Chocolate Malt Layer Cake with Brown Sugar–Cream Cheese Frosting
EASIER
VEGETARIAN
Makes one 8-inch layer cake
The hard part is gathering the ingredients. After that, this simple cake takes no time. It’s somewhat less sweet than most chocolate cakes, partly to let the malt flavor shine. You’ll want vanilla ice cream on the side.
For the Cake
1⅔ cups cake flour, plus additional for dusting the pans
6 tablespoons malted milk powder
⅔ cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at almost room temperature, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, plus additional for greasing the pans
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole or low-fat milk
For the Frosting
8 ounces regular or low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup regular or low-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
To Make the Cake
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and lightly flour the inside of two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Put the ingredients for the cake—in the order listed—in a food processor, making sure the ingredients (and especially the butter pieces) are distributed evenly throughout the bowl. Cover and process until smooth, stopping the machine once to scrape down the inside of the bowl.
3. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until springy but firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of one layer comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
4. Cool the cake layers in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the layers, remove the pans, reinvert the cakes, and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
To Make the Frosting and Frost the Cake
5. Put the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in the clean food processor bowl. Cover and process until smooth, no more than a few seconds. Scrape down the inside of the bowl.
6. Add 4 cups confectioners’ sugar. Cover and process until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again, then continue adding confectioners’ sugar in ½-cup increments, pulsing after each, until thick and spreadable.
7. Cover a cake stand or platter with several sheets of wax paper. Place one layer, top side up, on the wax paper (which will, of course, be removed later.) Spoon slightly less than a quarter of the frosting into the middle of the layer; use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer. Lay the second layer, top side down, over the frosting. Use frosting to fill in any gap between the layers. Dump the rest of the frosting on top, then use that offset spatula to smooth it out and fall down the sides of the cake, thereafter smoothing it against the sides as well to create an even frosting over the cake. Remove the wax paper to serve.
Voilà! After cutting out pieces from a layer cake, place white bread slices against both sides of the cut to keep the cake fresh and moist until the next day.