March 30, 2017
Malteser Cake
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details!*
A two-layer chocolate malt sponge, with chocolate spread filling, malt buttercream frosting, maltesers, and more! Perfect Malteser cake!
So, I have had what feels like an INSANE amount of requests for this recipe. Like, I have genuinely lost count! I have always said so far to multiply up my Malteser Cupcakes recipe, which would also work, but I wanted to make this a whole new level of delicious.
I based this on my Chocolate Fudge Cake and some ideas from my Honeycomb Crunchie Cake as well. All in all, its definitely one of my new favourite recipes. It’s just basically insane. Every mouthful is delicious!
My No-Bake Chocolate Malteser Cheesecake and Cornflake & Malteser Rocky Road recipes have always been popular, but this is only my fourth malteser recipe. I feel like I have neglected Malteser’s slightly I won’t lie – but this cake will 100% make up for the lacking of recipes for sure.
I altered the Chocolate Fudge Cake to be slightly more fudgey, less coffee like, and put in some malt powder. I will say that even in my regular chocolate fudge cake, you can NOT taste the coffee – and this one lacks some of it so you are even less likely to taste the coffee, so do not worry.
This sponge is quite different to a regular chocolate Victoria sponge style chocolate cake, and there is a reason – it is chocolate fudge cake sponge like mentioned above. Because of all the other ingredients that have been added into the sponge – the buttermilk, the plain flour, the melted chocolate, the bicarbonate of soda etc… it creates something wonderful.
I do find it easier to decorate the cake when the sponges have been chilled – just because it is designed to be a delicate cake. You can use the cake from my Malteser Drip Cake for a firmer sponge if you prefer, or even just that recipe because it is also delicious!
The malt powder (or malt drink as you may understand it) is designed to make the cake taste slightly more Malteser like – and it is delicious. I used 75g to increase the flavour, and it is dreamy. Either way, it helps it create a nice sponge, and along with the spread and buttercream, you don’t need the sponge to be oh-so-malty.
In my mind, this cake was so much better with the Malteser spread in the middle because it gave it more flavour, more sweetness, and another element of Malteser heaven but it is of course optional. Sometimes the spread is quite hard to find, so literally any chocolate spread you like will work!
I wouldn’t blame anyone if it all accidentally fell into their mouth and none made it to the cake because you know, I might’ve had to have bought another jar as this happened to me… anyway. You can definitely leave it out if you don’t want the added extra element to the bake.
The malt buttercream is lovely and malty, making it less sweet than normal buttercream frosting, so it combats the other sweetness making it the perfect amount. You can use Ovaltine or Horlicks for this – but I tend to find any malt drink that is designed to mix with milk is best.
The cake is quite dense, but it makes it SO FUDGEY and delicious. My Taste Testers were super happy with this cake, and already want it again. I had my slice after photographing it, and now I wish I hadn’t give the rest of the cake away because I am craving more! Enjoy!
Malteser Cake!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 225 g Dark Chocolate
- 225 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Coffee Granules
- 75 g Malt Powder (horlicks/ovaltine for milk)
- 175 g Plain Flour
- 25 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 200 g Light Brown Sugar
- 4 Medium Eggs
- 75 ml Buttermilk
Buttercream Ingredients
- 250 g Unsalted Butter (room temp)
- 500 g Icing Sugar
- 50 g Malt Powder
- 2-4 tbsp Boiling Water
Decorations
- 200 g Chocolate Spread
- 200 g Maltesers
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cake!
- Preheat your oven to 160ºc/140ºfan and grease & line two 8″/20cm Cake tins – leave to the side.
- In a small bowl, add the dark chocolate and unsalted butter and melt together until smooth. I do this in the microwave.
- Add the coffee granules and malt powder into a mug, and add 125ml boiling water and mix – then, add this to the chocolate/butter mix and stir well until smooth.
- In a separate large bowl add the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, and light brown soft sugar and mix well so the ingredients are all mixed with each other well!
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together until combined.
- Add the chocolate mixture and the egg mixture to the dry bowl, and stir with a spatula/whisk until smooth. You do not need an electric mixer for this.
- Pour the mixture into the two tins and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. A skewer should come out clean, and the cake should be silent (if not fully baked, it’ll make a bubbly/crackling noise).
- Leave to cool fully in the tins.
For the Buttercream!
- In a large bowl, beat the room temperature unsalted butter on its own for a few minutes to loosen.
- Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth
- Add the malt powder, and beat again. If the buttercream is really thick, add 1tbsp of boiling water at a time to loosen ever so slightly.
For the Decoration!
- Spread the chocolate spread onto the bottom cake, and pipe on half of the buttercream.
- Add on the second sponge and pipe on the rest of the buttercream, and then decorate with some Maltesers and whatever else you fancy!
Notes
- I used the Horlicks powder for my Malt Powder that mixes with Milk, but you can also use ovaltine, or any other malt powder.
- If you can’t access the Buttermilk, you can make your own! Use the same quantity of full-fat milk, with 2tbsp lemon juice whisked in.
- This cake will last for 3 days in an airtight container!
ENJOY!
Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!
You can find me on:
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Youtube
J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Hi Jane,
Would this work under ganache and then covered with fondant? My daughter has asked for this cake for her bday but she wants a fondant covered cake
Many thanks
Hiya! This should be fine – enjoy! x
Hi,
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe, it rocks!
I made this cake and my kids lost their minds!
But as I was eating I thought ALCOHOL!
I am making it again this weekend for my Son’s 6th and am thinking of an adults-only cake…
What would you suggest to complement this cake? Brandy or Rum?
Many Thanks!
Tia Maria??
Hi, will it work with milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate? I still have plenty of eggs left over from Easter! Thanks
Hiya! Unfortunately it is best to use dark chocolate as you need the high cocoa content for the best bake! Hope this helps! x
Hi, can this cake be frozen? I made a double dose to use up the buttermilk as I didn’t know what else to use it for. Now have so much cake!
Hiya, absolutely you can freeze it for up to 3 months! Enjoy! x
Hi Jane,
Would this buttermilk version of the malteser cake work as a drip cake?
I know buttermilk cakes are so moist and delicious but can be difficult to decorate.
Thanks
Hiya! You’re right – they can be difficult but along as you chill the sponges well beforehand it should be fine! Hope this helps x
Hi Jane,
Due to a tiny oven I have to bake my layers individually.
What ingredients would it be per layer for 20cm tin?
I prefer to mix fresh for each batch than allow it to sit
Thank you so much
Kate
Hiya! Just divide the ingredients by 2 for each layer! Hope this helps x
I have just made this but couldn’t fit the mixture in my runs. They were 21cm sandwich tins. Is it because they are too shallow? What type of tins do you use and recommend I buy? I’ve just put the extra in cupcake cake cases so hopefully they will work out to use the extra.
Thank you for another great recipe though.
Hiya! You shouldn’t use sandwich tins – I always use tins atleast 2.75 inches deep! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane!
Just wondering could I use a couple of horlicks instant hot drink sachets that tell you to just add water instead of buying a big tub of horlicks?
Thanks☺️
I’d recommend using the add milk ones for best results!
Made this today was really delicious, I’ve never made a cake using malt but it works so well together.
The malteser spread finishes it off perfectly, thanks again for another lovely recipe. Xx
Absolutely delicious! I made this for a birthday cake and even though it was a little fudgey in the middle (something I must of done wrong) I just told everyone it was chocolate fudge cake 😂 and was a huge hit lol absolutely delicious 😋
We used normal chocolate spread as I don’t think anyone sells Malteser spread anymore but it was still absolutely delicious! All the family loved it as an Easter treat- especially my daughter as the Malteser bunnies are her fave! Excellent recipe.
Nicola,Asda has malteser spread
Is it really important to use a stand mixer with the buttercream? I have a single electric hand mix and when I make the buttercream i feel like it’s a smaller amount and doesn’t double in size like yours does. It’s only because stand mixers are so expensive and my bags seem to always split
I find stand mixers just create the best end results because of how it mixes, but electric hand whisks work well too!
Hi Jane, really looking forward to making this! My partner absolutely loves maltesers! I only have 2 x 6’’ tins though, can you please advise me on the measurements for the ingredients for this size Tin? 🙂 x
Hey! So I usually say a good aim is to use 2/3 of the recipe when baking a 6″ version! X
Fab! I’ll give it a go! Thank you Jane 🙂 x
Hi Jane, I’m sorry I forgot to ask you, if I’m making this slightly smaller (2×6’’ tins) will the baking times or temperature change at all ?
Xx
6″ tins are about 1/3 smaller so quite a bit smaller. I would recommend reducing the recipe by 1/3, and then the baking time will reduce but I am not certain for how long as I haven’t made this recipe that size before x
Ahhhhh my god, this is THE BEST cake you’ll ever make/eat in your life!! It’s super chocolately, rich, fudgey and the malted buttercream just tops everything off nicely. Thanks so much Jane x
Hello Jane,
I am finding that my sponges are taking a awful long time to cook. I have my oven on the right temperature. What is the maximum time you would leave them for? Thank you
Hiya! If the timings are completely wrong it means there is something wrong with the oven temperature unfortunately so just keep baking until they are done xx
I’m very excited to make this cake for a friends birthday tomorrow. I was wondering does it matter whether the malt powder is original horlicks or if horlicks instant would be ok to use too? X
It shouldn’t matter, but I find the “add milk” ones are better for baking x
Hello Jane, does it matter what coffee you use? Xx
I use a strong instant coffee, but the type doesn’t really matter! x
Hi, wanting to make this, but can’t get a hold of the malteser spread anywhere!!! What else would you recommend using instead please? Thanks!
I would just leave it out! You could use a different spread, but then it might take away from the Malteser flavour x
Hiya, I had a bit of trouble with this recipe. The first time I was being lazy, didn’t want to prep another tin (mine were slightly too small) and I over filled them and it exploded in the oven (I enjoyed cleaning that up very much :/ ).
But the second time, they came out fine like normal cakes but all three of the sponges had kind of bubbled/ almost crystallized on top. I remember being told once this was a sign that I added too much sugar or didn’t mix the sugar in properly but I was as thorough as I could have possibly been when mixing the dry ingredients and all of the wet ingredients seemed perfectly incorporated too.
I was wondering if you could tell me what I did wrong or what I can change so it doesn’t happen again. The cake still has an amazing fudge texture otherwise and I can’t wait to devour it after dinner. Just for future reference, I’d like to know what I could have done differently. Thanks x
Hey! So yes the smaller tins would definitely overflow haha! And the amount of sugar is correct for the cake – so it may be how it was mixed – you can also very much over mix a cake sponge mix which can cause this too! xx
What can I substitute the light brown sugar for as it is near impossible to find at the moment also is there an alternative to the buttermilk too? Thanks in advance x
Caster sugar or golden caster sugar are the best alternatives, and you can make your own buttermilk at home by using the same weight of whole milk (must be whole) and mixing in 2tbsp lemon juice and letting it sit for 5 minutes before using!
Hi, I don’t like coffee is there something else I could use?
As mentioned in the post, the cake does not taste like coffee at all. It just enhances the chocolate flavour.
Hi Jane,
Would the quantities in this recipe be okay for me to use 3 6” tins instead of 2 8”. Thanks 🙂
Hi Jane, I have just purchased your book…cant wait to try some more of your recipies. Just made your salted caramel Cheesecake and it was divine!
I hope to make this Malteeser cake for my sons
birthday. I do find buttermilk cakes incredibly difficult to decorate as they fall apart after I have trimmed and levelled and apply the butter cream to the edges. But I love, love, love the fudgy deliciousness of buttermilk cakes. I was hoping to make this cake into a 3 layer 8 inch drip cake with smooth sides…. is this feasible given that it is a buttermilk cake? I know you have another firmer Malteeser cake sponge but this is the one I love the sound of. Also my son has a severe nut allergy and as Malteeser spread has an almond and hazlenut warning I cannot use it. I have found a recipie online for using condensed milk cocoa powder and crushed Malteesers to make a homemade spread…. would this work?
Thank you for the recipies, I truly love them as do my family and friends!
I made this cake for my mum’s birthday last week and it was super tasty, and loved by all. Using the same recipe but making it into cupcakes would the oven time be halved?
Hiya, I attempted this cake tonight but the mixture was so gooey that when I was removing them from the ti s they are fell apart. Where do you think I went wrong? Thanks x
The cake was gooey? That means it hasn’t finished baking!
I can’t find Malteser spread in my local supermarkets. Can I just use a different chocolate spread?
Yes!
Hi Jane!
This cake looks amazing! I’m planning on making it for my boyfriends birthday, do you think chocolate malt buttercream would work for this as well or would it be too much?
Thanks!
Lily
I personally find that if you add in chocolate as well, it doesn’t taste nearly as malt-y if that makes sense? So it’s up to you!
Hi Jane, i made this cake the other week and it was delicious. I was wondering could i make it into cupcakes and what the quantities would be?
I would halve the recipe for 12!
Hi Jane, I absolutely love this cake! I do have a question though… when I made it, my buttercream never came out as light in colour as yours… why do you think that is? I used normal Horlicks… thanks so much
It might be the butter you are using! The colour doesn’t matter so much though, as long as it tastes good! I just used Unsalted Butter from the supermarket (the type wrapped in foil) x
Thanks Jane, yeah, that’s what I use as well, oh well, like you say, as long as it tastes good 😊 xx
What type of dark chocolate would you recommend and what size are your tins?
Anything that is 70% or darker – supermarket own is absolutely fine! And the tins are mentioned in the first bit of the method.
Hello!
Do i have to use the coffee powder? Can i just use 2 extra spoonfuls of Horlicks instead?
Emily
I would advise using the coffee for the chocolate fudge taste – it doesn’t taste coffee like, it just really helps with the chocolate.
Ohhh okay got ya i was worried it would taste like coffee lol… I’ve only got granules is that okay? It’s not powdered?
As long as its dissolved in the water, it’ll be fine x
Oh great thank you, its turned out SO well!!! Pics to follow ☺ also how do i store it?
Just room temperature is fine! I use a cake box/tin, as its tall enough, and leave on the side! x
Wow, this looks amazing! I really want to try to make it, the bunnies make it look so cute.
Baked your malteser cake to celebrate the arrival of a new baby in the family! Was absolutely loved by all! The buttercream was especially loved!
hya wondered if i could use milk chocolate instead of dark ?
For the drip?
Also i dont have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment like it states in the recipe, i only have an electric mixer/whisk? Will this be okay to use? Want it to be perfect lol!
And for the buttercream that will be fine! You don’t need to use it for the actual cake.
Hi Jane
I love all of your recipes and have tried a few already!
I was planning on doing a giant cupcake cake in a moulded tin, and wondered whether this recipe would work for that? It’s normally a 6 egg recipe so if I amend the quantities and bake it for a bit longer do you think it would still come out Okay?
Thanks 🙂
Claire
I’m not too sure to be honest as the sponge in this one is quite delicate in a way, so might take toooo long to bake, but I’ve never tried it so im not sure. x
hi i am making this cake on sunday for a birthday on monday, would you recommend doing the icing on monday or sunday. thanks xox
also can i use normal milk instead of buttermilk
You can make it on Sunday and easily decorate the same day or Monday, it doesn’t matter at all. And you really should use buttermilk, but a homemade version is the same quantity of whole milk (full fat) with 2tbsp lemon juice. It’s important to use it as it helps bake the cake correctly. x
Hi, what type of piping nozzle did you use for this cake?
2d closed star probably! x
Hi! Super excited to (attempt to..) make this cake for Easter. I wandered whether it had to be unsalted butter or whether Stork could be used instead? Thanks! X
Stork can be used in the sponge, but unsalted butter MUST be used in the Buttercream! Stork doesn’t work for Buttercream at all! Xx
Hi it’s seems so delicious and pretty. I would to ask you about Malt Powder what is it? And what’s the replacement? Thank you so much.
Malt Powder makes a Malt drink, kind of like Hot Chocolate (but slightly different). Are you from somewhere out of the UK? It might be worth googling an alternative from your country.
Hi, for this cake i don’t hahe malted powder, so please if u can tell me by what i can replace it in the cake and the creme preparation