A moist loaf cake with a smooth texture and a delicious malty flavour. If you can stop yourself demolishing this malted chocolate cake straight away, it will keep well for a few days. Perfect with a cuppa.
One of the recipes that caught my eye in my not-so-new-now Peyton and Byrne cookbook, was for a malty chocolate cake. It wasn’t the picture that entrapped me this time. Because there was no picture. But the word malty is one I find very hard to resist.
Malt conjures up so many childhood treats. I loved malt extract, except when it was used as a method to hide cod liver oil – yuck! A cup of horlicks was always welcome as was the jar that I would pinch the odd teaspoon out of when no one was looking. And my mother still makes a mean malt loaf. Anyway, I sort of guessed this was going to be a really good cake and thankfully it was.
Malted Chocolate Cake
Of course, I adapted the recipe quite considerably. I always do. But the essence of chocolate and horlicks is very much alive in my malted chocolate cake.
It’s a very easy cake to make. I use one saucepan and a wooden spoon to mix it all together. So the washing up is minimal.
As well as swapping the plain flour for wholemeal, I also changed the quantities, reduced the sugar and added more horlicks. The first time I made the cake I went with added milk chocolate pieces, as per the recipe, but later decided this wasn’t really necessary. But by all means add fifty grams of milk chocolate chips into the cake batter at the end of the process if you like the idea.
I also swapped the milk for kefir. The sourness in kefir really helps cakes to rise as well as adding flavour. If you can’t get hold of kefir, buttermilk or sour milk work equally well.
The original recipe stated that the cake needs 35-40 minutes to bake at 170℃ (150℃ fan, 338℉, Gas 3). But my cake was still very wobbly so I had to give it an additional fifteen minutes and it was still slightly underdone.
Since then, I’ve upped the quantities for this recipe and I’ve also upped the temperature. The raw batter is quite a soft one, so it needs nearly an hour to bake. It’s a good idea though, to test it after fifty minutes as I feel it’s always important not to over bake a cake.
Whilst it’s not a good idea to take a cake out of the oven too early, it’s fine to do it close to the end. If it’s not done, just pop it back in again.
Malted Chocolate Cake Top Tips
Use a large mesh sieve for the wholemeal flour and discard any particularly big pieces of bran left in it.
Because the cake is in the oven such a long time, it’s best to place a piece of baking paper or foil over the top of the cake to stop it burning.
Other Malty Bakes You Might Like
- Choc chip malted cookies
- Frugal malted hot chocolate cake
- Malted chocolate bundt cake
- Malted superfood bars
- Malteser cake
- Rye & wholemeal malted bread loaf
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this malted chocolate cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more loaf cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Malted Chocolate Loaf Cake. PIN IT.
Malted Chocolate Cake – The Recipe
Malted Chocolate Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter
- 75 g dark chocolate (I used 85%)
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar
- 160 g light muscovado sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 210 g wholemeal flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp tbsp Horlicks (or other malted drink)
- pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 165 ml sour milk, kefir or buttermilk
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat.
- As soon as it’s melted, turn the heat off and add the chocolate and sugars. Leave for a couple of minutes for the chocolate to melt, then stir everything together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it’s smooth and glossy.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, Horlicks and salt. Use a large mesh sieve and discard any particularly big pieces of bran left in it.
- Stir until just incorporated, then add the sour milk, buttermilk or kefir and stir again.
- Scrap into a greased 900g (2lb) silicone loaf mould or lined tin and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch, the loaf has shrunk away from the sides and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for ten minutes or so, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for malted chocolate loaf cake with The Peachicks Bakery for #CookBlogShare.
Sounds delicious, I love malted anything, especially chocolate!
Me too, I find it very hard to resist.
YUM I love a chocolate cake and so do my kids. This recipe looks so delicious. Thank you #cookblogshare
Chocolate cake is hard to beat. But if you like the taste of Maltesers, this is an especially good one.
Ooh yum! Love the idea of putting malt into a cake – definitely on my list to give a go!
Just think Maltesers, only in cake form and not nearly as sweet.
wow looks fantastic gonna try make this with my son xx
This looks lovely, looking to try more recipes like this. Going to have to give this a go.
Baking Addict – so glad it proved to be a success.
Just posted my version inspired by your post – I’ve added a link back to your site. This cake is divine. Everyone is asking for more!
WoW! that looks absolutely delicious.=D
CityHippy – he he, we’re not always as restrained as that, but sometimes we can manage it. This would be interesting to make with malt extract for a purer form – might just have to try that one day.
MaryMoh – you’ve got the right idea 😉
BVG – I’m going to have to find Nigella’s Malteser Cake now. I’m quite good on the whole about not eating junk, but I do have a weakness for maltesers.
I love Nigella’s Malteser Cake and can only imagine that this is even better – can’t wait to try it!
With chocolate, I can eat it any time….mmm.
I haven’t had Horlicks for many many moons. In a cake with chocolate, and muscavado to jump start it- sounds lovely!
Not sure I would have lasted a whole week though.
Dom – hang on in there.
Angie – malt in bread and crackers sounds mighty fine.
Xinmei – you’re right, ultimately, it’s the taste that counts, but it does help if it looks good too :-S
WLM – do try it, it’s all that you say.
Spiceandmore – indeed.
CC – good idea, next time I shall try it with maltesers too, mmmmm!
I can see from your photo how rich and sticky that cake looks – lovely! I’ve never baked with malt – other than maltesers and I’m not sure they count – so this is really interesting
Hmm…chocolate and malt in a cake…what’s not to love?!
Delicious, I love malt cake. I havent ever made it but it looks so good and warm chocolate and malt …mmm… makes me think of those chocolate malt milkshakes you get in hamburger joints in the US
Hey, it does’t matter if the shape turns out bad, as long as it tastes good, which I’m sure it did! 🙂 I love malt too 🙂
I actually have a large tin of malt in the kitchen, but hardly use it, except in baking bread and crackers. The chocolate cake looks very moist and light in texture.
Chocolate Malt Cake! Three words that I now, thanks to you, cannot live without!! Oh I need my new kitchen NOW!!!
Ah C, now you’ve got me thinking of bagels and it’s breakfast time and I’ll just have to make do with toast 🙁 Sounds really interesting poaching them in malt, haven’t heard of that before, but then again I haven’t made bagels before.
Karen – if you love horlicks, you’ll love this cake for sure.
Johanna – Perhaps you could try substituting the syrup for the powder. It’s interesting how food can evoke so many memories.
Baking Addict – ha ha, not always, but I have to try :-S
Jac – it really is a good combination and a virtual slice probably tastes even better!
Chele – well of course 😉
Kate – it’s a lovely book isn’t it. Just popping over to your site to see which ones you’ve made so far.
Sonia – not much point having cake if it can’t be a little bit decedent 🙂
A Trifle Rushed – a giant malteser? Now you’re talking!
Janice – not quite the same, but I’m sure you’d like it.
Phil – it’s never too late to kick a habit – or to start one up 😉
Gloria – thank you.
This look fantastic I love chocolate cake!! gloria
I really hated malt drinks as a kid – it put me off malt flavours for decades. I’m now convinced that I was wrong, though. This recipe might even convince me to buy some Horlicks for the first time in my life.
Those little Soreen malt loaves are a great favourite with me. If this is anything like that it will be delicious!
Malt and chocolate=Made in Heaven!!! Just sounds soooo delicious, like a giant malteser!!!
I’m definitely giving this a try!
Looks decadent! My kind of cake!
I was given this book for my birthday and am slowly working my way through all the lovely recipes- but this particular recipe has, following your review, definitely leaped up a few notches and will be my next bake!
There is only one things that could ever improve a malt cake and that would have to be the addition of chocolate. Good call ;0)
Malt and chocolate sound like a good combination to me and as ever I want to reach in a greab a slice.
I love malt as well. My peyton & byrne book is still very much untouched – I really must find some time soon. Shame about the loaf mould but it still looks good. I can’t believe you managed to keep it for a week – you have more self-restrain than me! 🙂
I have barley malt syrup but no malt powder. Malt always sounds good to me because my dad was so passionate about malted milk when I was little – so I am sure I would love this cake
That looks SO moist and tasty, I LOVE horlicks too! I may try that….I am still testing my Rose and Chocolate creations in the kitchen, will post them soon!
Karen @ Lavender and Lovage
Hmm, I wonder if I have a jar of malt somewhere. It’s not something I’ve ever really tasted I don’t think, apart from Soreen malt loaf, which I love. And the only time I’ve used it to bake with is when poaching bagels prior to baking. Perhaps it’s time to branch out! Oh, now you’ve made me think of bagels and I want one!