The Best Chocolate Malt Cake With Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on July 9, 2025

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The Best Chocolate Malt Cake With Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
  • 1 ½ cups sugar (330g)
  • ⅔ cup cocoa powder (65g)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil (135g)
  • 1 cup milk (240g)
  • ½ cup malted chocolate powder (50g – I use Ovaltine)
  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • ½ cup boiling water (120g)
  • ½ cup sour cream (120g)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
  • 8 oz cream cheese (226g)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)
  • ½ cup cocoa powder (50g)
  • 2 tbsp Ovaltine chocolate powder (optional)


Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F, and prepare 2 9” cake pans with parchment paper and butter.
  2. In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (except malted chocolate powder) using a hand whisk.
  3. Combine milk with malted chocolate powder in a cup.
  4. Add egg, oil, and Ovaltine milk to the dry ingredients. Whisk until combined.
  5. In a separate cup, mix boiling water with instant coffee, then whisk it into the cake mixture.
  6. Lastly, fold in the sour cream—don’t overmix!
  7. Divide the batter into 2 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes (check with a toothpick after 25 min).
  8. Cool the cakes on a wire rack.

Now, for the frosting:

  1. Whisk butter and cream cheese until creamy, add cocoa powder and optional Ovaltine, then gradually whisk in powdered sugar until light and silky.
  2. Once the cakes are cooled, trim off the tops and cut each into 2 halves, giving you 4 layers.
  3. Assemble the cake by layering chocolate cake, frosting, and repeating. Use the remaining frosting to cover the edges and top.
  4. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving!

Notes

  • The cake won’t taste like coffee, so don’t skip it.
  • Don’t replace malted chocolate powder.
  • Don’t skip the sour cream; if you don’t have any, make your own.
  • Measure flour carefully—better to use a scale and weigh in grams.

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