The Baker Chick

Baking up a delicious life.

{Milk Bar Mondays} Chocolate Malt Layer Cake

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It’s my favorite day- Milk Bar Monday!! Man oh man did we pick a good one to share with you today. Maybe not the simplest recipe we’ve done- but it is so delicious and totally worth it. In fact, Andy claimed that this was his favorite recipe I’ve made from the Milk Bar Cookbook so far! (He even liked it better than the Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie which used to be his reigning fave.)

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Like always with Christina Tosi’s cakes, this one has many different layers and fillings making each bite taste better than the one before. The base is a rich chocolate cake with thick fudge filling, charred marshmallows, malted milk “crumb” and Ovaltine “soak” which keeps each layer of cake extra moist and flavorful.

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From the outside, my cake got a little smudgy as the fudge seeped out a bit, but for some reason I kind of loved the gooey messy look of it. The fudge was used in place of frosting so the whole thing was a bit ooze-y.

Once I cut into the cake though, I was so relieved to see that everything had more or less stayed in place, and that the gooey fudge only make the cake richer and more delicious. I tried the cake right out the fridge, but after I photographed it and let it sit out for a few minutes, and the fudge got soft and almost melty, it was even better.

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I only made one small change to the original recipe which was to use all her recipe for classic hot fudge instead of making an additional batch of “malt hot fudge.” Erin mentioned that she liked the classic better, so I thought I’d save myself one step and avoid making two batches. I’m sure using the other makes it taste “maltier,” but I am really glad I made it as I did. That fudge sauce was to die for!

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It’s just a small group of us posting today, but Erin from Big Fat Baker has posted the whole original recipe for you with all it’s steps. Jacqueline from The Dusty Baker also made the cake, but gluten and dairy free! 

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Chocolat Malt Layer Cake
Yield: 1 6 inch cake
 
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
  • 1 recipe Chocolate Cake (recipe follows)
  • 1 recipe Ovaltine Soak (recipe follows)
  • 1 recipe Hot Fudge Sauce (minus the 3 T used for the cake.) (recipe follows)
  • 1 recipe Malted Milk Crumbs (recipe follows)
  • 1 recipe Charred Marshmallows (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. Invert the chocolate cake onto a sheet of parchment paper or silpat, and peel off the parchment paper backing. Using the 6-inch cake ring, stamp out two circles from the cake. These will be the top and middle layers. The remaining cake "scrap' will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
  2. Clean the cake ring and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or silpat atop a baking sheet. Use one strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Put the cake scraps in the ring and use the back of your hand to press the scraps together into a flat even later.
  3. Dunk the pastry brush in the ovaltine soak and give the layer of scraps a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.
  4. Spread one fifth of the fudge sauce over the base layer using the back of a spoon. (Warmer fudge sauce is easier to spread.)
  5. Then sprinkle half of the malted milk crumbs crumbs and ⅓ of the marshmallows evenly over the top of the fudge. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
  6. Top with another fifth of the fudge, using a spoon to spread it as evenly as possible.
  7. With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5-6 inches tall- high enough to support the height of th finished cake. Top with a full circle of cake (save the nicest one for the top layer), brush the rest of the ovaltine soak over this layer, and repeat the process of layer 1.
  8. Nestle the remaining cake round into the fudge. Cover the top of the cake with the last fifth of the fudge. Garnish with extra crumbs or marshmallows.
  9. Freeze the cake for at least 12 hours to set the cake and filling. (And to make the unmolding much easier.)
  10. Three hours before serving, pull the pan from the freezer, and using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. (wrapped well in plastic, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
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Chocolate Cake
Yield: 1 quarter sheet cake
 
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
  • 1 stick butter, at room temp
  • 1½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons Fudge Sauce (recipe below.)
  • 1¼ cups cake flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder. (preferably valharona)
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a rimmed quarter sheet pan by spraying with cooking spray and covering the base with a sheet of parchment. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt in a small bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside for later.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  4. Add the eggs (all at once) and then beat again on medium-high for another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla) in a steady stream. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for another 4 to 6 minutes. The mixture should double in size and turn practically white. Don't stop mixing until the mixture is completely homogeneous, with no visible streaks of oil or fat.
  6. Add the fudge sauce and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  7. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, and mix for another minute or so until the ingredients are just combined.
  8. Pour out the batter into the prepared sheet pan, spreading it out into an even layer.
  9. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the cake bounces back slightly when gently pressed in the corner. The center of the cake should no longer jiggle when the pan is shook. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.
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Fudge Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
 
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
  • ½ cup cocao powder, preferably Valharona
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup glucose (or ½ cup of corn syrup in a pinch)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Combine the chocolate, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. Combine the glucose, sugar and heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir intermittently while bringing to a boil over high heat. The moment it boils pour it into the bowl holding the chocolate. Let sit for 1 full minute.
  3. Slowly, slowly begin to whisk the mixture. Then continue, increasing the vigor of your whisking every 30 seconds, until the mixture is glossy and silky-smooth. This will take 2-4 minutes depending on your strength and speed. You can use the sauce at this point or store it in a air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Don't freeze.
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Malted Milk Crumb
Yield: about 1¼ cups
 
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup milk powder
  • ⅛ cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1.5 oz white chocolate.
  • ⅜ cup Ovaltine, Malt Flavor
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 250 F. Combine the milk powder with the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the butter and toss using a spatula until the mixture comes together and forms small clusters.
  2. Spread the clusters on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 mins. (mine got too toasty brown at 15 mins. If your oven runs hot- check it frequently to make sure it doesn't brown too much.) The crumbs should be sandy and the kitchen will smell amazing! Cool crumbs.
  3. Crush any bits that are larger than ½ inch diameter and put the crumbs in a medium bowl. Add the Ovaltine powder and toss together.
  4. Pur the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your the crumbs are all well-coated. Continue tossing them every 5 mins until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters aren't sticky.
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Charred Marshmallows
 
From the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, by Christina Tosi
Ingredients
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows
Instructions
  1. Spread the mallows out on a dry baking sheet. Use a kitchen torch or broiler to heat them until they’re completely black and crinkly on top.
  2. You can honestly light the whole thing on fire and just let it die down lie Tosi does. I put mine under the broiler until they were really dark brown and then cooled them in the freezer for 5 minutes.

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Comments

  2. Oh goodness me. I haven’t had breakfast yet, but now I want this cake. I wish it were possibly to make this cake in 20 minutes. That would be nice, but then I might have the entire cake for breakfast, and I don’t think that would be quite as nice.

    This does look like a fabulously fudgy cake! <3

    Reply

  4. …Can I have this for breakfast? Worth the stomach ache I’ll have all day. I LOVE chocolate malt cakes. I slaved over one pretty much for a whole day for my boyfriend’s birthday last year (and it really just turned out “decently”, but even a decent chocolate malt cake is a fantabulous cake ;-)). I’ll definitely need to make this one this year!

    Reply

    • Thanks Annie! I’ve never actually baked with malt before and it’s so good right? And like always- this cake is totally worth the time and trouble :)

      Reply

  9. You are endlessly convincing me that I need to dive into the milk bar cookbook once and for all…what am I waiting for?!? Each layer of this sounds better than the last.

    Reply

  15. ok, so this cake looks amazing! true to its momofuku self, all messy and gorgeous but how does it taste like? Ive made the Birthday Layer cake and I know you have too. Is this chocolate version better? I am stuck between this and the coffee version of the layered cake :)
    I couldnt stop eating the birthday layer cake, it was like crack for me and my hubs. Heres the post if your interested: http://www.thebatchmaker.com/2013/02/birthday-layer-cake.html

    Reply

  16. I’m not going to lie to you, I will not be making this recipe. I just don’t think I have it in me. However, I am sending your blog link to my sister in hopes that she will bake this next weekend! This sounds amazing!

    Reply

  17. I don’t even know what to say about this cake – it’s breathtaking!! I saw your tease on Instagram and couldn’t wait to see this post. Need anyone to come and help you finish the last few slices? :)

    Reply

  20. I wold love to try this cake, Can you tell me what is the substitute for buttermilk? as we dont have it where i live. Also the amount of corn syrup when you say a pinch? i dont understand that, please help.

    Reply

    • Hi! You can sub yogurt or sour cream for buttermilk if those are accessible to you.
      Also- I just meant to use Glucose OR in a pinch (if you don’t have it) you can use half the amount of Corn syrup. (1/2 cup in this case)

      Reply

  23. I haven’t taken on the layer cakes in this cookbook yet, the long instructions have scared me off so far! This cake looks so amazing, I’ll have to buy myself a cake ring and give it a try!

    Reply

  24. I think this cake would definitely satisfy my craving for chocolate at the moment!!! Yum! Totally intrigued by the ovaltine soak…seems like a great idea, rather than using a simple syrup to moisten the cake. Thanks for posting…I found you on foodgawker btw :)

    Reply

    • Hey Jenn! Thanks for stopping by.
      I’ve made lots of the Milk Bar Cakes and she always has a soak of some kind- you’re right- probably just like the simple syrup but with more flavor! :)

      Reply

  26. Yeah, this looks INSANE LADY! I adored this cake too, much more than I expected. I’m still going to work on my go-to chocolate cake recipe, but this one was so fudgy and almost brownie like – I LOVED it. Had to give most of it away ;) Onward and upward! (or onward and outward, if I keep eating these)

    Reply

  29. What an ambitious recipe, and a loooong process with all the steps, freezing, and thawing! Well done. And your pictures are beautiful, too :)

    Reply

  30. Making this right now! Looks amazingly delish. Just noticed you didn’t publish the recipe for the Ovaltine soak. I guess I’ll just make a 1/4 cup of Ovaltine…?

    Reply

      • Thanks! I actually had a few issues with the cake. One, was that the crumb didn’t congeal very well and ended up with more of a sandy texture, which was not very pleasing. Secondly, the marshmallows were so sticky, I could barely cut through the cake! This may be because I didn’t char the marshmallows enough? And finally, after cutting about 1/3 of the cake, it started to lean and cave in. My friend, Molly Damon (amazing baker- check her out on Instagram!) said that cutting it in half first, would have probably helped that issue. Anyway, it still tasted delicious and was most certainly polished off :)

        Reply

        • Oh I’m sorry you had issues. These cakes are certainly a bit more complex than most. I do remember needing a pretty sharp knife for slicing. In terms of the crumb- it sounds like it was too dry. Is there a chance you didn’t add the right amount of liquid? :)

          Reply

          • I used the right amount, but I don’t think I melted the butter. I remember thinking, “Oops!” after adding it in room temp. Oh well. In better news, I also tried the birthday cake recipe and it was every bit as dreamy as it was when I ordered it directly from Momofuku a few years ago.

  33. I want to thank you for posting this recipe i plan to make it next month for my daughters birthday. I was noticing it says 1 recipe of ovaltine soak but i dont see it posted

    Reply

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