Vanilla Cake with Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Boy, do I have a treat for you guys today? 




Sometimes you come across a recipe idea and it just will not leave you mind until you've concocted up your version of said recipe. This was one of those recipes.

Would you just look at those crushed Maltesers? Sitting over the most amazing malted milk chocolate frosting - that's right, icing that tastes just like Maltesers. 

And, what is the vehicle for such decadence? Only one of the fluffiest vanilla cakes I have ever baked. I think we had better hurry and get to the recipe, don't you?

Vanilla, previously: Vanilla Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream, Blueberry and Vanilla Bean Cake, Vanilla Bean Scones, Vanilla Ice Cream, Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Maltesers, previously: Malteser Cookies

A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Butter
2. Sugar
3. Eggs
4. Vanilla
5. Plain Flour
6. Bicarbonate of Soda
7. Baking Powder
8. Salt
9. Buttermilk (equal parts yoghurt and water)
10. Milk Chocolate
11. Cocoa Powder
12. Malted Milk Powder
13. Boiling Water
14. Maltesers

Bismillah, let's begin! 

First things first - make the vanilla cake. Gather together the ingredients and preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180 degrees C.

Grease and line a cake tin or oven dish measuring approximately 9 x 13 inches. 

In a large bowl, place:

680 grams (3 cups or 24 ounces) Plain Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Whisk them together, and set aside.

Into the bowl of an electric mixer, place 340 grams (1 and 1/2 cups or 12 ounces) White Sugar.

Along with 170 grams (3/4 cup or 6 ounces) Butter, softened.

Beat together until creamy and combined.

Add in 4 large Eggs ...

.. one at a time ...

... beating between each egg ..

.. until all four have been added.

Measure out 310 ml (1 and 1/4 cup) Buttermilk into a jug. If you don't have any in the fridge, and let's face it, who does? Just mix together equal parts of plain yoghurt and water, and you'll have homemade buttermilk on your hands!

To the buttermilk, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla.

Whisk together.

Alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture to the butter and eggs ....

Add flour - buttermilk - flour - buttermilk - flour. End with flour.

Beat between each addition.

Until your are left with the most creamy vanilla cake batter ever! Try not to eat it all with a spoon!

Pour the batter into the prepared dish or tin.

Smooth it out and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Once baked, let the cake cool completely otherwise the icing will melt when you put it on.

To make the delicious frosting, melt 340 grams (1 and 1/2 cup or 12 ounces) Milk Chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Once melted, remove from the heat and let it cool for about 20 minutes.

Into another bowl, sift in 56 grams (1/4 cup or 2 ounces) Cocoa Powder.

Then, take the star of this recipe, malted milk powder. You can use Horlicks or even Ovaltine.

Add 340 grams (12 ounces or 1 and 1/2 cup) Malted Milk Powder.

Whisk together and add a pinch of Salt.

Then, slowly pour in 125 ml (1/2 cup) Boiling Water.

Whisk or mix together to get a smooth paste. Let this cool completely.

Once both chocolate mixtures are cool, take 226 grams plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces plus 2 tablespoons or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) Butter, softened.

Beat with an electric mixer for about 3-4 minutes until creamy.

Then, add the cocoa powder mixture.

Beat until smooth for a minute.

Then, pour in the cooled melted chocolate.

Give it a final beat for a minute or two until you are left with the airiest, most lightest chocolate icing.

Grab your cold cake ...

.. and pop it onto a tray.

You can decorate the cake however you like but this is how I did it. Put on all the icing in the middle.

And, spread over the entire cake, leaving a little border at the edges.

Now, the best part. Take a few bags of Maltesers, and get decorating.

You could be all neat and decorate like these guys ...

.. or go rustic (and slightly crazy) like me!

Crush up the Maltesers whilst they are still in the bag, and sprinkle over the cake. Then, stud in a few whole ones all over.

Finally, when you've taken as many pictures as you possibly can, cut yourself a slice, make a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Full Written Recipe:

Vanilla Cake with Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients – serves a crowd!

For the Vanilla Cake

3 cups (24 ounces or 680 grams) Plain Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

¼ teaspoon Salt

1 and ½ cup (12 ounces or 340 grams) White Sugar

¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) Butter, softened

1 and ¼ cup (310 ml) Buttermilk (equal parts yoghurt and water)

1 and ½ teaspoons Vanilla

4 large Eggs

For the Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting

1 and ½ cup (12 ounces or 340 grams) Milk Chocolate, broken into pieces

¼ cup (2 ounces or 56 grams) Cocoa Powder, sifted

1 and ½ cup (12 ounces or 340 grams) Malted Milk Powder, such as Horlicks

½ cup (125 ml) Boiling Water

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces plus 2 tablespoons or 226 grams plus 2 tablespoons) Butter, softened

Pinch of Salt

To Decorate

Maltesers, as needed

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180 degrees C.

Grease and line a large cake tin or oven dish, measuring approximately 9 x 13 inches.

First, make the vanilla cake. Into a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Set aside.

In to the bowl of an electric mixer, place the sugar and butter. Beat together until creamy and well mixed.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

In a jug, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla.

Alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture to the electric mixer, beating between each addition. It should go: flour – buttermilk – flour – buttermilk – flour. End with the flour.

Give the batter one final mix by hand, and then pour into the prepared dish or tin. Smooth out and place in the oven to bake.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely otherwise the frosting will melt when you put it on.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cool for about 20 minutes.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, salt and malted milk powder. Slowly add the boiling water, and mix until smooth. Let this cool completely.

When both are cool, beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy for about 3-4 minutes.

Pour in the cocoa powder mixture and beat in.

Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and beat in.

Spread the frosting over the cold cake. Crush the Maltesers or leave them whole, and decorate the cake.

Slice up and enjoy!

This Time One Year Ago:

Orange Sandwich Cake

This Time Two Years Ago:

We went for Hajj, alhamdulillah.

Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!