Hoppy Easter!

 

I just love me some malteasers and man when they brought out those malteaster bunnies a few years back I couldn't get enough. Creamy malty goodness holding like golden nuggets of crunchyness encased in rich smooth milky chocolate, mmmm...

So naturally my thoughts then turn to cake 

And here it is, malteaser yummyness inside and out with a beautifully moist cakeand plenty of malteasters to finish it off! In other, but somewhat relevant, news I recently got a new job working in a cafe. A lovely little place overlooking the duck pond in a picturesque village of England. A wonderful place that not only allows me to test out my skills in a professional kitchen but pays me to bake. All the time. It's like a foody heaven and I'm floating on a cloud of cake, ahhh. Anyway, the boss decided to do a like and share competition to raise the cafes profile and introduce me and well, this was the cake they won, and what a happy bunny they were. So heres the recipe...

Ingredient

For the sponge

• 2 oz (ounce) malt powder
• 2 oz (ounce) cocoa powder
• 8 oz (ounce) caster sugar
• 8 oz (ounce) unsalted butter (soft (plus some for greasing))
• 7 oz (ounce) plain flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 medium egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the malt chocolate buttercream

• 5 cups icing sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup malt powder
• 2-3 tablespoons double cream
• 1 oz (ounce) malteasers, malteasters or equivalent to decorate
• 1/4 melted chocolate to drizzle

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease and line 8in cake tin.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar.
3. Add each egg individually with a spoonful of flour if it begins to curdle.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients and fold through thoroughly.
5. Stir in the milk.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked then leave to cool.
7. To make the buttercream, softent the butter then sifting in the icing sugar, cocoa and malt powder and beating till combined, stir in the cream whisking till light and fluffy.
8. Half the cake, fill and cover in the buttercream and decorate however you desire.