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slice of chocolate cake on a plate revealing 4 moist layers with shiny cream cheese frosting

THE BEST CHOCOLATE MALT CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING


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4.9 from 27 reviews

  • Author: Zoha
  • Total Time: 1 hour + cooling
  • Yield: 12-14

Description

This is the ultimate chocolate cake: moist, rich, creamy, and chocolatey. Drenched in cream cheese frosting, it can be eaten cold or warmed!


Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour (260g)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (330g)
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder (65g)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil (135g)
  • 1 cup milk (240g)
  • 1/2 cup malted chocolate powder (50g) - I use Ovaltine
  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • 1/2 cup boiling water (120g)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
  • 8oz cream cheese (226g)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder (50g)
  • 2 tbsp ovaltine chocolate powder (optional)

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional), and line 2 9” cake pans with parchment paper and butter 
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients except the malted chocolate powder using a hand whisk 
  • In a cup, mix the milk with the malted chocolate powder
  • Add the egg, oil and ovaltine milk to the dry ingredients. Whisk until combined 
  • In a separate cup, mix the boiling water with instant coffee, and then whisk into the cake mixture
  • Lastly, fold in the sour cream to bring it all together. Don’t over mix unnecessarily 
  • Divide the batter into 2 pans equally and bake for 25-30 min (baking time can vary, check after 25 min with a toothpick, should have moist crumbs attached)
  • Cool cakes on a wire rack 
  • For the frosting, whisk the butter and cream cheese until creamy, then add cocoa powder and malted chocolate powder, and whisk in. Then add the sugar 1 cup at a time and whisk at high speed until you achieve a light and silky cream cheese frosting 
  • Once the cakes are cooled, trim off the tops and divide into 2 halves each using a sharp serrated knife. This will give you 4 layers total.
  • Assemble your cake by placing a layer of chocolate cake, covering with frosting, and repeating. At the end, use the remaining frosting to cover the cake edges and top fully.
  • Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and then serve!

Notes

  • The cake will not taste like coffee, so don't skip it
  • Don't skip the malted chocolate powder or replace it with chocolate or cocoa powder
  • Don't skip the sour cream - if you don't have any, make your own with heavy cream and lemon juice
  • Make sure to measure your flour carefully, don't stuff too much into your measuring cups (best to use a scale and weigh in grams)
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Category: Cakes