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This Malted Chocolate Cake is what your dreams are made of! Moist, packed with amazing chocolatey flavour and topped with creamy frosting. What more could anyone want?
How about pairing this cake with Pistachio Ice Cream?
Looking for a decadent cake to make for a birthday or other celebration? Look no further than this rich, moist cake with intense chocolate flavours!
Try and tell me you don’t want to dive right in! If you are looking for a delicious chocolate cake with easy, no-fail steps, this cake is for you!!
This chocolate sponge is a legend, and doesn’t take a lot of technique to get right. And the icing is made in a food processor in a matter of 5 minutes! Even a beginner can successfully make this cake and wow everyone! Enjoy!
Chocolate sponge
The chocolate sponge is my stand-by and couldn’t be easier to make, and is virtually impossible to mess up. It’s both light and moist, with a luxurious chocolate flavour.
Because it is so simple and versatile, it’s a recipe I come back to often.
The method to making this sponge is quite simple. Mix up the dry and wet ingredients separately, then bring them together with the help of an This is an affiliate link.hand mixer.
Malted milk chocolate frosting
When choosing the frosting for this cake, I had my kids in mind. They don’t love chocolate flavour to be too strong.
I know that’s crazy, but it led me to decide to make the cake with malted milk chocolate frosting. This version is sweeter and less intense than dark chocolate. Just what my kids love!
I searched the internet for a while for the best frosting and ended up using Sweetapolita’s recipe because when it comes to cakes, she is the queen!
The icing uses malted milk powder to give it a distinctive taste and consistency. Malted milk is made from wheat flour, malted barley and evaporated milk. It’s a very useful ingredient for adding sweetness and lightness to things like frosting.
That frosting is easily made in a food processor and produces the creamiest texture I HAVE EVER SEEN!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Let the butter come to room temperature before using. This ensures that it incorporates fully into the batter and allows for a more even bake.
- Let the sponge cool completely before assembling and decorating the cake. Cake sponge can be fragile and letting it cool before assembly makes it less likely that cracks will form or too many crumbs develop when adding frosting.
- The decorations I used are for a birthday, but this cake is really suitable for any occasion including, Christmas and Easter.
More chocolate cake recipes
Malted Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Hand mixer
- This is an affiliate link.Food processor
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1¾ cups / 220g all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup / 90g cocoa
- 2 cups / 400g granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 cup / 250ml whole milk
- 1/2 cup / 125ml vegetable oil
- 2 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
For the malted chocolate frosting
- 2¼ cups / 510g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups / 500g confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup / 65g chocolate Ovaltine or malted milk powder of your choice
- 1/3 cup / 80ml double cream/whipping cream
- 2 tsp This is an affiliate link. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup / 60ml creme fraiche or sour cream
- 9oz / 265g good quality milk chocolate
For the decoration
- 2 chocolate bunnies
- lemon thyme leaves
- bunting
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C, butter and line 3 8″/20cm cake pans with parchment paper.
- Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla essence. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated.
- Divide evenly among 3 pans and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I baked 2 layers together and then the third one later.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the malted chocolate icing
- Combine all ingredients except melted chocolate in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Take the lid off and check to make sure the ingredients on the bottom are well incorporated, use a spatula to mix them in if necessary.
- Add melted chocolate and pulse a few more times until the frosting is creamy and spreadable. Use immediately to fill the layers and cover the cake.
- Decorate with a sprinkling of lemon thyme leaves for the “grass” and “ivy” on a side and place chocolate bunnies on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
4 1/2 sticks of butter for the frosting…can that be right?
I don’t measure my butter in sticks but the measurements above are correct for a 3 layer cake.
Hi looks amazing I’m going to try make this for my partners birthday, can I ask what flour you use Thankyou happy baking
Hi Sian, I usually use Canadian flour for everything. It’s called all-purpose in Canada and very strong Canadian bread flour in the UK.
Just finished the frosting and have to say, that I even though I don’t know what the cake tastes like (as it is for later and I am trying really hard not to cut into it!), the frosting is ABSOLUTELY to die for! I wasn’t sure as I am not one that gets malts, but rather shakes, but had some in the cupboard because the boyfriend likes it. I am so glad that I did. Thanks for the GREAT recipe!!!
Thank you Tara! I hope the rest of the cake tastes just as great! Enjoy!!
Update- The whole cake is DIVINE, thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!!
Yes!!!! Thank you for letting me know, Tara!!
That frosting looks amazing!
My food processor is broken 🙁 do you think it would work out using a stand mixer?
Thank you, Pam! Sadly I haven’t tried the stand mixer option but I can’t see why it wouldn’t. Please do let me know how it goes if you try!
What a beautiful cake, Julia! I hope you didn’t make Vika wait too long to eat it! xx
Such a sweet post and cake Julia! Your daughter is such a cutie. Hope she had a great birthday 🙂
Wow! This looks seriously good Julia 🙂 Vika is very lucky! The frosting looks so creamy and fudgy it’s got my mouth watering, and the bunny decoration is very cute 🙂 x
Congrats on the new bunnies, I hope these ones live long and healthy lives!
The cake looks gorgeous Julia – well done!
Thanks so much, Angela! The new bunnies are guarded like the most treasured possessions by our kids!
This looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Kay!
You make the most fabulous cakes and this is no exception! Love the chocolate/malt and so, so pretty. And the bunny theme is so cute.
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I love our bunnies! 🙂