About MissCakeBaker

I spend the week running in heels and the weekends in my apron.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Chocolate Malteser Cake - Happy Birthday We Should Cocoa!





To celebrate the 1st Birthday of the We Should Cocoa bloggers challenge Chele at Chocolate Teapot challenged us to create a chocolate masterpiece to bring to the virtual party. I've been wanting to try a chocolate Malteser cake for ages and the girls in my office all asked demanded that I make this one after they spotted it in Woman and Home magazine. And, after all, it's a 1st birthday and let's face it such an occasion demands a chocolate cake of some description. I like the fact it requires buying a jar of Horlicks, thus necessitating me to have a cup at night without feeling too old before my time! I have to say that the plastic jars just aren't as nice as the old glass ones though. Talking of days gone by does anyone else remember Horlicks Tablets which I used to buy at Boots and eat as sweets?


So the cake - the Horlicks in the frosting definitely gives it a lovely Malteser taste - slightly salty against the sweet.  I didn't add the egg to the frosting as per the recipe as I'd run out. The cake itself is quite dense - I think it could have been slightly more chocolately.  The dense mixture also caused my poor Kenwood handmixer to go into a smoking meltdown. Who knew the flames inside would cause the plastic to actually glow yellow?! Needless to say it is has been consigned to the bin.  I was wondering what it would be like with the odd actual Maltester dotted in the batter rather than adding the Horlicks to the actual mixture?  All in all though it pretty much fits the bill and on that note - Happy 1st Birthday We Should Cocoa!


The Recipe


300g butter
300g light muscovado sugar (I ran out so used a mixture of light and dark)
5 eggs
225g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
3 tbspn Horlicks
200ml milk


Frosting


100g butter
125g dark chocolate (70%)
50g Horlicks
350g icing sugar
4 tbspns milk


1. Preheat the oven to 180c, gas mark 4.  Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. 
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs one by one.  Then add the flour, cocoa, Horlicks and milk.  Divide between the sandwich tins. Bake for around 45 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
3.  Leave the cakes to cool for about 10 mins in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
4. To make the frosting melt the butter, chocolate and Horlicks together in the microwave (the melted mixture has a slightly gritty texture due to the Horlicks).  Then beat in the icing sugar and milk.
5.  Assemble the cake using half the frosting for the middle and the remainder for the top of the cake. Decorate with maltesers. 

25 comments:

  1. That looks very good, though not a Horlicks fan do love maltesers. RIP to your mixer at least it went out on a high. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow this cake is amazing!!! So beautiful and so delicious!
    Have a nice Sunday

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a brilliant addition to our virtual party. Such a masterpiece. I'm afraid that Horlicks is a new one on me though I am imagining it is something similar to Aussie Milo so that tablet sounds pretty darn amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh no, so sorry to hear about your mixer! But so thrilled to see you're wonderful cake. I love horlicks and the malty chocolate loaf I made a while back using it was really delicious. Yes, I remember those horlicks tablets and yes I also ate them as sweets - and confession time, spooning the stuff from the jar straight into my mouth. Thanks for bringing such a great cake to the party - really looking forward to trying a slice ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks and sounds delicious. I'm not sure what "Horlick" is . . . I just adore the malted milk balls on the top of the cake! What a great idea! Wish I could have a slice!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just love Malteser cake - fantastic choice for the We Should Cocoa Birthday celebrations!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh wow your poor Kenwood... I'd have love to have seen that glow!... cake looks superb, I love anything malted... this would be great with ice cream i'm thinking!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh no your poor mixer! A Hummingbird Bakery stiff cake batter killed my last one. Your cake texture looks lovely and chocolatey. I think I need to try a malteser chocolate cake again, my last one was a bit dry but the horlicks icing was lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love that this cake means that you have to have a horlicks each night to finish the jar! What a lovely, lovely bake

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a gorgeous cake. I love Horlicks and do remember Horlicks tablets - they were scrummy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for your lovely comments!
    Chele - Milo is more like our Ovaltine. Horlicks is basically Milo without the chocolate.
    Choclette - I used too, actually still do, eat it from the jar too!
    Dom - the glow was impressive, less so the smell of burning plastic!
    Glad I've found some fellow Horlicks tablets fans too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ps I've just remembered I have some icr cream in the freezer - good call!

    ReplyDelete
  13. A serious bit of celebration cake - it looks great. I do remember the tablets but I'm afraid I've never been a Horlicks fan. Very sad to hear about your mixer, though. It's happened to me more than once - I now buy the cheapest handheld mixers I can find. The latest one has 21 speeds and hugely complicated controls - no wonder it was in a sale.

    ReplyDelete
  14. delicious looking cake looks wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  15. awww...poor mixer! Looks delish!

    www.cancerinthecity.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks deliciously moist! I love malty chocolate cakes. Have you tried a chocolate Guinness cake, it's just as good.

    Sorry about your mixer. My hand mixer occasionally smokes but as yet hasn't broken. I should definitely get a new one!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Cakefairyblog - thanks! Yes I made a choc guiness cake but a long time ago. I remember it being delicious. I'll have to revisit it!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Looks decadent and lovely...the use of Horlicks sounds interesting and tasty. The malt decorations on top look awesome too..Happy Birthday "We should cocoa".

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mmmmm, I have just return from grocery shopping with my 13 year old son and among other things we bought not one but two packets of Maltesers! I'm sure some could be spared for such a delicious cake! I think the Aussie supermarkets still sell Horlicks but I could be wrong.....another trip to the supermarket!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love maltesers and horlicks and just happen to have a large supply of both. I feel a blog steal coming on :) I can't believe your mixer couldn't cope. I remember eating the horlicks tablets too - yum!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rest in peace little mixer! The cake looks lush!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow. I'm definately going to try this! love your blog too! please check out mine if you get a moment, I've just started up http://fourteaspoons.blogspot.com/ :)

    ReplyDelete