Malt Chocolate Cupcakes

*2 cups Bread Flour

*1  1/2 cups Sugar

*2 teaspoons Baking Powder

*1 teaspoon Sea Salt

*1 cup Malted Milk Powder, like Nestle’s Carnations Malted Milk

*6 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, Baker’s brand melts well

*1/4 cup Butter, room temperatures

*1/4 Extra Light Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil or Vegetable Oil

*1  3/4 cups Whole Milk, warmed (or try dry reconstituted Dry Milk)

*3 Eggs, room temperature

*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1.  In a large mixing bowl sift together the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, malt powder and sea salt.
2. Melt in a sauce pan the bittersweet chocolate and butter.  Remove from heat and whisk in the oil.
3.  In a stand mixer with paddle attachment add 1 cup of the dry flour mixture and slowly add the warm milk on low-speed.
4. Then up the speed to medium and slowly add the remaining flour.  Add eggs (one at a time) and add 1/2 of the melted chocolate butter mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper.
5. Add the second 1/2 of the melted chocolate mixture and mixing until well combined.
6. In paper lined muffin tins, fill each paper cup 2/3 full with the cupcake batter.
7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350*F.  Then turn down the oven to 325*F. and bake for 25 minutes.
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool and then frost with Malted Chocolate Frosting and add a whopper Malted Milk Ball on top if desired.

Malt Chocolate Frosting

*12 ounces Milk Chocolate, good quality like Ghirardelli

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*Pinch of Sea Salt

*1 cup Malted Milk Powder, like Nestle’s Carnation Malted Milk Powder not Ovaltine

*1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

Note:  This frosting is a little bit of a process but well worth it!

1.  In a stainless-steel mixing bowl or glass bowl add the milk chocolate and set aside.
2. Sift the malted milk powder into a sauce pan over medium heat, whisk in the heavy whipping cream and whisking until the mixture begins to bubble around the edges of the pan.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the milk chocolate making sure to cover all the chocolate, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. After the 5 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and stir the melted mixture until it is smooth and glossy and then let it sit until completely cool.
5. Using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment on low speed begin adding the butter 2 tablespoons of the soft butter, whisk until incorporated.   Then whisk in 2 more tablespoons at a time of the soft butter until all the butter is incorporated.
6. Add the vanilla and salt and turn the hand mixer to medium high-speed whisking until the frosting is thick and creamy, if the frosting is too soft then place the frosting bowl into a larger mixing bowl with ice making an ice bath and continue whisking frosting until it thickens.
7. Pipe or frost the cupcakes and add Malted Milk Ball if desired.  Covered with plastic wrap.  The frosting will last 3 days without refrigeration and 7 days if refrigerated.

The above recipes make about 24 cupcakes frosted.

Recipes adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson see Vintage Cakes to buy her book on Amazon that’s where we bought our book.

  

Enjoy!
Jessica and Lindy