Chocolate Cake With Malted Chocolate Buttercream Food

MARY BERRY'S MALTED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Grease 2x20cm round sandwich tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.
• Measure the malted chocolate drink powder and cocoa powder into a large bowl, pour over 2 tablespoons of water and mix to a paste. Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat until smooth.
• Divide evenly between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Set aside in the tins to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the icing, measure the malted chocolate drink powder into a bowl, add the hot milk and mix until smooth. Add the butter, icing sugar and melted chocolate and mix again until smooth, then add the boiling water to give a gloss to the icing.
• Place one cake on a plate and spread over half the icing. Sandwich with the other cake and spread (or pipe) the remaining icing on top, using the tip of a rounded palette knife to create a swirled effect from the centre to the edge of the cake.
• Arrange the Maltesers over the top and dust with icing sugar before serving.

MALTED CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together both flours, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk 1/2 cup of the malt powder with the milk, egg white, butter, and vanilla until the malt dissolves. Stir into the dry ingredients until only a few small lumps remain and spread the batter in the prepared baking dish.
• Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cocoa and sprinkle over the batter. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup malt powder into the boiling water and pour it over the batter. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. If desired, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and immediately spoon the warm cake and sauce onto plates or shallow bowls.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix the batter only until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature before frosting.
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 6 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon orange food coloring
• Combine the sugar with 2/3 cup water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and, without stirring, bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and allow the mixture to boil until the sugar dissolves. Uncover and continue boiling until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Pour the syrup into a heat-proof measuring cup.
• Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form stiff peaks. With the mixer on high speed, slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites. Continue beating on high speed until the mixture is absolutely at room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and then add the vanilla and liqueur. (If the mixture becomes runny, the meringue was too warm and the butter melted. Chill slightly and beat again.) Add the food coloring and combine.
• Yield: 6 cups

RICH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa and vanilla until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

YELLOW CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE MALT BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat all Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Pour batter into pans.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In large bowl, beat butter, malted milk powder and unsweetened cocoa with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add 4 tablespoons cream; beat until blended. Continue beating about 3 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy, adding more cream if needed.
• Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer. Frost sides and top of cake with thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Frost cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with crushed malted milk balls.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat a convection oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the vinegar into the milk in a medium bowl and set it aside to curdle for 5 minutes.
• Add the granulated sugar, oil and vanilla to the milk mixture and beat by hand with a whisk until foamy.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 batches, beating with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until no lumps.
• Grease three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter among them and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes
• Let cool slightly, then remove the cakes from the pans. Cool the cakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Soak the cake rounds with Coffee Simple Syrup by brushing about 1/3 cup onto each layer as you build the cake. To build: Spread the White Chocolate Buttercream on one soaked cake round, then add a heavy drizzle of Caramel Sauce. Add a second layer and repeat. Add the last layer and frost the whole cake with White Chocolate Buttercream.
• Add the sugar to a small saucepan fitted with a lid. Pour in the coffee and stir. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar completely dissolves. Turn off the heat. Cover immediately and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Put the white chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Bring the granulated sugar and 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat. Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup of water in a small bowl to combine. Stir it into the sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Pour the sugar mixture over the white chocolate. Stir by hand with a whisk to combine. As mixture cools, stir 2 more times over the next 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
• Combine the light brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

TIERED CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter one 4 by 3-inch cake pan, one 6 by 3-inch cake pan and one 8 by 3-inch cake pan. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter and flour the pans.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix the batter only until blended.
• Divide the batter between the three pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake on the middle rack of the oven as follows: for the 4-inch pan 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean; for the 6-inch pan 70 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean; and for the 8-inch pan 85 to 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean . Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes each on a cooling rack, carefully remove from the pans and allow to finish cooling.
• Place the 8-inch cake on a serving plate, flat side up. Frost the top and sides of that layer with buttercream. Place the 6-inch cake in the center of the top of the 8- inch cake, flat side up, and frost the top and sides. Place the 4-inch cake in the center of the top of the 6-inch cake, flat side down. Frost the top and sides of that layer with buttercream. Spread any remaining buttercream over the cake evenly.
• Chop the chocolates and place them in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan simmering water. Stir until melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
• Mix the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the bowl of egg whites over the pan of simmering water and heat the egg whites until they are warm to the touch, about 5 minutes. Return the bowl to the electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is cool and holds a stiff peak.
• Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and rum, if using, and mix for 1 minute or until the chocolate is completely blended in. If the buttercream seems very soft, allow it to cool, and beat it again.

MALTED MILK & CHOCOLATE TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil a 20 x 30cm traybake tin and line with baking parchment. Whisk the oil, sugar, eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Sieve over the flour, cocoa, malted milk powder and bicarbonate of soda, then fold the dry ingredients into the wet until well-combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 mins until the sponge has risen and springs back when gently pressed - a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Set the tin on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• While the sponge cools, make the buttercream. Beat the butter, icing sugar, malted milk powder, vanilla and 1 tbsp boiling water from the kettle together using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Spoon the buttercream over the cooled cake and gently spread to the edges using a spatula or palette knife. Scatter over the bashed chocolate balls, then decorate with the chocolate bunnies and halved chocolate eggs before serving. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.