In this month’s Bon Appetit, Tosi is featured along with three of her desserts.   As a mini-sort of “Cook the Whole Cookbook” venture—of course, without the hundreds of recipes and general necessary commitment to the cause—I’ll be making those three recipes, starting with the Chocolate-Malt Cake.  Crack Pie can be found earlier in August, so I’ve decided to do my newfound favorite thing with foods I love for Crack Pie Part Two…can you guess what that is?

The Chocolate-Malt Cake is the perfect combination of sticky, salty, sweet, and– yes you guessed it!– malty.  The cake, while a pain to work with, is like a dense, rich brownie.  My favorite part of the cake however, has nothing to do with the taste, the texture, or even the campfire, soda shoppe smell.  This cake was fun to make.  Extremely fun. I mean, I was stacking gigantic brownies with my hands, smearing around some fudge, and toasting marshmallows.  Tossing the milk crumbs is like playing with sand.  And I got to play with fire.  And then eat it. Talk about a luxury.  I get to play with my food and eat it too!

Chocolate-Malt Cake

*Recipe requires three 8-inch cake pans, and 8-inch springform pan, and at least 24 hours.  Start the day before you plan to serve!

Christina Tosi for Momofuku Milkbar via Bon Appetit

Chocolate Malt-Crumbs

1 recipe Milk Crumbs (recipe to follow)

6 tablespoons Ovaltine Chocolate Classic Malt Mix

2 oz. high quality white chocolate, chopped

1.  Combine Milk Crumbs and Ovaltine in a large bowl.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, stirring after every 20-second interval.  Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the chocolate crumb mixture and toss to combine.  Set aside

Malt-Fudge Sauce

1 1/3 cups Ovaltine Chocolate Classic Malt Mix

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon mild-flavored (light) molasses

a pinch Kosher salt

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup white sugar

1.  Place Ovaltine, chocolate, molasses, and salt in a large metal bowl.  Set aside.  Bring the cream, corn syrup, and white sugar to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisking to combine.  Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate mixture and let stand about 1 minute before stirring together until smooth.  If the sauce is too thick to spread, place over a pot of boiling water to soften.  Can be made in advance.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator, rewarming before use over boiling water.

Cake

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 ¼ cups white sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 large eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup whole milk

3 tablespoons Ovaltine Classic Malt Mix

1 ½ cups mini marshmallows

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.  Grease and line 3 8-inch cake rounds with parchment paper, set aside.  Melt chocolate and set aside.  Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup.  Beat on medium0high speed until fluffy and pale, about two minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the eggs, beating on low speed until just incorporated.  Increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about two minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2.  Add the melted chocolate and beat until just blended.  Add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until pale brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just blended.  Divide batter among pans, and smooth the tops.  Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes and let cool completely in pans.

Milk Crumbs

¾ cup nonfat dry milk powder

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1.  Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss together the dry ingredients, add the melted butter and combine until just crumbly.  Spread out evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until dry but not toasted.  Set aside to cool.

To Assemble:

1.  Remove one cake from pan and place in the bottom of a spring form pan.  Combine the milk and Ovaltine.  Drizzle one-third on top of the cake.  Take ¼ cup of the Malt Fudge sauce and spread evenly over the entire top of the cake.  Sprinkle with one third of the milk crumbs.  Drizzle another ¼ cup of the fudge sauce over the crumbs.  Sprinkle ½ cup of the marshmallows.  Torch with either the broiler or a kitchen torch but be aware!  The marshmallows tend to burn.  (They’re still delicious.)  Place the second cake upside down on top of the marshmallows.  Repeat the filling process.  For the third cake, drizzle the remaining Ovaltine.  Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2.  On top of the third cake, drizzle the remaining fudge sauce, allowing it to drip off the sides.  Top with remaining milk crumbs and 1 cup marshmallows.  Toast the marshmallows and then allow to sit at room temperature for three hours before serving.

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