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Thick and fudgey Malteser traybake cake with a malt fudge sponge, malt buttercream frosting and Maltesers! 

Traybake cake

It’s been a while since I shared a traybake cake recipe, and all in all, I’ve only ever posted a few on my blog… It’s definitely an underrated type of bake, and I need to rectify my lacking in recipes urgently. 

The last traybake cake I shared was my chocolate cake traybake back in August, and even though it’s been a long old while since then, that cake is still SO popular these days! 

The cake has been so popular because it’s essentially a traybake form of my chocolate fudge cake, and who doesn’t love a traybake cake for a party?!Think about those chocolate traybake cakes you can buy from the supermarket (which are epic), and then multiply the epic-ness by 100. 

Malteser traybake cake

I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet here, but the cake really is epic and utterly DELICIOUS. However, I have had requests and requests for more traybake cakes, just like that one! So… here is the Malteser version. 

Yeah, that’s right, the Malteser version. I am utterly head over heels in love with this beauty, and I can’t stop the love. It’s based on my Malteser cake, and then also the chocolate cake traybake. The morphing of the two, into heaven in a bite. 

Malt everything!

The premise of the bake is essentially the exact same, but just better. I went for a Malt Chocolate sponge, and a Malt Buttercream Frosting because it just tastes sooo good along with the Malteser, and I can’t get enough. 

Malt powder

Whenever in recipes I say “malt powder” I mean Horlicks or Ovaltine – I’m not sure what the equal to these are in other countries like America, but here they are a delicious warming drink that’s kinda like hot chocolate, but not chocolate. If you like Maltesers, I’d be surprised if you didn’t like malt drinks.. but you know, weird things can happen!

The one thing I wouldn’t recommend for the cake or buttercream though is the Malteser hot chocolate as that’s not the best for baking.I’ve tried using the Malteser hot chocolate in bakes a few times, but it’s structure and ingredients are just completely different, and it’s designed to be mixed with water rather than milk so can work out oddly. If you use an actual malt drink such as Horlicks or Ovaltine, you will get a much much better flavour!

Coffee

One thing I will say AGAIN with this fudgey type cake recipe is that the coffee is IMPORTANT. Don’t worry, you can NOT taste the coffee in the cake, but it just enhances the richness of the chocolate in the sponge and takes it to the next level.

Please, for the love of god, don’t take out the coffee. People I know aren’t the biggest coffee drinkers, and some even hate it, but they all say they can’t taste it in the recipe and it is delicious. 

This recipe is wonderful, it is Malteser heaven, and I hope you all love it too! Enjoy! x

Malteser Traybake Cake!

Thick and fudgey Malteser traybake cake with a malt fudge sponge, malt buttercream frosting and Maltesers! 
Print Pin Rate
Category: Cake
Type: Traybake
Keyword: Maltesers
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Decorating Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 25 Pieces
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 250 g dark chocolate
  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp coffee granules
  • 125 g malt powder (Horlicks/Ovaltine)
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 35 g cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 250 g golden caster sugar
  • 250 g light brown sugar
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 100 ml buttermilk

Decoration Ingredients

  • 200 g unsalted butter (room temp)
  • 400 g icing sugar
  • 75 g malt powder (Horlicks/Ovaltine)
  • 2-4 tbsp boiling water
  • 200 g Maltesers

Instructions

For the Cake!

  • Preheat your oven to 160C/140C Fan and line a 9x13" tin with parchment paper.
  • In a heatproof bowl, microwave the dark chocolate and butter until melted - I do mine in 30 second bursts!
  • Add your coffee granules and malt powder to a small bowl, and add in 150ml boiling water. Whisk until smooth!
  • Add this to your chocolate/butter mix and whisk again until smooth.
  • In a large bowl, add your plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, golden caster sugar and light brown sugar and whisk until distributed evenly!
  • Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together until smooth.
  • Add your melted chocolate mix to the bowl, and your egg/buttermilk mix, and fold all the ingredients together till they are combined - I use my hand and a spatula, and not an electric mixer as I don't want the ingredients to over mix.
  • Pour the mixture into the lined tin, and bake in the over for 50-60 minutes, or until baked through.
  • Leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, and then on a wire rack fully!

For the Decoration!

  • With an electric mixer, beat your butter on it's own for a few minutes so it's lovely and supple.
  • Add in your icing sugar 1/2 at a time and beat for a few minutes!
  • Add in your malt powder, and beat again - if its stiff, add in 1tbsp of boiling water at a time and beat fully each time till its a thick but spreadable and smooth consistency!
  • Spread over the cake with an angled spatula, and then sprinkle over some Maltesers and some crushed Maltesers!

Notes

  • This cake will last for 3-4 days+ at room temperature in a cake box!
  • This Is The Cake Tin I Used 
  • If you don't want to use Malt Powder, up the coffee to 1tbsp, and lower the water to 125ml - and just leave it out of the frosting!
  • The cake can take longer to bake in some ovens if they're not the correct temperature - or if the mixture is over mixed!
  • You can make your own buttermilk by using the same quantity of WHOLE milk, and 2tbsp of Lemon Juice - but I prefer the actual buttermilk you can buy!

ENJOY!

Find my other Millionaires & Malteser Recipes on my Recipes Page!

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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.

66 Comments

  1. Nadine Harris on February 17, 2024 at 3:56 pm

    5 stars
    I love this cake and so does everyone who tastes it! I would agree with several other reviewers though that the butter icing is just too much! It’s a super rich, super sweet fudgey cake so such a thick amount of icing is a tad too much. I tend to half the amount of icing and that seems to work best in my opinion.

  2. Nadine on September 21, 2023 at 12:44 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this loads of times and success each time (although the dipping middle is unavoidable regardless of opening the oven too early or over mixing!).
    I’m trying to see if it works for muffins now… can anyone tell me if they’ve successfully made muffins rather than the traybake? And if so, how long to bake?

  3. San on September 25, 2022 at 10:05 pm

    5 stars
    Sunk in the middle and it was of a brownie/fudgy consistency rather than sponge (despite baking for 10min extra) but who cares when it tastes incredible!!! Yum yum yummm!!!

  4. Alesia on August 14, 2022 at 10:31 am

    Would Stork work both in the cake and the icing, instead of butter please? Has anyone tried it?

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 16, 2022 at 9:34 am

      Hiya! Stork is fine to use for the sponge, but you must use block butter for the icing! Hope this helps! x



  5. Susanna Trickett on July 23, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    Planning on making it, but usually freeze half a traybake – is this freezable?

    • Jane's Patisserie on July 25, 2022 at 11:40 am

      Yes absolutely – for up to 3 months! Enjoy! x



  6. Mollie on October 28, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    5 stars
    I loved making this cake and my family love eating it even more! Great recipe and the blog before really helps me process what to do when reading the recipe. I am really beginning to love baking!

  7. Sharon Dolan on September 3, 2021 at 10:49 am

    I want do this in Loaf tin . Will I half the ingredients?

  8. Jennie on August 5, 2021 at 2:23 am

    Hi, can this made as a two layer round cake.? I’m thinking of using two 8 inch round pans?

  9. Gemma on May 31, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a lovely cake. I made it for the first time today and was horrified at the vast quantities of sugar however it’s a massive cake and the taste is delicious. The cake dipped in the centre (I checked it and it needed a couple more minutes longer in the oven) and it’s not the prettiest but it tastes fantastic. The cake itself is really light and fudgy and the edges are crunchy and delicious. I’ve not made any topping as it’s great without. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again. I think even Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood would be impressed.

  10. Jo on April 21, 2021 at 10:58 am

    5 stars
    Lush, because this is so good, I have just pre-ordered the cook book, one very happy bunny here

    • Joanna on August 5, 2022 at 11:37 am

      Fabulous, so love this recipe made it for church coffee
      morning whilst the children are off school and it
      disappeared like magic!
      Love that you included the link to the right size pan
      Thank you so much



  11. Marie on February 18, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    Mine sunk in the middle too! Didn’t open the oven door before 55 minutes or overmix… seems most people are having the same problem 🤔

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 26, 2021 at 3:38 pm

      What chocolate did you use for the base mixture?



  12. Clare on February 12, 2021 at 7:10 am

    Can you advise why my cake sunk in the middle. It looked fabulous for the first 40 mins of baking and then started to sink. What did I do wrong?

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 12, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Did you open the oven door? This nearly always means the oven door was opened too soon, or it was under baked x



  13. Sophie on December 28, 2020 at 10:20 pm

    Hii, would I be able to use a 12 x 9 size traybake tin for this recipe? Xx

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 30, 2020 at 11:51 am

      Yes thats fine x



    • Michelle Yilmaz on January 29, 2023 at 12:49 pm

      Hi can i use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate and will it still taste ok with the coffee thanks x



    • Jane's Patisserie on February 3, 2023 at 11:34 am

      Hiya! Sadly you definitely have to use dark chocolate with at least 70% dark chocolate for the bake to work! Hope this helps! x



  14. Hannah on December 13, 2020 at 7:13 pm

    Hi Jane! Just wondering how the baking time will differ if I halve the ingredients and bake it in a 8 x 8 tin? Love your recipes!xx

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 14, 2020 at 10:32 am

      Yes half is good for an 8″ tin!! I’m not sure on baking times but it’ll be quite a bit less x



  15. Emma on October 25, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    5 stars
    This is sooooo delicious! Mine sunk a little too but who cares when it tastes so great? Thank you so much for continuing to give us such lovely FREE recipes!

  16. Alison on September 30, 2020 at 8:34 pm

    4 stars
    Hi Jane,
    I made the Malteser traybake with my girls and it turned out pretty well. It did sink in the middle slightly but the cake was so lovely and rich because of the dark chocolate. If I made it again, I’d probably do less of the buttercream (just personal preference) but my youngest had a great time helping! I’ve given a third of it away to the neighbours and we still have a load left over!

  17. Lily on September 26, 2020 at 11:02 am

    Hi I’ve made this traybake before in the 9 x 13 inch tin you suggested. It turned out amazing, the best cake I’ve ever made/tasted! However I had to give a fair bit away to my neighbours as it was too much for 2 people!

    I’m craving it again now but I want to make a smaller amount in an 8 x 8 tin. Should I use 2/3 of the recipe?

    Thanks!

  18. Ellie on September 22, 2020 at 10:29 pm

    Hi Jane, do you think halving the recipe to use 9” square tin would be ok? Or maybe 2/3? I don’t need such a big cake – just wondering if there was away to make it smaller? Thanks!

    • Jane's Patisserie on September 23, 2020 at 7:59 am

      I would use 2/3 of the recipe! xx



  19. Janice on September 6, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    4 stars
    Love the texture of this cake. Mine sunk in the middle as I had to check on it after 55 minutes (took 80 minutes at 140 degrees in my fan oven) but after icing/decorating you could hardly tell. I think the buttercream icing amounts could be reduced as the icing layer was quite thick but otherwise I will definitely try make this again!!

  20. Chloe on July 26, 2020 at 11:10 am

    2 stars
    Read the comments and had the same issue as a lot of people. Took significantly longer to bake than 60mins and the cake came out as a dense brownie texture. Definitely wasn’t over mixed as just brought the ingredients together by hand. Still tastes good but not what I was hoping for

    • Jane's Patisserie on July 26, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      As mentioned it can take longer to bake – it is that sort of cake that can vary due to ovens! Also, it’s meant to have a denser texture as it’s a fudge cake type sponge, not a classic basic sponge, so sorry it wasn’t for you!



  21. Catherine Sutherland on July 18, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    Hi Jane,
    This looks amazing and planning on baking this next. Is it possible to freeze this once it’s baked and frosted?
    Many thanks x

  22. Karina on July 3, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    Mine sunk in the middle before I had even opened the oven door. Could I have overmixed it? We used ordinary caster sugar as the supermarket did not have golden. Any tips?

    • Jane's Patisserie on July 3, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      That is usually because of over mixing yes – using white caster sugar vs golden won’t make a difference. x



  23. Ann on June 23, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    HI Jane I only had Malteser chocolate egg shell & normal caster sugar not golden it seems ok & is cooking atm so fingers crossed it turns out ok.

  24. Sharron on June 8, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    Well, cake is in the oven as we speak. Hopefully it will turn out okay as I’m loving your recipes. This one, for me, is a little bit of chocolate indulgence.
    Most of your Amazon shop items are out of stock so having to compromise.
    Any chance of a Keylime Pie (No bake) pretty please?

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 8, 2020 at 7:36 pm

      Hiya! Ahh yay! I hope you love the cake!! And I do have a classic (baked) key lime pie recipe in my first ebook, so it may be a good while before I do a no-bake pie!! And I know right?! I need my own supplies and they’re all out of stock haha! xx



  25. Carla on March 24, 2020 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Wish I could upload a picture, the best cake recipe I have ever used 😍 thank you!!

  26. Cynthia Caton on September 30, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    Hi,
    Would this recipe cook in a 9x9x2inch square tin please ?

    • Jane's Patisserie on September 30, 2019 at 6:47 pm

      Hiya – no it won’t. A 9″ square is only roughly 2/3 of the tin needed, so it definitely won’t work.



  27. Iris on September 23, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    This cake is DELICIOUS, I made it once and will be definitely making it again my whole family loved it! This recipe is amazing thank you so much xx

  28. Lesley Robinson on August 28, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    What level for a gas cooker please?

  29. Kathleen on August 20, 2019 at 5:05 am

    What percent chocolate did you use?

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 20, 2019 at 10:45 am

      I generally use 80% or so, but the minimum you should use is 70%!



  30. Anne on August 6, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    5 stars
    Made this twice now and it’s delicious! Only problem I’m getting is it sinking in the middle! I’m following the recipe to correctly so I’m a lil confused!

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 6, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      99% of the time I believe a cake sinks because the oven door is opened too early, or the cake is taken out too early, which will cause it to sink. x



    • Jo on August 24, 2019 at 9:57 pm

      I found mine had sunk in the middle too. It tastes amazing – and the middle pieces just have thicker frosting but I didn’t open the door until 60min had gone by and a skewer came out clean. I’m not sure what I did wrong?
      Ps thank you for such amazing recipes! Xx



    • Jane's Patisserie on August 25, 2019 at 1:55 pm

      Sometimes cakes can take longer to bake, despite using a skewer. The cake can take longer than 60 minutes as mentioned in the notes depending on your oven! You need to listen to the cake when the skewer is coming out clean, and if its bubbling, put it in for a little longer!



  31. Jen on June 25, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    Hi Jane, I made this last week and IT WAS AMAZING!!!! Please keep posting recipes, i get inspired! xx

  32. Shaz on June 21, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Can I use regular sugar instead of folder caster sugar?l

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 21, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      Do you mean white caster sugar instead of golden caster sugar? If so, yes – but golden caster sugar tastes lovely!



  33. Alice on June 20, 2019 at 3:07 pm

    5 stars
    I had a go at making the cake, texture is more like a brownie than a sponge cake, but it tastes delicious. Should the cake be quite moist in the middle, or have I not cooked it for long enough?

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 20, 2019 at 7:17 pm

      It’s a Fudgey cake and not designed to be like a regular Victoria sponge – but it may be slightly under baked.



  34. Sharon on June 15, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Jane have you got a cookery book out as your recipes are AMAZING 😊

  35. Sian Adger on June 15, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    Looks delicious, I love all of your bakes. I shall definitely be making this one!

  36. Jude on June 15, 2019 at 11:44 am

    Hi Jane,
    Can I just ask, does it definitely need half a kilogram of sugar in the cake ? It just seems like an awful lot !
    Would it be possible to just use 250g of either golden caster or soft brown Sugar ?
    Thanks

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 15, 2019 at 12:25 pm

      For the recipe to turn out correctly, the sugar is important – the cake easily serves 20, so it’s really not that much per person at all.



    • Lomastha on June 3, 2020 at 9:53 pm

      4 stars
      I have made this cake using 350g sugar and it turned out perfectly. Lovely recipe.



  37. Andrea on June 15, 2019 at 9:59 am

    Is it ok to use milk chocolate instead of dark?

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 15, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      No, PLEASE use dark – the sponge will not be the same with milk chocolate.



    • Charly on January 16, 2021 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Jane, which malt powder did you use for this recipe and the frosting, Horlicks or Ovaltine? Thank you 🙂



    • Jane's Patisserie on January 16, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      You can use either, but try and use the ‘one for milk’ not the one for water x



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