Malted-Milk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter or stick margarine, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 block (8 oz.) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, chilled
5 c. powdered sugar (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
3 Tbsp. hot water
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/3 c. vegetable shortening
3 large eggs
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. malted-milk powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. fat-free milk
1/3 c. coarsely chopped malted-milk balls
10 malted-milk balls, cut in half

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat bottom of 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat the sides of pan); line bottoms with wax paper.  Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 Tbsp. flour.

Combine butter, vanilla and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat at medium-high speed of a mixer for 2 minutes.  Gradually add sugar, beating at low speed just until smooth.  Add hot water; beat just until smooth.  Add chocolate; beat just until smooth.  Reserve 1 3/4 c. chocolate mixture for frosting; cover and chill 2 hours.  Add shortening to remaining chocolate mixutre in bowl.  Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 1 minute).  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lightly spoon 1 3/4 c. flour into dry measuring cups, level with knife.  Combine 1 3/4 c. flour, milk powder, baking powderr, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans.  Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.  Remove wax paper.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 c. frosting, add top with remaining cake layer.  Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake; sprinkle top of cake with chopped malted-milk balls.  Place the malted-milk balls that have been halved around the edge of the cake.  Chill 1 hour.  Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Note~ This was a new creation of mine and everyone loves it.  When shopping for the malted-milk powder, I found it in my store by the Olvatine and Nesquik.  The picture above is of the results of my first time ever making a cake 100% from scratch.  The only issue I had was the frosting gets a bit hard when you leave it in the refrigerator and may be harder to spread when that time comes, so you may want to leave it out a few minutes before trying otherwise re-mix it with your electric mixer.  

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