John This is a great looking cake that will not fail to impress your family. It’s not overly rich or sweet so you won’t feel guilty having a large slice.
The vanilla cake has a mud cake-like texture without being as rich. The chocolate malt icing, layered through the cake as well as outside provides a nice chocolate flavour without being overly sweet. Chopped Crunchie bar pieces are added to the icing in the middle of the cake to add a wonderful honeycomb crunch to each slice. Topped with maltesers & crunchie bar pieces and you have an amazing cake that tastes as good as it looks.
I used a chocolate malt powder for this cake, however you could use a vanilla malt if that is your preference.
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
slices
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Plain Flour
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 3/4 cups Caster Sugar
- 225 g Butter softened
- 4 Eggs
Chocolate Malt Icing
- 400 g Butter softened
- 3 cups Icing Sugar
- 100 g Chocolate Malt Powder I use Ovaltine, but there are other brands.
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 3 Crunchie Chocolate Bars 3 x 50g Crunchie bars
- 250 g Maltesers
Ingredients
Chocolate Malt Icing
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Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 180° C (fan forced)
- Grease and line with baking paper two round 20cm (8") springform baking tins.
- In a medium bowl combined flour (sifted) and baking powder. Set aside
- In a small jug, combine milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and using an electric mixer, beat until creamy and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture to the large bowl. Beat well after each addition. Start with flour mixture and end with flour mixture.
- Split mixture evenly between the two baking tins. Smooth the top of each tin with a spatula.
- Place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in tins for about 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Chocolate Malt Icing
- In a large mixing bowl add butter and using and electric mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Alternate adding icing sugar and milk to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Use the milk to determine the texture of your icing. I used the full 1/4 cup, however you may use more or less depending on how stiff or pliable you want the icing to be.
Cake Assembly
- You can trim the cakes to make them evenly round if that is your preference. I did not do that and instead simply used the cakes as they were cooked.
- Place the first cake on a plate and spread icing over the top of the cake.
- Take one crunchie bar and roughly chop it up with a knife.
- Place the crunchie bits into the icing on top of the cake.
- Invert the second cake and place on top of the first cake.
- Spread icing over the top of the cake. You only need a thin layer of icing.
- Spread icing around the sides of the cake to completely coat in icing. If you are having difficulty, you can place the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to cool and set the icing. You may then find it easier to continue coating the cake with a firmer icing base. Smooth the icing on the side of the cake to your preference.
- Roughly chop the remaining two crunchie bars and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
- Add maltesers to the top of the cake.
- Place maltesers in a single layer around the bottom of the cake.
- Place in refrigerator to let the icing set before serving.
