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Chocolate Malt Cake with Chocolate Malt Icing is a WIN. If you love chocolate, this chocolate layered cake with chocolate frosting topped with chocolate ganache is a total dream come true!
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Oh boy…chocolate lovers, this one’s for YOU. This chocolate malt cake with chocolate malt icing is A-MAZ-ING. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I am drooling just thinking about it. This is a safe space, right? 🙂
In all seriousness, this is quite possibly one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had, and I’ve made it my personal mission to try as many as possible! I wish I could take the credit for this chocolate malt cake recipe, but alas, the glory belongs to my cousin Jill, who gave me this recipe a few years ago.
If the images in this post are making your tummy growl, let me tell you that it tastes BETTER than it looks! Seems impossible huh? But it’s true! I made this for my hubby’s birthday and he absolutely loved it. He asked if he could have it for his birthday EVERY year…fine by me! Thank you so much, Jill! You are the cake QUEEN!
What is Malt?
Malt certainly has a distinct (and delicious) taste, and this chocolate malt cake plays up the malt flavor in both the cake and the icing. If you’re curious what malt is, it’s a cereal grain that is dried in a special germinated method called malting. Fascinating, right?
Ingredients in Chocolate Malt Cake
Cake:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk
- Malted milk powder
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Malted milk balls – for topping
Malt Icing:
- Butter – softened to room temperature
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Heavy whipping cream
- Malted milk powder
- Powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache:
- Chocolate chips – bittersweet or semi-sweet
- Heavy whipping cream
Tips for Slicing a Round Cake
The chocolate malt cake can easily feed 12 adults when sliced properly. This cake has four layers of cake by using two cake pans and slicing each cake in half. If you are anything like I used to be, the thought of slicing a round cake might make you a bit nervous. If so, don’t worry. You’ll be a cake-slicing pro in no time with this brilliant tip.
Rather than cutting the cake into even triangle wedges, slice the cake horizontally all the way across into half-inch slabs. From there, cut the slabs into even rectangles. It’s much easier to understand if you see a visual, so check out this post here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Malt powder is a powder made up of malted barley, wheat flour, and condensed milk. Chocolate malt powder is malt powder that has been roasted and toasted until it has a richer and more caramelly flavor, closer to chocolate. Although it isn’t as sweet as chocolate because it doesn’t come from cocoa beans or contain as much sugar, it still has a similar flavor.
Chocolate malt is usually described as being both creamy and nutty.
I use the regular (mostly because that is what is most readily available) but you can definitely use chocolate.
Read next: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas
More Chocolate Desserts to Enjoy
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Easy Molten Chocolate Cake
- Ridiculously Delicious Chocolate Cake
- Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Double Chocolate Oreo Bundt Cake
How to Make Chocolate Malt Cake
Chocolate Malt Cake with Chocolate Malt Icing
Equipment
- 9 inch cake pans
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup malted milk powder can be found by the instant breakfasts
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Malt icing see recipe below
- Chocolate ganache see recipe below
- Malted milk balls Whoppers
Chocolate Malt Icing:
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup malted milk powder
- 7 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache:
- 16 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (we used chocolate chips)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter & flour 2, 9-inch baking pans (you may have a little leftover to make a cupcake or two if you want). In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil and eggs to flour mixture, beating at a medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on racks. Frost cakes, pour on ganache (after you pour the ganache over the cake. Place the entire cake in the refrigerator and let cool for at least an hour), and garnish with malted milk balls.
- For the frosting: This makes a lot of frosting… the original recipe makes a little less but I made extra for the layers. The frosting is so good! In a large bowl beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
- For the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate into a medium-sized bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds or so. Using an electric mixer, beat on low until chocolate mixture is smooth. Use as is for glazing.
Notes
- Top the cake with malted milk balls, or Whoppers for a fancy flair!
I really like your recipe. I always order chocolate cake online via bakery but after reading you I will definitely try it out at home.
I want to make this cake, but I would like to use my chocolate cake recipe if you think it would work. Would I just add in 1 cup of malt milk powder, or is there some adjustments to the other dry ingredients that would need to be made?
Malted milk powder replaces some of the flour needed in a recipe. If you are going to use your own cake recipe I would suggest adding only 1 or 2 tablespoons of the milk powder.
Hi! This cake is absolutely delicious. I chose to make it after researching many recipes on the internet. The texture, moisture level, and flavor are over the top lovely! I made it in two layers.9 inch pans which fit perfectly on anstandard 10 inch cake board. I used a different recipe for frosting and decorations because..vanilla malt and robins egg color. And speckles ..but that cake recipe just didn’t sound as good. Thanks for the best cake I’ve ever made!
Can these be made into cupcakes?
We have never tried that before! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Thank you for the tips on how to make a layer cake that not only tastes delicious but LOOKS beautiful too. Your instructions are spot on! This is SOOO good. The MALT. Never tried that before in a cake…but now I don’t think I can go without. Chocolate and malt are perfect together.
Love love love this recipe! This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. So moist and delicious!
Do you use “regular” Malted Milk powder or the chocolate Malted Milk powder? I bought a container of the chocolate Malted Milk powder to make a cake & frosting with, but now I can’t find the recipe I was going to use. I now MUST try this frosting recipe!
I use the regular (mostly because that is what is most readily available) but you can definitely use chocolate! I know it will be amazing with the chocolate 🙂