Malt Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

It has been a busy, cake-baking summer!

It’s rough to bake a cake when it’s so hot outside… as you already know from my previous two summer cake posts.

After all, I am a creature who loves the cold. (Which is probably why I was so blissed out in San Francisco last weekend–post forthcoming–60 degrees and breezy!? Yes please!) Anyway, this means that bringing myself to turn on the oven to make something as intensive as a cake is pretty difficult.

But I have been wanting to make this Baked cake for a couple of years now, and I knew that for my birthday, this was it!

Yes–I bake my own birthday cakes. Some people think this is weird, but I love putting all that effort into myself once a year.

Plus, it gives you an excuse to throw a party!

Or rather, in this case, to have a friend kindly throw you a party at which you can share said cake with others! Not to mention a feast fit for a hot summer day…

Homemade sangria…

Fresh guacamole…

Popcorn with brewer’s yeast (this is a Milwaukee thing)…

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit…

And goat cheese rolled with herbs from the garden.

I don’t think I could have asked for a prettier setting–I definitely had way too much fun taking pictures! Of utensils in a little box…

Candles and art-making materials…

And of course hanging out with good friends!

When it got dark, it was cake time!

This cake is definitely one of my new favorites. The cake itself is malted and dense, almost nutty.

The frosting is slippery and silky, so chocolatey–a weird mix between a ganache and a buttercream, and surprisingly easy and not too fussy. Let’s just say I definitely enjoyed the extra cupcakes this six-incher leaves you with.

Thank you so much to all my friends who came and celebrated my birthday with me, and a special thanks to Shannon for hosting a beautiful party in her backyard!

Malt Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

I followed this recipe exactly from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. You can also find the recipe online at Food & Wine.

I did make this into a 6-inch cake, which left me with about 9 full size cupcakes.

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