Malteser Gateau

*Also available under Baked Goods to Order at £30 per cake*

I made this as a bit of an experiment last night for Arivind's 27th birthday today- judging from the fact that the entire cake was demolished in less than 12 hours (between 3 people, although for the most part by him), I'd gather the experiment was quite a success :)

The recipe below produces a very soft and moist bittersweet cocoa sponge that doesn't taste remarkable on its own, but pairs deliciously with the sweet-salty malt buttercream frosting to create an irresistible mouthful. On another occasion I may experiment further to try bringing out a stronger malt flavour in the sponge- for today though, it's already sitting happily in our tummies regardless :)

Malteser Gateau

Makes one double-layer 8" cake

Cocoa Sponge:

Whisk together until smooth:

2/3 cup Horlicks, dissolved in 2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

Sift in and fold until well-combined:

1½ cups plain flour

½ cup sugar (or more if you prefer it sweeter)

½ cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Add in and whisk until creamy:

150ml (about 2/3 cup) sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Divide the batter equally into two lined 8" round sandwich cake pans and bake at 175C (about 160 C fan-assisted) for 20-25 mins until firm to touch. Let cool thoroughly before frosting.

Frosting:

Combine in a large bowl and whip on high with an electric whisk for 3 mins until light and fluffy:

200g butter, softened

1½ cups icing sugar
½ cup Horlicks

½ cup milk, room temperature

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

If the cakes have risen to a domed shape, slice the tops off with a large thin knife to create a level surface. Place one layer of the sponge on a cake board/large dinner plate and spread about 1/3 of the frosting evenly across with a thin spatula. Top with the second layer of sponge, uneven sliced side down (so that the top of the cake is smooth and easier to coat) then spread the rest of the frosting evenly across the top and sides.

Decorate as desired and keep refrigerated- if you use chopped Maltesers as I did, please note that they become soft and chewy once the malt centre has been exposed for too long so serve the cake immediately if you want the crunch. Otherwise just let them turn gooey- it's still pretty and delicious :)

Enjoy!