Another Children in Need Day, another evening spent making
fairy cakes with wholemeal flour because I forgot and was too late to get to
the shop. Ditto, contemplating whether I could use cornflour to bulk out the fast
disappearing icing sugar (ditto) and make it stretch to the 11th and twelfth cakes, on
the basis that if I threw on enough sprinkles, no one would notice. These and
other less creative thoughts were running through my head at 10.30 p.m. last
night, but it's not my substandard fairy cakes that I want to share with you this morning.
No. What I want to share with you is the chocolate malt cake
that is most definitely staying, selfishily, at home for my own purposes. For some reason, this cake popped into my head yesterday
morning and wouldn’t leave. I’m not sure I’ve ever made it before, but I knew I
had it scribbled down somewhere. Not just chocolate, but Ovaltine too. I’m not sure why I have such a fondness for Ovaltine – it’s
not something that I remember as particularly featuring in my childhood, the
whole ‘Ovaltiney’ thing being before my time, but somehow it’s there. In this
cake, it adds a malty undertone to what is essentially a chocolate cake, but it’s
a very welcome undertone.
Dusted with
icing sugar, still warm from the oven - a warm blanket of a cake, which was
just what I needed last night, what with IT Support the Husband still away. So what
if the Children in Need cakes were iced in a sub-standard fashion...
And although I've alluded to it just now, I must stress that if you can get your hands on this cake before it has completely cooled
from the oven, it is well worth it...
Chocolate Malt Cake
350g plain chocolate, chopped (or use buttons/drops of
cooking chocolate – Bloc is good)
200g unsalted butter
7tbsp Ovaltine
150g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
2tsp vanilla extract
160g wholemeal self raising flour
Icing sugar for dusting
Grease and line a 20cm square tin, and pre-heat the oven to
1800C.
In a pan, melt 200g of the chocolate and the butter, remove
from the heat and allow to cool slightly, whileyou blend the Ovaltine with 2
tbsp water, and then, in a large bowl (using a mixer if you have one), beat
together the eggs and sugar till light and foamy. Beat in the Ovaltine mixture,
then the melted chocolate & butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir in the
flour, then fold in the remaining 150g of chocolate pieces. Scrape the batter in
to your prepared tin and bake for about 40 minutes till risen and just firm.
Allow to cool (but not too much) on a rack, then dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.
 |
| Not that you need to put it on a plate, you understand... |
Cor yum! x
ReplyDeleteYum indeed - there's some left if you want to pop in... but as I'm home alone, I don't rate its chances of being around for much longer
DeleteAnother absolutely delicious looking cake! Really like the malty addition (and the thought of eating it warm!) One of my favourite things when I was growing up in Northern Ireland was Veda bread which is malted. Sadly it's very hard to find here. Nothing quite like a thick slice of Veda toast dripping with butter (hungry now) :) x
ReplyDeleteAm very much liking the sound of Veda bread - and the dripping butter!
DeleteThis sounds delicious. I do like Ovaltine.
ReplyDeleteit's even more comforting in a cake than stirred up with warm milk!
Deleteoh my goodness, that looks fabulous! I think ovaltine tastes a bit like malteasers, so I can see how this would work!
ReplyDeleteyep - exactly right.
DeleteThat sounds amazing! I have just found you through Love All Blogs and was immediately drawn to your amazing recipe book collection that really does look a lot like mine!
ReplyDeleteAh - the world needs more cookery books :-)
DeleteOoh that looks good! looks like a cake/brownie hybrid - exactly what the world has been waiting for!
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is - and it has only improved with a couple of days in the tin...
DeleteJust visiting from funkie foodies, OMG, that looks fantastic!
ReplyDelete