Despite having a major sweet tooth, I never really fancied candy. But as delirious as I was at 3am at the After Grad party, there wasn’t much I could do when Chew runs up to me yelling “YOU HAFTA TRY THIS” and stuffs a mint malt ball into my mouth. You know that scene in Ratatouille where Remy eats a piece of cheese and a grape together and fireworks go off in his head? Well that’s what happened to me, and before anyone could convince me of otherwise, Chew and I were at the candy bar stuffing our cellophane bags full of this minty malty goodness. I knew that I had to create a cake inspired by this candy. Coincidentally, my brother’s birthday was this past week and he asked for a mint chocolate cake. I did a little happy dance and went to draft out this Mint Malteaser Cake.
So many things fell in place all at the same time, making me super excited to share this cake. Ovaltine and mint chocolate have been two flavours on my cooking to-do list, and this Mint Malteaser Cake combines the both! Then there’s the fact that our house had exactly 6 eggs left. As mentioned earlier, my brother was the next person to have a birthday after the discovery of the mint malt ball. Meaning I had an ‘excuse’ to make the layered cake I had envisioned during my ‘fireworks moment’.
To mimic the idea of the mint malt ball candy, this cake is composed of malt cake layers, a chocolate coating, and a minty frosting. A shoutout to this frosting: YOU ARE PERFECTION. I shamelessly ate the remaining mint nib (not chip, nib) frosting with some mint malt ball crumbs off the [dull] side of the knife after photographing the cake. Hey, it’s healthy frosting so it’s allowed.
Then this chocolate ganache which is so versatile; we’ve used a similar mixture in our Deep Dish Pecan Pie, Coconut Macaroon Nests, Epic Banana Cream Pie, and Nanaimo Bars, just to name a few. I think it’s easier than making a “real” ganache. Melt the coconut oil, and stir everything in.
Chew and I got so addicted to the mint malt balls from After Grad that we went on a hunt around the city to buy more. The usual stores like London Drugs didn’t carry them; we ended up finding them at a candy store on Robson Street. It was incredibly tempting to eat them all ask we strolled along the street. Likewise, this Mint Malteaser Cake is irresistible.
It’s also incredibly simple to make. The cake layer is whipped together in a stand mixer and bakes completely flat, omitting the need to level off the cake layers with a knife. This is a very beneficial aspect for me as I’m horrendous at leveling cake. It also doesn’t help that I don’t own a serrated bread knife.
Made from coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, and coconut cream, this cake is the epitome of healthifying a usually butter-laden and refined sugar filled recipe. I am aware that Ovaltine powder contains refined sugar. An alternate option is to use ¼ cup + 2 tbsp pure malt powder and 2 tbsp cocoa powder. But it is a birthday celebration, and Ovaltine is perfectly fine in moderation so I didn’t bother trying to hunt down malt powder. Although I have heard that Korean supermarkets carry it.
There’s no reason to craft this Mint Malteaser Cake so you can have a slice too!
- Cake
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup malt drink powder (such as Ovaltine or Milo)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- A few grinds of pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
- Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- A pinch of pink Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- Mint Nib Frosting
- 1 can Rooster Brand Gold Label Coconut Milk, chilled*
- 6 to 8 drops of liquid stevia
- 1 tbsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Approximately 3 drops of green and 2 drops of blue food colouring
- 1½ tbsp cacao nibs
- Assembly
- Mint malt balls and Maltesers for decorating
- Preheat oven to 320⁰F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, malt powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla for the cake.
- Whip the eggs with a stand mixer or an electric handheld mixer until pale yellow and triple in volume.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients into the eggs, continuing to mix all the while.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter between the two cake pans and bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before assembling the cake.
- Make the chocolate ganache by whisking all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
- Prepare the frosting by scooping out all the hardened coconut cream from the top of the can, discard the clear liquid that remains. Whip with a stand mixer or electric handheld mixer to soften.
- Add liquid stevia, extracts, and food colouring to the whipped coconut cream and mix until homogenous.
- Once the desired shade of mint is reached, add the cacao nibs and mix to distribute the nibs.
- To assemble, place one of the cooled cake layers onto a wire rack situated over a plate. Spread a layer of ganache on top, then about one third of the mint frosting. Top with the second cake layer.
- Pour remaining ganache over the top of the cake and use a spatula to help cover the entire cake.
- Chill the cake in the fridge for a few minutes until the ganache hardens. Then frost the entire cake with the remaining mint nib frosting. Decorate with mint malt balls and Maltesers if desired. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
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