The malteser cake is lovely and quite light in comparison to the Guinness cake. The Guinness cake is a really dense and dark - the taste of beer is rich and malty and underlays the chocolate nature of the cake so is not too overpowering. Another option would be to do a victoria sponge and fill it with fresh raspberries or strawberries and sandwich together with the extra thick jersey cream (you don't even need to whip it!).
I have detailed the other recipes below.
MALTESER CAKE:
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
150g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
3 eggs
175ml milk
15g butter
2 tbsp Horlick -I personally add this liberally as I love horlicks!
175g plain flour
25g cocoa powder sieved
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
FOR ICING AND DECORATION
250g icing sugar
1 tsp cocoa powder
45g Horlicks
125g butter (ideally at room temp so nice and soft)
2 tbsp boiling water
2 regular sized packets of maltesers
- Preheat oven to gas mark 3/170C. Butter and line two 20cm cake tins (ideally loose bottomed.
- Whisk together the sugars and eggs until light and frothy.
- Heat the milk, butter and horlick for the cake ingredients in a saucepan until the butter melts. The mixture should be hot but not boiling.
- Beat the horlicks mixture into the eggs and sugar and then fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb.
- Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25 mins, by which time they should have risen and will spring back when pressed gently. Cool them in their tins for c5-10 mins before turning out onto a rack.Once the cakes are cold you can begin the icing.
- If using a food processor put the icing sugar, cocoa and horlicks in and blitz to remove lumps then add butter and process again. Stop scrape and process again adding water down the funnel with the motor running until you have a smooth buttercream.
- If making the icing by hand sieve the icing sugar, cocoa and horlick together then add the butter and cream together. Once these have combined add the water gradually mixxing between each addition until you have a smooth buttercream.
- Sandwich the two cakes together with half the buttercream and then ice the top with what is left and stud the outside edge of the cake with a ring of maltesers.
GUINNESS CAKE
FOR THE CAKE
250ml Guinness
250g butter
75g cocoa powder
400g caster sugar
1 x 142ml pot sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE ICING
300g philadelphia or non branded soft cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml double or whipping cream
- Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180C and butter and line a 23cm springform tin (I have a 20-23cm silicone cake mould which I use and does not need greasing or lining).
- Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add butter in spoons or slices and heat until melted at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
- Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pur into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
- Pour the cake batter into the tin and bake for 45 mins to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack as this is a really damp cake and if you try to take it our before it is cooled it could break apart.
- Do not make the icing until the cake is cooled. As the icing is made with cream and soft cheese it is best to ice at the latest possible moment and if you have any left overs after serving keep it in the fridge.
- Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth and sieve in the icing sugar and beat together. Add the cream to the mixture and beat again until it becomes a spreadable consistency and ice the top of the cake so it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.
Phew - typed my litte heart out there!
I am sure your man will be chuffed with whatever you make Alibeebs - maybe you will post again to let us know what you chose and how it went - maybe even with a picture!
Have fun in the kitchen
