Malted Chocolate Cake

When I had my cafe I had to make at least one of these a week and it never lasted long! Made with oil, it keeps really well and it is certainly not a dry cake but light and moist.

The butter icing has Horlicks powder in it so it has a nice malty chocolate taste and the cake is decorated with Maltesers. Anyone who loves Maltesers will love this cake!

I have lost count of how many of these cakes I have made and it is always requested in my family for birthdays and other celebrations.

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Why use oil in a cake and what does it do?

Vegetable oil give moistness far more reliably to a cake than butter. Therefore cakes made with oil tend to be moister than their butter based equivalent. The texture of cake made with oil has a more even crumb and they tend to stay moist and tender far longer than a cake made with butter.

This is a very easy cake to make as there is no creaming butter and sugar etc. To start put all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Then add all the wet ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated and you can’t see any flour. The mixture will be quite runny but this is how it should be.

The mixture is then divided between the three tins. There is no need to level them as the batter is runny it will find its own level. Then transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool slightly then take out of the tins and place in cooling racks as they need to be completely cold before icing.

Next to make the butter icing. Place the butter in a stand mixer or use a hand mixer and cream it until it is lighter in colour. Then add the cocoa, horlicks powder and sieved icing sugar gradually until it is all incorporated. Add the milk until your icing is soft enough to be able to pipe. You do not want a stiff icing that you cant pipe or spread on the cake. If it is too runny you will not get the definition on your piping. If you make it too runny you can always add some more sieved icing sugar to thicken it up.

Now place one of the cakes on a board, plate or cake stand you want to use. Then put the icing in an icing bag with a round nozzle and starting from the outside of the cake ice around the edge making your way into the middle of the cake.

When you have finished place the next cake on top and continue the icing the same on the next layer.

Then top with the last layer and smooth over a thin layer of icing.

Finally pipe another row around the edge then place a ring of Maltesers around then alternate with icing and Maltesers until the top of the cake is covered.

Malted Chocolate Cake

Sarah’s Servings: 10

Sarah’s Skill: Medium

Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake

300g Plain Flour

3Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 ½tsp Baking Powder

1 ½tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

225g Caster Sugar

60g Golden Syrup

3 Large Eggs

225 ml Vegetable Oil

225 ml Milk

Icing

300g Butter

550g Icing Sugar

40g Cocoa Powder

60g Horlicks Powder

4-5 Tbsp Milk

Maltesers to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat oven 180 degrees centigrade (160 fan) Gas Mark 4.

2. Line and grease 3 x 8 inch tins.

3. Weigh all the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer then make a well in the middle and add all the wet ingredients and beat until combined.

4. Divide between the three tins.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

6. Leave to cool in the tins.

7. Next to make the icing beat the butter until light and fluffy then add icing sugar, cocoa powder, Horlicks powder and milk gradually until the icing is at consistency you can pipe.

8. Now place one of the cakes on a board, plate or cake stand you want to use. Then put the icing in an icing bag with a round nozzle and starting from the outside of the cake ice around the edge making your way into the middle of the cake.

9. When you have finished place the next cake on top and continue the icing the same on the next layer.

10. Then top with the last layer and smooth over a thin layer of icing.

11. Finally pipe another row around the edge then place a ring of Maltesers around then alternate with icing and Maltesers until the top of the cake is covered.

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Sarah's Extra Slice........

You can bake in three shallow 8 inch tins or two deep 8 inch tins. If baking two cakes then it will take an extra 5-10 minutes to bake.

This cake is nice and moist due to the oil and keeps well.

The icing nozzle I used was a Wilton 1A piping tip.