I cannot tell you how many malted milk chocolate cakes I have made in my lifetime. Too many. The problem seems to be that most recipes call for crushed “Whoppers”. Which is okay, but the malted milk flavor seems to get lost during the baking. The recipes then try to redeem themselves by adding more “Whoppers” in the frosting. That only results in a cake looking bumpy and unappetizing. Until now.The cake before you is from “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book” written by Melissa Murphy. The Chocolate Malted Layer Cake …oh does it live up to its name. It has a whole cup of malted milk powder in the frosting. I could have ate the icing with a spoon and then died utterly content. The cake is moist, tender and absolutely chocolate-y. Paired together, it has a too die for combination.
There are a myriad of recipes in the book that I want try. So many recipes, so little post-its. Yes, the book is under attack by post-its. Almost every single recipe has a post-it on it to remind me “I must try this soon”.
There are over a 100 recipes in the book! The book is divided into six chapters: dessert for breakfast, after school snacks, birthday, and gifts and so on. The recipes are written in a manner that allows one to “set-up” their “mise en place”. Melissa even offers “pro-tips” which I found extremely helpful. Simply a great book packed full of recipes and tips that can only lead to stunning delicious desserts.
I cannot wait to try more of the recipes out. For example, Orange Scented Scones, Bee Stings, Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints, Lemon Icebox Cake, and Pistachio Opera Fudge. Are just a couple of the recipes at the top of my list.FOR THE CAKE:
6 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup canola oil
2 & 2/3 cups sugar
1 & 2/3 cups AP flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of sour cream
3 large eggs
1 & 1/3 cups of hot fresh brewed coffee
FOR THE CHOCOLATE MALTED FROSTING:
1 pound best quality milk chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup malted milk powder
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons of butter, at room temp.
8 ounces of malted milk balls
Position the rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour two 9x2-inch cake rounds (I used two 5x2-inch pans and halved the recipe). Line each pan with parchment paper.
1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is melted whisk in the oil until smooth. Remove from the heat and keep warm over the water.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the sour cream smooth.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until well combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Add the hot coffee in a steady stream until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl (the batter is thin).
5. Divide the batter evenly among the pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 25 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on the wire racks.
FROSTING:
1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Whisk in the malted milk powder to combine. Pour over the chocolate. Do not stir. Wait five minutes, and then whisk chocolate until creamy. Stir in the corn syrup. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the chocolate and let cool to room temperature.
3. When the chocolate is cooled, place it in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix on low until smooth.
4. The icing is the filling and frosting for this cake. I chose to cut my cake into four layers and placed a small amount of icing in between each layer. I stored the cake in the fridge.
