WE LOVE MALTESER CAKE

"We love Malteser Cake" - a not too subtle hint!!! But I am always happy to oblige:-}

This is Nigella Lawson's cake from the Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame chapter in her book Feast, probably my most thumbed (and chocolate stained!) section of any cook book.

I find that it is universally loved no matter how old or young the taster, it works really well in cupcake form, an all round good cake.

As you can see I cook it regularly, the icing on the top was prepared in the Kitchen Aid and whipped for a long time, which makes it much lighter, although it is good either way.

The recipe calls for Horlicks, but I bought the cheaper supermarket alternative and it works very well.

Malteser Chocolate Cake

Cake:

150g light brown sugar

100g caster sugar

3 eggs

175ml milk

15g butter

2 tbsp malted drink mix (like Horlicks)

175g plain flour

25g good cocoa - sieved

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (bread soda)

Icing:

250g icing sugar

1 tsp cocoa

45g Horlicks (or equivalent)

125g softened butter

2 tbsp boiling water

2 x 37g packets of Maltesers

Preheat oven to 170 C. Prepare two 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins with butter and parchment paper.

Whisk the eggs and sugars together.

Heat the milk, butter and malt powder in a saucepan until the butter melts, do not allow to boil.

When the egg mixture is light and frothy, beat in the hot mixture and then fold in the four, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed gently. Allow them to cool in a rack in the tins for 5 - 10 minutes then turn out of the tins.

Once cold, prepare the icing. In a processor (no need to sieve the icing sugar) or mixer (very necessary to sieve the icing sugar) put the icing sugar, cocoa and malt drink and blitz (processor) or mix gently. Add the butter and mix again, stopping and scraping down regularly. Finally add the boiling water and give a final mix.

Sandwich the sponges with half of the buttercream and then ice the top, creating a swirly pattern. Stud the outside edge with a ring of Maltesers.

Enjoy.