Cafe Lula

Last time I counted my cookbooks, I had around sixty five on my bookshelf. I decided this was plenty and that I would try not to buy any for a while. At the weekend I went shopping and I saw this (which I’m fairly certain is this book, having compared the indexes). Obviously I had to have it, and I’d been so good, I deserved it. My first cookbook for ages! Or so I thought. When I got home, I decided to count my cookbooks again (don’t envy my exciting life). Eighty five. I have eighty five cookbooks. Somehow, in my break from buying cookbooks, I have acquired twenty extra cookbooks. I do not know how this has happened. I couldn’t tell you which twenty are new. Oops.

But! If I hadn’t bought this book I’d never have made this beautiful cake. I can’t say I agree with it being classed as a brownie (the cake doesn’t even have chocolate in!), but I’m willing to let that go seeing as it tastes like I want to put the whole thing in my face. I was originally going to take this to work but when Chris saw it his face lit up and he said “this is just for us, isn’t it?”. Oh well, I didn’t want my clothes to fit me anymore anyway.

Malteser cake

Adapted from Fabulous Brownies by Annie Rigg

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients:

For the cake:

175g/1.5 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

2 generous tablespoons malted milk powder (I used Horlicks)

175g/1.5 sticks butter, softened (I used lightly salted)

225g/1 cup light brown (soft) sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

75g maltesers or other chocolate covered malted milk balls, halved (this could be increased), plus extra to decorate

Icing:

125g/4 oz dark/plain (semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped (I used 50% cocoa solids)

125g/4 oz milk chocolate, chopped

175ml/ 2/3 cup double (heavy) cream

2 tbsp malted milk powder

125g/1 stick soft butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 170C (325F)/160C (320F) fan oven and grease and line a 23cm/9 inch square cake tin.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition, and then stir in the vanilla extract.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb and milk powder. If you are using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Fold in and then stir in the maltesers.

Spoon the mixture into the tin (it’s too thick to pour). Spread evenly around the tin. It does not seem like much mixture and will spread quite thin but it rises very well! Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine took 25 minutes in a 160C fan oven) until well risen and golden.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Put the chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and malted milk powder in a small saucepan until only just boiling. Pour it into the bowl over the chocolate and add the butter. Leave this to melt then stir it together until smooth. Leave it to cool while the cake cools.

When the cake has cooled and the icing has thickened slightly, pour and spread the topping all over the cake. Decorate with the extra maltesers.