Chocolate Malt Cupcake

Have you ever had an old-fashioned chocolate malt shake from scratch?   Can I tell you these cupcakes taste just like that.  When I was a little girl of 5 we had a lake house that we went to every weekend.  It just so happened to be down the street from EATS Drive-in, an old school ice cream parlor.  That is where I got hooked on malt.  One day I was dancing to the music (like I always did) and the owners set me on top of a table to dance for the patrons.  The diners would keep plugging the jukebox and I would keep on dancing.  My daughter Juliana is a hot-shot modern dancer in college and she gets it from me,  although she’ll deny it.  At the end of my shift as a professional dancer I got paid in milk shakes. Not a bad gig!!

Personally I love the taste of malt and of course chocolate.  You can find malt in just about any grocery store.  I found the double dip giant malt balls one day at Whole Paycheck Foods and thought I have to make a cupcake for these babies.  It is another good one honest.   Well by now you have figured out that I love all cupcakes.  On all my cupcake posts I keep writing,  “This is one of my favorites!”  SO what does that mean then……….Honestly I could never stop eating them when I had the bakeries.  Hence the extra 40 pounds over the last couple of years.  I did have to taste test ya know.  As the saying goes, “Never met a cupcake I didn’t like.”

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup malt

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

24 over-sized chocolate malt balls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners, set aside.
2. Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, malt, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low-speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape down side of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add boiling (has to be boiling or it won’t work) water and stir to combine.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.  The batter is runny like soup.
5. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.  At 7 minutes into the bake rotate pans and don’t open the oven door again until 18 minutes have gone by.  Once you have figured out the exact bake time for your oven you should not keep opening the door.  These are best left alone.  The cakes will sink if you open the oven door too much.
6. Let cool completely and remove from the pans.
7. Frost the cooled cupcakes with Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting below.
8. Top with malt balls

CHOCOLATE MALT BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Makes enough for about 2 dozen

1 lb. soft butter unsalted (4 sticks)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 lb powdered sugar sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup malt

Blend the butter and vanilla in a mixer at medium speed until soft and blended well, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add powdered sugar a little at a time on low-speed.   Next slowly add cocoa powder and malt.  Once it is all in and mixed beat at high-speed until light and fluffy for about 4 minutes.  You can store the unused frosting in an airtight container in the frig about a week.

Tagged as: Chocolate malt cupcakes