Malted Chocolate Frosting

I make a lot of cakes. I’m the designated baker for all of our extended family celebrations, I make at least five birthday cakes for my family each year, and I write about parties and entertaining, which often requires the making, baking and consumption of cake, if only for research purposes.

Having said that, I also occasionally feel apathetic to my cake-making commitments, bored of using the same chocolate and vanilla frostings, the ones that are the backbones of my baking recipe collection. It’s long been time for me to find variations on those classic flavours, and I’m happy to say I have discovered a new favourite chocolate icing for my cake-baking needs.

This malted chocolate frosting looks like a regular milk chocolate frosting, but the secret ingredient is a generous scoop of Ovaltine, that malted chocolate drink you might remember from your childhood. It adds a hint of sweet malted flavour that I’ve always loved in chocolate malt ball candies, and elevates ordinary chocolate icing just a bit. It also pairs perfectly with a vanilla cake, creating one of my favourite cake combinations.

As you can see in the photo above, I also decorated my most recent cake with those aforementioned candies. It was a hit with everyone at the party and not a single slice was left on the platter at the end of the night. Here’s how to make it yourself.

Malted Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from The Sweetapolita Bakebook

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough for one 8-inch layer cake.

You’ll Need

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
¾ cup malted drink mix, such as Ovaltine
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Prep and Cook:

Place the butter, sugar, malted drink mix, cream, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse for 1 minute, or until combined.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, or on the stove using the double-broiler method. Cool slightly, then add to the food processor and blend until smooth. If the frosting appears too soft, simply pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or until it firms up.
For ideal spreading consistency, use immediately.