putting a notion into action [recipe: chocolate malteser cake]

It has always been said, and is a proven fact, I do believe, that you are the company you keep, possibly pivoting on the simple notion of attracting people of similar energy as to that which you project into the universe. Now, if the Law of Attraction is anything to go by, then I must surely have had sent out chocoholic vibes incessantly, because ever since I  posted the left photo from the above diptych into my little Twitter universe, numerous chocoholics (loud-and-proud and closet ones alike) openly declared their support and pledged allegiance towards the same cocoa cause. Whilst I may be far from the journey to converting my household to like chocolate, let alone embrace chocolate addiction;– to be perfectly honest, I don’t even know why I bother, since it just spells a greater share for me;– it is most certainly reassuring to know I’m not the only one with a penchant for this dark beauty.

And since I pretty much decided to bake my own birthday cake this year, there was no doubt in my mind that it had to be somewhere along the lines of chocolate on chocolate with chocolate, plus more chocolate. 

Never mind the fact that I didn’t have the time to bake this on the actual day of my birthday, something this decadent and overloaded with chocolate was well worth a belated birthday treat. Or more aptly, it clearly fits the bill for making the once-a-year cut, the one where you justify over-indulgence of any gastronomical form. I adapted the recipe from two books, one for the cake layers, and the other for its much-raved icing. While I found the icing much too sweet for my liking, especially coupled with the [admittedly greedy and] generous Malteser decoration, the malt flavour of the icing came through and complemented the cake perfectly.

Question here is, did this cake set the Law of Attraction in motion, and convert my household to chocoholics? No; if anything, it merely propagates their dissent. But will it bring about fellow chocolate-lovers in unison, pledging unflinching acquiescence to the darker and sweeter side of life? Ohhhh yes.

Chocolate Malteser Cake
(adapted from Valerie Barrett’s Cakes Galore & Nigella Lawson’s Feast)

For the cake:
225g butter
225g castor sugar
80g malted milk powder
50g cocoa powder
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
4 tbsp milk

For the icing:
250g powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
45g malted milk powder
125g softened butter
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 packet Maltesers, halved

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins.
Cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the malted milk powder, cocoa powder, eggs, flour and milk, and beat together until smooth and creamy.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins, and bake for about 30mins, or until well risen and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, blend the boiling water, malted milk powder and cocoa powder together in a bowl, then set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and half of the powdered sugar together until creamy, then add the remaining powdered sugar and the cocoa mixture until well blended. Sandwich the two cakes together with half of the icing, then spread the remaining icing over the top. Decorate with Maltesers around the sides of the cake.

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