Chocolate Malt Cake

I made this cake for Logan's birthday and it is one of my all time favorites. It is SO rich! It's one of those deserts where you have to eat it in shifts, because it is too sweet to eat all at once (unless you're a champ like me!). I got the recipe from Jana's blog (doublethedeliciousness.blogspot.com) and she got it from Our Best Bites. It's a keeper.
Here's what you will need:
THE CAKE:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup malted milk powder (find it by the hot chocolate or instant breakfast stuff!)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9" round cake pans. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl or your mixer.

In a small bowl, combine the milk with the malted milk powder and stir until dissolved. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients along with the oil and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat just until combined.

Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes. (I ended up baking mine for 30 minutes...just use a toothpick to make sure the center is cooked before taking them out of the oven!) Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to racks and let cool completely.

After the cakes have cooled completely, make the icing.

MALT ICING:
(This makes a ton of frosting but I used all but about a cup of it...so I definately wouldn't half the recipe. My kids would have just guzzled down the icing if I'd let them!)
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup malted milk powder
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa until creamy. In a small bowl combine cream and malted milk powder and stir until dissolved. Add the cream mixture to the butter mixture, and beat at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Take each cake and use a bread knife to cut them in half so you end up with four round cakes. Place one on a plate and cover with frosting, then add the next and cover with frosting and keep repeating until all four layers are covered. Then take your frosting all around the sides as well so the entire cake is covered. Place in the frige.

Make the ganache.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1 cup semi-sweet chcolate (I just used chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Place the chocolate chips into a medium-sized bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave for about 3 minutes on high or just until it begins to simmer. Be careful not to let it boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for about 30 seconds. Use a whisk to beat the chocolate with the cream until it is smooth. I let mine cool for a little while...that also helped it set up a little bit more. Then pour over the top of the cake. You may not need all of it, just use what looks best to you! Put in the frige for at least an hour.

Top cake with leftover frosting and whoppers.

It is so cute and yummy!