Chocolate Malt Cake.

If you: love baking, love cake, love baking, have a food blog, love baking, and/or occasionally make really delicious things come out of your kitchen... somewhere along the line the task of making birthday cakes has probably fallen on you. 

Last year for my mom's birthday I made a chocolate overdose cake, a layer of thick, rich, fudgy brownie topped with chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, and chocolate ganache. It was probably the best cake I've ever made.

Or... was.

Hello.

I love you.

This is hands-down the most deliciously moist, sinfully rich, melt-in-your-mouth, to-die-for chocolate cake ever. It's honestly the best cake I've ever made (or had). It's better than Texas sheet cake. It's better than the Olive Garden's chocolate lasagna. It's even better than cheesecake. I can't believe I just said that.

It's officially our new go-to birthday cake.

... too bad my birthday's not til February. Half-birthdays, anyone?

Both the cake and the frosting are made using malted milk, which gives it a subtle, old-fashioned malt milkshake sort of taste, and the entire thing is decorated with Whoppers. Fancy!

I think you know what's for breakfast. 

Chocolate Malt Cake

Printable Recipe

Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup malted milk powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Malt Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup malted milk powder
5 cups confectioners' sugar
Garnish: malted milk balls

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixture, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil, and eggs to flour mixture, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with malted milk balls, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen's Holiday Baking, 2007.