Momofuku Chocolate Malt CakePrint Recipe

I have one word for this cake and it’s ‘insane’ – on so many levels, to look at, to taste and to bake. It is all worth it though because once you get a mouthful of this magnificent gooey, chocolatey, malty, toasted marshmallowy conglomeration, you will know that all your efforts have been worth it. Imagine three layers of a dense brownie type cake, smothered in a chocolate malt fudge sauce, sprinkled with chocolate malt crumbs (think Whoppers or Maltesers) and charred marshmallows and then even more chocolate malt fudge sauce.

When I first read this recipe all I could think of was who, how and why. But then I remembered a phase in my life when I made alot of birthday cakes for friends with a filling that I put together using a combination of melted white chocolate, marshmallows, chocolate truffles and cream. So really this is not so different – only better. So much better and certainly more sophisticated.

Its creator is Christina Tosi who bakes for the Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. Apparently she has many other spectacular treats – something I will have to investigate further.

A little advice before I hand over this quite amazing recipe – choose your audience. I would serve this to friends who will eat it with gusto – Nigella-like. You really want to see people enjoy it, people who don’t mind a little smear of chocolate malt fudge sauce on their chin or sticky marshmallow on their fingertips. Enjoy!

*It is necessary to start this recipe the day before you wish to serve it but to make things easy you can make the malt crumbs and the fudge sauce well in advance. You will also need a blow torch to toast the marshmallows.*

Chocolate-Malt Crumbs
2/3 cup Milk Crumbs (see recipe below)
6 tablespoons Ovaltine Chocolate Malt Mix
42 grams/1 1/2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped

Malt-Fudge Sauce
1 1/3 cups Ovaltine Chocolate Malt Mix
113 grams/4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% to 72% cacao), chopped
1 teaspoon mild-flavored (light) molasses
Pinch of coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar

Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
56 grams/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% to 72% cacao), chopped
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons Ovaltine Classic Malt Mix
2 cups mini marshmallows

Chocolate-Malt Crumbs
Mix Milk Crumbs and Ovaltine in small bowl. Place white chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 15-second intervals just until melted, stirring occasionally. Drizzle chocolate over Milk Crumb mixture; toss to coat.

Malt-Fudge Sauce
Place first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy, about 1 minute. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool completely. Cover and chill. Rewarm just until pourable before using.

Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of each pan with parchment round; coat parchment with nonstick spray. Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Melt in microwave in 15-second intervals just until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and coarse salt into medium bowl. Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs; beat on low speed to incorporate, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add melted chocolate. Beat until blended, about 1 minute. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium-high speed until pale brown, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just until blended, about 45 seconds. Divide batter among pans; smooth tops. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks.

Stir milk and Ovaltine in small bowl. Invert 1 cake from pan onto flat plate or tart pan bottom; peel off parchment. Place cake, top side down, in 8-inch springform pan. Brush cake with generous 2 1/2 tablespoons Ovaltine-milk mixture. Let Ovaltine-milk mixture soak into cake. Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over cake; spread evenly over top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate-malt crumbs over sauce. Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over crumbs. Scatter 1 cup mini marshmallows over. Using kitchen torch, toast marshmallows. Repeat with second cake layer, Ovaltine-milk mixture, malt-fudge sauce, chocolate-malt crumbs, malt-fudge sauce, and marshmallows. Remove third cake from pan; peel off parchment. Place cake, top side down, atop marshmallows on second cake layer. Brush with remaining Ovaltine-milk mixture (assembled cake will rise well above edge of pan). Cover cake with plastic wrap; chill overnight. Cover and chill fudge sauce.

Run thin knife around sides of pan to release cake. Remove pan sides. Place cake (still on springform pan bottom) on plate. Rewarm sauce just until pourable. Pour over top of cake, allowing sauce to drip over edges. Mound handful of marshmallows in center of cake. Using kitchen torch, toast marshmallows. Sprinkle remaining malt crumbs over cake. Let cake stand at room temperature 3 hours before serving.

Cut cake into wedges and serve.

Milk Crumbs
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool Milk Crumbs completely on sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes: Whilst the recipe stipulates the need for 3 x 8 inch cake pans, I used one only and baked them straight after each other – giving the batter a little whisk in between. Consequently the cooked cakes were not cooled in the tins, I removed them literally 5 minutes after coming out of the oven.

Source: Christina Tosi for Bon Appetit, September 2010

and just in case you didn’t get enough pictures to look at…

© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.