rick says
The “extra” just means this is a separate portion of evaporated milk, so you don’t accidentally mix it all in at once. So you add in the first portion, then add in the next portion when instructed.
It’s not a distinct kind of evaporated milk!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Rick! 🙂
Lynne Thomas says
Oh my word this takes me back. When I first got married 45 years ago my mother-in-law gave me a copy of the Bero cookbook. It’s a fabulous little cookbook with so many basic recipes.
This was my go to chocolate cake to make. I had so many compliments when I made it, and still do. Perfect for a Sunday tea.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much for your comment, and yes, this really is a wonderful cake recipe, the old ones are really the best aren’t they? Karen
Ang says
This is our family’s go-to chocolate cake. In fact, it’s so good I can’t eat any other chocolate cake because they pale into comparison compared to it. The sponge is very moist (I can’t use that world without smirking, thanks to Paul Foot’s routine about moist cake!) & very chocolatey, & the icing is divine, very chocolatey & surprisingly not tooth-shatteringly sweet because the evaporated milk gives it a little tang.
My Gran had the Bero recipe book, so my Mum bought one too. I inherited my Mum’s when Gran died, because Mum wanted to keep hers. Mine has a red cover made from stiffened paper & was printed in the 1960s. My Mum’s is about 9″ high & 5″ wide & simply made of cream paper with brown writing. I suspect it was originally white paper with black writing but has weathered due to c75years in a kitchen.
I’d recommend this cake to everyone, if you haven’t already guessed. It’s very well behaved & easy to make, yet tastes so deliciously decadent.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Ang,
This is also my family’s favourite chocolate cake recipe too, it’s never been beaten!
I also have the 1960’s red cover Be-Ro cookbook too, as well as some of the much older brown cover copies too, they are my most treasured cookbooks.
Thank you SO much for leaving your thoughts and comments here, and happy Be-Ro Baking! 🙂
Karen
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, this lovely looking cake 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nic! We love this cake so much.
Sisley White - Sew White says
What a beautiful cake, it’s so lovely and it really reminds me of my gran and making cakes as a child. A lovely memory.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Sisley, it is such a wonderful chocolate cake 🙂
Claire says
This is a family favourite too. Always had one when caravanning. Delicious served with extra evaporated milk!
I treasure my Bero book so love that you bring so many of these recipes to a new audience.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am the same Claire, I terasure my BeRo’s books and this was always my late mum’s “to go to” chocolate cake for birthdays and afternoon tea etc!